Grace Savage - Beatboxer — Outline Norwich

How did you get into beatboxing?

There were a few beatboxers in the little town of Crediton where I grew up in Devon and I was lucky enough to learn the basics from them, and in particular from my good friend and 2009 World Beatbox Champ, Bellatrix. Belle acted as a sort of mentor for me when I was first learning, and really encouraged me to keep practising and jump up on stage with her for live experience. I started when I was about 16, and because I already had a bit of an obsession with making noises and imitating things, I caught the beatbox bug instantly and just couldn’t stop.

I’ve never heard of any other female beatboxers…how have you been received by the scene in general?

The scene has always been really warm and welcoming to me. Pretty much every professional beatboxer I have ever met or worked with has been a lovely person; quite often people associate hip hop with arrogance and bravado, and they forget that it’s a community with collaboration and good vibes at its heart.

How did you come to be more in the performance art side of things rather than the musical side of things?

My background has always been in theatre; I studied Theatre and Performance at Leeds University and it has always been an important aspect of my life. I have been really lucky that I’ve had opportunities to work on productions where I can combine both my acting and beatboxing skills. I also am working with a producer (Dee Adam) on my solo album that we are looking to release next year, which I sing and beatbox on. So I’m steadily straddling both industries right now!

Who would you like to work with in the future?

I’m a wee bit obsessed with an artist called BANKS at the moment. I would love to work with her musically.

What would you be doing now if you hadn’t discovered you had this great skill?

I have no idea! I never had a well thought out plan, I just knew I wanted to perform and create and be inspired by my work and the industry I ended up in. I would probably have auditioned for drama school after uni and pursued a career more solely focused on that side of things.

We interviewed local beatboxer Intensi-T a few months back…who would you say are the best in the field at present?

I’m not a massive beatbox geek (I don’t really pay attention to who all the bug names are on the scene) but in the UK I really like and respect Ballzee, Hobbit, Reeps one, Shlomo and Beardyman.

Are you into hip hop? Who are your favourite artists?

Yeah I love hip hop; my taste hasn’t really developed much from my early teens to be honest! I still listen to the old school artists a lot like Lauryn Hill, Missy Elliot, Biggie, Outkast, Roots Manuva, J5 & TLC.

How did performing at the Edinburgh Festival go for you?

It was brilliant. The show was really well received and it was a real test of my stamina as a solo performer. I love the festival; there is nothing else like it and to perform at the Pleasance is always a pleasure.

Can you tell me a little about your show?

BLIND is a one woman beatboxing theatre show that focuses on the things we hear in the world. This is largely explored through my own personal experiences as a young woman growing up in the ‘90’s and early ‘00’s in Devon, including how I came to be a professional beatboxer. It explores such things as bits of advice from my mum, news reports that were big at the time, lyrics in the music I listened to, advertising slogans and violence in the media and how these things can influence me or others. BLIND kind of documents how I started to build an identity for myself from these external sources.

What are your plans for the future?

I don’t like to plan too much ahead but at the moment, I am focused on finishing my album and showcasing to record labels with my band.

Grace Savage's show BLIND is at The Garage, Norwich on 9th October. More information from http://www.thegarage.org.uk