INTERVIEW: REBECCA GARTON - ALL ME
Sidcup’s Rebecca Garton Is Helping To Amplify Uk R&B With Internationally Recognised Tracks Born Out Of The Smooth 2000s
From releasing tracks with Chicago-based R&B maestro Jeremih to being named in Complex UK mag’s R&B Acts to Watch in 2021, Sidcup’s Rebecca Garton has used the last 18 months to carve out a musical career path and poured her silky-smooth, honeyed vocals into it.
Finger-clicking sexy beats, 2000s glossy groove and a host of collaborators have seen tracks like Comfortable flirt with the One Million Plays title on Spotify alone – and a timely remix by DJ Majestic saw the tune smash through comfortably into the second million.
Teaming up with rapper Louis Rei (of WSTRN fame), the polished All Me was arguably the track that took Rebecca to a new level, with regular plays on local and international radio before it was in turn re-released as Part 2 with the all-female squad of Ling Hussle, Alana Marie and Tia Carys to considerable effect. But, while Rebecca’s future is in an exciting ‘watch this space’ moment, we wanted to find out more about her past.
Hi Rebecca, it feels like we have been following your work for ages!
Hey hey! Thank you! So grateful for all the support!
From Spotify it says that you have been releasing music since 2018… was that the real beginning or have you always been making tunes?
I have definitely been doing it for about 10 years now, but I had some moments where I did have to take a step back and really find myself and find my voice.
We understand you moved to sunny Sidcup from Nigeria as a teenager... do you come from a very musical household and has your heritage informed your music?
I would definitely say I come from a musical background! My dad sang but didn’t have the confidence to pursue it and both my sisters sing as well. So I was surrounded by music constantly!
My heritage plays a big part in my music – growing up in Africa makes me who I am, it also helps in terms of playing around with various sounds and wanting to experiment more.
Music, I feel, was always the way I was going to go. I even tried to fight it, but I do think music always found a way to find me.
Can you remember the moment you knew you wanted to be a recording artist?
The moment I knew I wanted to be a recording artist was when I was eight. I got home from school and my dad was literally blasting Sade’s Smooth Operator. Once I heard that record I just knew I had to be a singer.
What are you working on at the minute?
I’m working towards a second EP, I’m quite excited about this body of work.
A lot of your tunes have a very early 2000s/classic RnB feel to them… is that the music you grew up listening to? Is there a particular track or artist you hold dear?
I grew up listening to a lot of different music, there were a lot of genres floating around in my home. I just feel like classic R&B is where it’s at. It’s real and for me it’s real music. Timeless and I strive to make timeless music.
RnB tends to be dominated by US artists – is this your flag-in-the-ground moment for a UK RnB scene?
I think the UK R&B scene is growing and honestly there is some amazing music coming out of the UK. It’s such an exciting time. I just hope the UK embraces greatness!
So, 2020-21 has been a monster year for your work, for example working with legends like Jeremih. How on Earth did that come about?
It came about through a DM! I always tell people to ‘shoot your shot’ because you genuinely have nothing to lose! The most someone can say is ‘no’ and, trust me, as an upcoming artist I’ve heard that so much. So, I’m like ‘Hey, I’ve got nothing to lose!’. Luckily, in this case, he responded and loved the record.
What is the career moment that most had your head in a spin?
I’ve had many of those: All Me Part 2 with all those amazing women, going on tour with Pink Sweat$, opening for Summer Walker, certain people even knowing my name! Honestly, there have been so many moments I’ve had to just get on my knees and thank God!
All Me obviously arrived in 2020 in a big way; we reviewed it in ‘cene and loved it! Why did you decide to reshape it with Ling Hussle, Alana Marie and Tia Carys (what a quartet, by the way)? And how easy was it to get them all on board?
I think at the time it was important to bring back good remixes – they were big in the R&B scene and I just wanted to bring that back! I also felt having an all-black, all-female remix was so needed and so refreshing and hasn’t really been done in the UK. Luckily, it wasn’t difficult. They are all amazing women that literally were like ‘Yes let’s do it!’.
We have seen your Spotify and Youtube streams really gather momentum… is it difficult at times to gauge the popularity of a particular song based on streams?
Of course! It’s very difficult. You never really know. I think streams help to gauge it to some extent.
What was it like the first moment you heard one of your tracks on BBC Radio 1Xtra?
I actually started crying. It was so surreal. To think ‘Wow, my song is on the radio for people to hear!’ was crazy. I shed some tears.
What does the rest of 2021 look like for you? More collabs? Tour?
More collabs, more tours (God willing), more music – EPs and all!
INSTA: @rebeccagarton
INFO: rebeccagarton.co.uk
