HOLLIE STEPHENSON
–THE 17-YEAR-OLD BRITISH SINGER-SONGWRITER–
TO RELEASES DEBUT SINGLE
“POINTLESS REBELLION”
TUESDAY, JUNE 9
OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO PREMIERED ON U.K.’S SBTV
WATCH HERE: http://tiny.cc/b3g1wx
Above: Hollie Stephenson
Photo credit: Michelle Shiers
Meet HOLLIE STEPHENSON, a 17-year-old singer-songwriter unlike any other teenager in music. From the age of three, she’s been obsessed with jazz, blues and soul. That passion goes some way to explaining the staggering quality of STEPHENSON’s singing skills. Blended, channeled and made fresh by this youngster, those great, iconic pre-pop and pre-rock vocalists are brilliantly reborn in STEPHENSON. Now it’s time for HOLLIE to take a step towards the limelight with the release of her debut single “Pointless Rebellion,” out Tuesday, June 9. The track, with ska/bluebeat sass, will be released through Membran/The Orchard (Sony) worldwide.
The official video for “Pointless Rebellion” premiered yesterday (4/13) with U.K. outlet SBTV and can be watched HERE. Directed by Gareth Bowler and shot in Central London, Bowler won the opportunity to direct the video, after entering a competition hosted by SBTV and DSE (Dave Stewart Entertainment), in conjunction with Talenthouse, to offer film and video directors across the world the opportunity to get their break in the music video making business. The exclusive live performance video of “Pointless Rebellion” also premiered on SBTV–the music media platform founded by Jamal Edwards MBE—and you can check it out HERE.
Above: Screenshot from Hollie Stephenson’s “Pointless Rebellion” video
Following the release of “Pointless Rebellion,” STEPHENSON will headline a number of dates around the UK, and release her debut album, yet to be titled, in the autumn. Keen to keep control, Hollie is working closely with Pledge Music to create a campaign where her fans and supporters can take a key role and engage with her from the very beginning. Fans can pre-order Hollie’s debut album through PledgeMusic and gain access to exclusive updates, content and merchandise. The Pledge campaign launches later this week from www.pledgemusic.com/holliestephenson .
It was at 12 that STEPHENSON wrote her first song, the simple but devastatingly affecting “Stone Tears.” With that almost unthinking, can-do spirit, she also decided to get herself a gig at Camden’s Bar Vinyl. It was a grainy recording of this song performed live that caught the attention of Dave Stewart, one half of Eurythmics, and legendary, Grammy and BRITs award winning producer.
Early last year, as she approached her 16th birthday, Stewart invited STEPHENSON to his studio in Los Angeles. There, the first half of her debut album was recorded, all live, in a circle with some of the best musicians on the West Coast. While in the U.S., STEPHENSON performed a few shows in L.A. to rave reviews. American Songwriter Magazine was “positively stunned -and enthralled – by her performance.” (11/13/14)
The second half was recorded in Port Antonio, Jamaica. The Jamaican recordings were also filmed, as part of a forthcoming BBC documentary, Lost Archives Of 17 North Parade. The film tells the story of the legendary Jamaican artists who recorded in this tiny studio, and the rediscovery of the audio tapes of their recordings. As part of that project, STEPHENSON sang a duet with the late Dennis Brown on a track, “When You Get Right Down To It,” that he had recorded but never completed, when he himself was 16 too.
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