Spellbinding
Singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Jo Beth Young is back with a third album, which she describes as art-pop or experimental folk. Prog catches up with Young to learn more about the inspiration and process behind the thought-provoking Broken Spells.
Words: Francesca Tyer
We are under Jo Beth Young’s spell.
Images: DA Young
I
sang before I spoke,” singer-songwriter Jo Beth Young begins. “Anyone in my family will tell you I preferred singing to speaking. It has been a passion for as long as I can remember.”
Young’s love for her craft is one of the main drivers behind her music. For her, creating and performing isn’t simply about becoming a musician, but accepting that intrinsic part of herself.
“I can’t imagine not being a musician,” she muses. “If I didn’t make records, I’d still be a musician, even if I went and sang to the seals!”
Music is a powerful artform that’s been used throughout the centuries for healing purposes.
“It is one of the biggest healing arts in the world,” she says. “It intrinsically makes us who we are, whether we think we are musical or not.”
In her own life, music has been a refuge and a form of release. Recalling her early years at school, Young reflects on how her experience of physical bullying led her to join the church choir.