‘One to watch in 2013’ is first solo female artist shortlisted for award

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A Scottish musician, singer-songwriter and one of the UK’s few female electronic music producers Plum is the first female artist shortlisted for national music award

One of the UK’s few female electronic music producers, who was recently selected by a prestigious British music website as “one to watch in 2013”, has now been shortlisted for a national music award. Not only has there never been a solo female winner at the Scottish Alternative Music Awards (SAMAs), but Edinburgh-based musician Plum has just become the first female ever to be nominated in the Best Electronic category.

Plum

Securing comparisons to the likes of Bjork, Niki and the Dove, Lana Del Rey and PJ Harvey but with an intricate electronic edge, it has been a great start to the year for Plum, aka Shona Maguire, whose crowd-funded album, The Seed has a five star rating on iTunes and she has now been shortlisted for the Best Electronic Act in the Scottish Alternative Music Awards.

Speaking on being shortlisted for the Scottish Alternative Music Awards Plum said: “I am absolutely delighted to be shortlisted for this award. Female electronic music producers are very rare right now, so I hope that my shortlisting inspires other female artists to produce great electronic music and compete with the best.”

“My latest album, The Seed, was entirely funded by my fans, so it is great to be able to reward them for their dedication by securing honours like this.”

The winners of the Scottish Alternative Music Awards are voted for by the public – from Monday 11 February, fans can vote for their favourite shortlisted acts to win an award at: http://officialsama.co.uk

Described as a “mad scientist” for her energetic live performances, Plum sings, plays instruments and uses home-made floor pad samplers, filters, various buttons and triggers. She will be releasing her next EP, Betsy Thunder, in June 2013, along with live dance performances resulting from a residency with Edinburgh’s Dance Base due to take part in March 2013.

Uniquely for an unsigned act, Plum already has a group of über-fans who follow her every move and have even been known to die their hair in support of the artist, as well as baking cupcakes topped with edible Plum logos to hand out at live gigs. Her music has also already been used on the BBC’s Lip Service and a Scottish Government anti-knife-crime advertisement. She can even count 2013 Brit Award Nominee Goyte and Canadian rap-legend Buck 65 among her fans.

Speaking about The Seed, here is what some leading music personalities and media outlets have to say:

“Comparisons to The Knife and Niki & the Dove. Her voice is great and I love all the intricate electronics going on in there…I met her during the week & she’s one of the liveliest people I’ve met in ages.” Ally McCrae, BBC Radio 1

“A brilliant artist.” Vic Galloway, BBC Radio Scotland

“Fantastic. You need to seek it out.” Jim Gellatly, Radio Magnetic

“Forget what you think about female singers and listen to this.” Matt Graveling, Best of British.

“A sound I like a lot. Reminds me of early PJ Harvey. I want to hear more.” Mike Taylor, Amazing Radio

“Shona Maguire deals more with very modern experimental pop, more in tune with Scandinavian innovators such as Niki & The Dove or others who are heroically trying to shove the stale, soulless, reality TV pop music from the upper echelons of the chart.” Sound of Confusion

“After one listen my reaction was of astonishment. It is becoming one of my favourite records.” GlasgoWest

“Already one of the most important albums of the year.” Ringmaster

For more information and to hear some of her music visit www.plumtunes.com or download her album via iTunes or Amazon.co.uk

Or watch The Seed music video here. 

Ends

For more media information, photography or requests for interviews with Plum contact Kirsty Innes, tel: 07790 910 646, email: kirsty@kirstyinnespr.com

 Notes to editors:

 About Plum

  • Performing and releasing music under the name Plum, Shona creates intricate, unique, quirky, and ever so slightly twisted music.
  • She has travelled to 28 countries, accidentally causing a bomb scare in one of them.
  • She has volunteered with North Korean refugees, owned a motorbike, lived in the back of her car, and studied music production at Hackney’s Point Blank Music Production College (six time winner of the annual T-scan awards “Best music production college”) which led her to adopt her current life as an independent electronic musician under the guise of Plum, a childhood nickname.
  • After releasing her first two EPs on LA based label Summer Rain Recordings, she was snapped up by cult label Benbecula Records as the only female artist in their 11 year history, releasing critically acclaimed album Different Skin in 2009.
  • Upcoming gigs:
    • 9th March – Limbo, (Voodoo Rooms, Edinburgh)
    • 29th March – Planet Angel (London)
    • Speaking about her influences Plum said: “I write about whatever is going on in my life…The Seed was a concept album about a suggestion being planted in my mind when I was really young, and how it grew & transformed throughout my life.”

“I use a lot of field recordings too, I like to build textures around interesting samples from my travels – crickets, old type-writers, my feet in snow, gravel, scuffing on the Millennium Bridge in London etc. You can get really unique sounds from quite normal stuff if you slow it down or reverse it or add effects to it.”

“My teacher in college described my stuff as Aphex Twin tripping in a warm bubble bath.”

About the Scottish Alternative Music Awards

  • The Scottish Alternative Music Awards (the SAMAs) have introduced such talents as We Were Promised Jetpacks, Fridge Magnets, Bwani Junction and Fatherson. This award has, to date, never been won by a female artist.
  • The SAMAs 2013 will take place on Friday 8th March at Garage Glasgow. Open to all ages and tickets on sale now.
  • SAMAs are a unique and interactive music award experience exclusively recognising the alternative music scene in Scotland.
  • http://officialsama.co.uk