Minke Minke
It's two years since Minke wowed us with the soulful pop-rock of Lindsey Lohan-endorsed debut single "Gold Angel". Since then, the British singer/songwriter has been hard at work on debut EP The Tearoom, a seven-track record released earlier this month.
The EP features the aforementioned "Gold Angel", along with additional singles "Maybe 25", "Too Late", and "Something Better" plus three brand new tracks.
If the name Minke doesn't ring a bell, there's still a strong chance you've heard the LA transplant before, releasing under her real name Leah Mason. As Minke, Mason's order of the day is minimal yet sweeping pop laced with addictive electric guitar – fans will note a great (though not unwelcome) difference from her previous project.
Minke's origin story starts even before a then 18-year-old Leah Mason signed as a blues artist, opening (perhaps unexpectedly) with her exposure to Elton John as a young child.
"I have [always wanted to be a musician]," Mason explains. "At six years old – I'd just discovered Elton John, I think it was "Candle In The Wind" time – my Dad told me, 'you know that Elton travels round the world and plays piano for loads of people and gets paid millions?' I'd just started playing piano at that point, and I was like, 'cool, I'm gonna be a musician then!'
"I started teaching myself guitar at eleven, out of the blue. I don't know why – no one played guitar [in my family]. I bought a 30 quid classical guitar with shitty nylon strings, and I sat in a room for two years and just got obsessed with it. Then I got a guitar teacher, who really encouraged me and mentored me throughout my teens. He gave me a big book of Bob Dylan lyrics when I was 14 and was like, 'when you wanna use some cool words, just flick through this and nick a couple, and then you've made a song.' It's that easy!
It's two years since Minke wowed us with the soulful pop-rock of Lindsey Lohan-endorsed debut single "Gold Angel". Since then, the British singer/songwriter has been hard at work on debut EP The Tearoom, a seven-track record released earlier this month.
The EP features the aforementioned "Gold Angel", along with additional singles "Maybe 25", "Too Late", and "Something Better" plus three brand new tracks.
If the name Minke doesn't ring a bell, there's still a strong chance you've heard the LA transplant before, releasing under her real name Leah Mason. As Minke, Mason's order of the day is minimal yet sweeping pop laced with addictive electric guitar – fans will note a great (though not unwelcome) difference from her previous project.
Minke's origin story starts even before a then 18-year-old Leah Mason signed as a blues artist, opening (perhaps unexpectedly) with her exposure to Elton John as a young child.
"I have [always wanted to be a musician]," Mason explains. "At six years old – I'd just discovered Elton John, I think it was "Candle In The Wind" time – my Dad told me, 'you know that Elton travels round the world and plays piano for loads of people and gets paid millions?' I'd just started playing piano at that point, and I was like, 'cool, I'm gonna be a musician then!'
"I started teaching myself guitar at eleven, out of the blue. I don't know why – no one played guitar [in my family]. I bought a 30 quid classical guitar with shitty nylon strings, and I sat in a room for two years and just got obsessed with it. Then I got a guitar teacher, who really encouraged me and mentored me throughout my teens. He gave me a big book of Bob Dylan lyrics when I was 14 and was like, 'when you wanna use some cool words, just flick through this and nick a couple, and then you've made a song.' It's that easy!
