Ones To Watch: Fiona Bevan

So, yes, Fiona Bevan co-wrote a song with Ed Sheeran that One Direction made theirs and took to the top of the charts in 2012, but don’t let that overwhelm you. It’s called ‘Little Things’ and it’s only one of the many great songs she’s written.

‘Rebel Without A Cause’, which she wrote after the London riots in 2011, starts off with a simple riff on an acoustic guitar a la Jack Johnson, but once Bevan’s voice comes in, it’s an altogether different affair that suggests the effortless singing of Kate Bush. Light piano touches and a groovy bass spice up the song throughout. As with everything she’s done, the hooks are numerous, the melodies infectious and her voice otherworldly.

Fiona Bevan grew up listening to Doris Day and Cole Porter, and she was 15 when she heard The Beatles and Jimi Hendrix for the first time. “I’ve made all sorts of music in the past”, she says, “but I’ve always known how I should sound.” Her debut album ‘Talk To Strangers’, on which she plays guitar, double bass, violin, accordion and harp, is set for release on 28th April via Navigator Records. As if there wasn’t enough talent on board, the album was mastered by George Horn, who has worked with the likes of Bob Dylan, Sly & The Family Stone and John Coltrane among many others. There are elements of Folk, Soul and Pop in Bevan’s music, but she really is beyond categorization, a sort of modern-day Joni Mitchell if you will.