Music > Audioline

Phoebe Troup

26/07/16

WHO?

Outside of Norwich there are people living in rural communities where the world around them is part of their soul. A natural world touching them in a way people in the city may never truly understand. Music is a great way of learning about that world and one person who expresses it perfectly is 19 year old Phoebe Troup. Except she’s not singing about the lush lands of Norfolk, but the clear streams, green fields and snow caps of the Rocky Mountains.

Phoebe was born in the UK, raised in the USA and currently studying at UEA. “Back in the USA, outside of the home my life is American,” Phoebe told us. “I am just a few minutes from the great outdoors and social life revolves around canoeing and hiking. I’d go up into the mountains to watch the sun rise before going to school.” But inside the home her British parents were playing her music from another country (mum Punk, dad Mod) and talking in a different way to her teachers and peers. And that’s how Phoebe comes across: American with a British heart which is why her music sounds intriguingly different from what is out there on the local scene, yet familiar at the same time.

WHAT?

The sound of Bluegrass is evident in every song, not surprising for someone who has grown up in Fort Collins, Colorado. Yet there is much more here than just another slice of Americana. This is music we in this country can relate to as well - full of love and warmth and self-examination. The simplicity of Phoebe’s guitar matches the crispness of her lyrics, beautifully crafted with every word sculpted to create an image. “There’s a girl behind the counter, who loves a boy born in July,” just two lines that are instantly intriguing. Clearly the Creative Writing course she is following at the UEA is paying dividends for these are songs that are story laden.

LIVE?

Phoebe must be doing something right live as she’s getting attention from all the right quarters. Her songs got her noticed enough to be asked to play on the BBC Introducing stage at Latitude this year - and that followed on from a BBC Radio 1 play on Huw Stephens show.

https://soundcloud.com/phoebetroup

https://www.facebook.com/phoebetroupmusic/?fref=ts