From Grantown Grammar to Birmingham uni to...?
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She’s a gem. A former Grantown Grammar School pupil is taking her first – but bold – steps to pop stardom down in Birmingham.
Gemma Ballam is just 20 but has a rich, accurate voice of real maturity. Moreover, she will not need to rely on ‘covers’ to get her into the charts when her career launches formally in the spring, when she has earned her honours degree at Birmingham. She writes as well as she sings.
It’s already been an eventful journey, she told the Strathy this after her latest gig in the city with her band: “I started young, taking piano lessons as an eight-year-old, as well as learning violin and trumpet throughout primary and high school. But I started singing lessons later, around the age of 13.”
Since September 2021 she has studied popular music performances at BIMM Birmingham: “Before then I’d only performed at school concerts and a small number of local pubs and venues such as the Ben Mhor Hotel and Craggan Outdoors, performing only ever cover material.
“Since moving to Birmingham I discovered that writing and performing original music is something I wish to pursue further. I now gig regularly around Birmingham with my band, solely performing original materials integrating covers when it feels right.”
Her debut single ‘Rewind’ was successfully released on January 12 across Spotify, Apple Music & other key platforms, with plans to poduce a new single every two-three months towards collating an EP with five of her own tracks. It’s ‘ now had almost 2,000 streams in a month, enjoying radio play on four different shows.
“I played ‘Rewind’ at an open mic night in Grantown at the Pagoda before its release. All the songs are being produced by my friend/flatmate Kate Bemand and my band are recording all parts with live instrumentation. We’re on our way...”
