A pretty, gentle folk style combined with hints of a rock diva is what Donnelle Brooks delivers with her second EP, 'Poppies'.
“It happened in a weird way,” Donnelle says about the EP's genesis. “I always liked the pretty, folk sound and then I went to study music and found blues. I discovered all the improvisation you could do and I went more towards that sound. I wanted to mix that pretty, folk sound with rocky, blues sounds that let out my inner diva.”
Merging the two styles is something that Donnelle has fearlessly owned. “People get two [versions of me]; they get the girly, folk person and the rock-band diva. With this EP, I really tried to bring those two together. I'm never afraid to push the sounds and make them work together."
With the launch of 'Poppies' in December, Donnelle is feeling the stress although maintains a positive and excited mindset. “I’m stressed; there is a lot of organising to do before any release. We have been rehearsing a lot and getting things down. Although I am stressed, I know everything will fall into place."
Though one aspect of the show that is calming Donnelle's nerves is the venue, The Bearded Lady. "It's a great venue to play; I'm really looking forward to seeing friends and family and having a party to celebrate the EP. It'll really be the icing on the cake; it'll just be so much fun to perform there."
With a passion for performing live, Donnelle has managed to overcome her performance anxieties. “I used to get anxious about making mistakes, but now I kinda realise that's once it's done, it's done and out there anyway, so there is not much point getting hooked up on the mistakes and imperfections.
"They kind of add something to the performance," she adds. “I also love when people get drunk and they get up, dance and just have such a good time; performing live is amazing.”
Although Donnelle is gearing up for the launch with a lot of excitement, the road to recording and releasing the album was not one without challenges. "It has been tricky; last year I found out I had vocal nodules which was a shock to me. I couldn't do anything for a while which was really annoying as I was working on the EP. It feels amazing to have it finally finished and the nodules to not be an issue."
After overcoming the physical trials she was faced with, Donnelle really pushed the creative boundaries with vocal layering and instrumental textures. “First hearing the songs with the band and hearing all the trims and tracks was amazing. With this EP, I wanted to further explore the textures and instruments to try and make it something more than it could be performed live.
“In the studio you can record 12 vocal layers, you can't really do that live which makes it incredible to be able to do on an EP,” she says.
“I wanted this EP to be like albums by Grinspoon; the way they have so many different styles and types of songs on one album. With 'Poppies', there is a bit of everything and it works together.”
Donnelle Brooks plays The Bearded Lady 4 December; 'Poppies' is released the same day.
– written by Ellen Cook
