“I started playing guitar when I was seven” says Jade, “when my mum taught me 4 chords to House of the Rising Sun on an old battered guitar with 2 strings missing”. Not the song choice for any normal 7 year old to listen to, nevertheless it was a song that formed the basis of Jade’s growing interest in music.
After quickly becoming bored of strumming relentlessly, Jade taught
herself to fingerpick the same 4 chords and became fascinated how any song could be played in a number of ways and sound different each time.
“I would sit with a 70’s and 80’s songbook and teach myself songs I’d
never heard of, let alone knew how to sing”.
Due to her Malaysian-Chinese mother and British-Irish father, Liverpool born Jade has the looks that reflect the city’s cosmopolitan nature.
She was classically trained throughout her teens before opting to concentrate on playing guitar, singing and to try a little writing, something that she found to be more liberating in terms of there not being ‘rules’ to follow.
“I love everything from rock music to r’n’b, but my passion has always been singing whilst playing acoustic guitar” says Jade, thus inspiring her to
make an album based around just that, with, some might say, a slight country edge.
Her rich, soulful voice and acoustically driven songs have drawn comparisons to artists such as Shawn Colvin and Suzanne Vega.
Set to release a debut album in early 2007, Jade has been working with highly respected songwriters and producers, as well as developing her
own material.
In her relatively short career, Jade has already performed at the launch of Paul McCartney’s album ‘Chaos and Creation in the Backyard’ and has supported artists such as Katie Melua, Simon Webbe, Dwele, Sugababes, Westlife, Nate James, toured extensively with the legendary Roger McGuinn and Joan Armatrading and most recently opened for US band Hanson.
It was at a packed out gig at Manchester’s influential ‘In The City’ music event that she was approached my photographer Mick Rock. Known for his iconic shots of David Bowie, Queen, Blondie and Kate Moss, Mick was so blown away by Jade’s talent that he offered to do a shoot, the results of which are now being used as Jade’s press shots and album cover.
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