SongVault Artist Profile

Amy Duncan comes from a musical family background – her father was a composer and self-taught violinist, and her mother is a professional viola player. Amy was classically trained as a double bass player at Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester, England and Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, Glasgow, Scotland. She has worked as a bass player for many artists in Scotland, and her bold experimental bass work was a major part of the sound of innovative Scottish band ‘Swelling Meg’ who dissolved in the year 2000. However, she has been writing her own songs on acoustic guitar and piano for 15 years throughout all that time. She is now based in Edinburgh, Scotland and has been a regular playing her guitar based songs in the live acoustic gigs about town for many years. Feeling stifled by the whole classical music scene, she needed to get away from focusing on technical ability and get down to expressing her heart. Simplicity and keeping things real, being true to oneself regardless of what others might think – these are very important aspects to her musical vision.

Although Amy has worked with other producers in the past, she now produces and records all her own material, sings, plays piano, acoustic guitar, and upright bass on all her songs. Recording her music, being in the process, feeling free while doing this all herself makes her feel fulfilled. Her music is best described as powerful, flowing and emotional acoustic guitar and piano based songwriting, but increasingly with electronic influences. Amy has an instinctive feel for what a song requires of her voice.

‘Pilgrimage’ started off as a collection of songs that were to be sold at gigs as a home produced EP, but then were discovered on Myspace by Plain Recordings, who released the cd in America, in November 2006. Amy is now recording her second CD which will be a full album’s worth of new material, including subtle elements from her electronic and dance influences. She is drawing upon her increased confidence and technical skills as a producer to create something even more special for this new project.