Music
I’m a singer, instrumentalist (piano, guitar, flute) and songwriter with several releases to date, from Jazz in the early days to cross-genre original music in recent years. Softly Loudly was recorded during the 2020 lockdown, shaping the album in surprising ways. A piano-led collection of relatable songs, it has featured on BBC Radio, (including BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour) and streamed internationally over half a million times.
I’ve written music for moving pictures & theatre productions, and I’m a nifty audio editor, thanks to my work in voiceover and audio production.
It’s been my good fortune to perform live with some talented folk over the years, most recently as keyboard player/singer & flautist in four-piece band Flying Funk.
Find me on Spotify plus all major platforms and buy at bandcamp.com
{ S o f t l y L o u d l y } (2021)
“If you want to pause and savour time for a bit, Softly Loudly is the place to be.” SoulReserve
“A beautiful collection of songs” Jazz fm
“An impressive collection…sure to resonate; the restraint of the playing only makes this more poignant.” Yorkshire Post
“Nothing short of amazing..really resonates with its time.” BBC Radio Bradford
“Beautiful!” BBC Radio Leeds
Emma Nabarro-Steel: Music / Lyrics / Vocals / Piano / Guitars / Body Percussion
Adam Nabarro-Steel: Bass / Mixing / Mastering /Glass Tinkering
Neil Hooton: Drums / Table / Bin & Bucket
Debbie Harris: Additional Vocals / Wine-pouring
Mia Nabarro-Steel: Artwork
Recorded in Yorkshire, 2020
© 2021 Emma Nabarro-Steel
“Yorkshire’s Ella Fitzgerald” – Woman’s Hour, BBC Radio 4
“A fine singer who floats a song lyric without using her grip on it.”- Manchester evening News
“Her own deeply expressive tone and delivery attracted plaudits wherever she has played.” Yorkshire Evening Post
All enquiries, comments and reviews are welcome!
Read about each new track – includes player so you can listen while you read. (Headphones recommended).
Self-Love and Ladybird Books
If you happen to be spending the 14th of February in South Korea, you might be inclined to give a man the gift of chocolate. And if you are Finnish, you won’t be doing Valentine’s Day but Ystävänpäivä – ‘friends day’! We grow-up with so many customs surrounding love and I started thinking about the … Continue reading Self-Love and Ladybird Books
Over to you!
I decided maybe it wasn’t my turn and I needed the creative energy of others. This week I’ve received the generous gift of freshly penned poetry from two opposite sides of the globe. And bang! The intersection of this serendipitous pairing (geographically somewhere around China) is magically, right here for you to enjoy.
{ S o f t l y L o u d l y }
Hello! Thanks for popping by. Softly Loudly is an album recorded in 2020, releasing weekly between 1st Jan – 19th Feb 2021. Here you can read a little about each song, beginning with the most recent track. Grab your headphones too, as you can listen while you read, Hope you enjoy!
Disclaimer: this is my disclaimer
Music is something I seem to ‘lean in’ to the discomfort of, although it still scares the bejeepers out of me. Most of us have something we want to be braver at and learning about other people’s true colours (even beige) is always a joy to me. Although it’s not always easy to jump in with both feet, a little heart-on-sleeve wearing once in a while, goes a very long way.
Marie Kondo – A Single Thread
Some songs decide to grow outwards in all directions. The new track ‘Marie Kondo’ sprouted lots of little stories. The kind that connect you in a hidden way to the people you can’t be with: a cohort which recently includes pretty much everyone we know.
Or…We Could Just Stay Here
How lucky we are to have such an infinite array of choices, even at the moment when we see our lives as unusually restricted. Far too many have lost loved ones this year, and though it’s at immeasurable cost, this surely deepens our experience of what it is to be alive.
Emma Nabarro-Steel 