Following the release of her third solo album, composer and instrumentalist Rachel Flowers talks to Prog about staying positive in the face of adversity, the freedom of being a solo artist, and paying homage to her heroes in prog and beyond with Bigger On The Inside.

Words: David West Portrait: Marie Gregorio-Oviedo

The hugely talented Rachel Flowers.

In 2016, the good and the great of prog rock paid tribute to the late Keith Emerson with two concerts, in Los Angeles and Birmingham, UK. Alongside luminaries such as Jordan Rudess, Eddie Jobson, and Steve Porcaro, the line-up also included Rachel Flowers, who entranced audiences with The Endless Enigma, The Barbarian, and Emerson’s Piano Concerto No 1 – Third Movement: Toccata Con Fuoco.

A prodigiously talented multi-instrumentalist who plays piano, guitar, bass and flute, Flowers has performed alongside Dweezil Zappa, members of Gentle Giant and Brand X, and Emmett Chapman, the inventor of the Chapman Stick, another instrument in Flowers’ repertoire. Her third solo release, Bigger On The Inside, sees Flowers handling all of the instrumentation herself, which is all the more impressive when you consider she’s been blind since infancy. The music finds Flowers embracing her prog rock influences, paying tribute to her musical heroes, and exploring themes about self-belief and finding light in the darkness.