Pam Messer is a UK-based singer-songwriter who first came to our attention a few weeks ago when we reviewed her excellent single, “Only This Song.” Her heartfelt songwriting and warm, expressive vocal style immediately stood out. Now, she has taken a moment to answer a few questions about her life, her music, and her plans for the future.
Can you tell us a little about your childhood in South Devon, UK?
I was born in Buckinghamshire, and we moved to Devon before I started school. My father was a full-time musician, and we grew up in guesthouses and hotels run by our family. I began studying musical instruments at seven. We had a freedom to roam that is no longer available today. It was a family setting — the extended family worked together in music and hospitality.
Your father owned a recording studio in the 1980s. Did that influence your decision to pursue music?
The recording studio was my haven. I was hard-wired to music; I don’t think there was ever a decision to pursue it — it was integral to my home life and as natural as breathing to want to be part of it. I would say formal education got in the way at times, knocking me off course.
You studied contemporary opera at Darlington College of Arts. What drew you to classical music?
I studied classical music in my thirties. I struggled to maintain a connection to music whilst raising a family but was enjoying voice lessons in Teignmouth. Exploring operatic works, they seemed to come with some ease, and I enjoyed the challenge of the aria. Dartington presented so many interesting possibilities. I’m not someone who can easily stay in one lane, and I’ve never had a plan to focus on just one area. I liked the idea of contemporary opera. I studied with magnificent teachers.
What does your creative process look like?
I’m not the type of person who can simply decide to write — I never know what is going to develop next. There might be something going on in my life or someone else’s, and although I don’t intend to write about it specifically, elements flow in. Usually it starts early in the morning with the sunlight. Lyrics first, then at the piano, moving back and forth between that and a guitar — often with a painting on the go. I like to paint in the garden with the radio or streaming music playing — any music, really — half listening while my song percolates.
When I take a song into the recording process, I have no idea what instruments or style will emerge.
What is “Only This Song” about?
“Only This Song” was inspired by binge-watching Bridgerton and modern-day dating fears — high-society matchmaking across the dance floor wrapped up in the horrors of today’s dating apps. I would rather take my chances on a dance floor — my parents met at dance school and enjoyed a long, happy marriage. So many good hearts step out of the dance of love, but if there were only one song, one dance — would you try? The 6/8 tempo is Bridgerton-esque; I can picture them twirling around while I’m singing.
I really enjoy your album Grover’s Garden. Could you tell us more about the album, the songs, and the recording process?
Grover’s Garden was written during lockdown. I recorded it on an iPad with no keyboard, making use of GarageBand and a microphone. I was grieving my mum and in an absolute muddle. Grover’s Garden was the park a few yards from the flat I rented, and I sat there for many hours — sometimes with my guitar, sometimes just with my thoughts. It comforted me watching the trees and flowers change from spring to summer, and just as autumn arrived, I moved back to Devon.
The songs were experimental, with many different styles. Some are reminiscent — for example, “Piano Lessons with Raymond,” about a gentleman who took piano lessons with me in Pembrokeshire. He moved away, and I wrote that song for him to take with him. Sadly, I never got to see him again as he contracted COVID. There is a lot of missing my mum in that album.
My favourite track on Grover’s Garden is “Broken Angel.” What inspired that song?
“Broken Angel” is my anthem. Having decided music was my path at a ripe old age, it isn’t easy — looks of pity or ridicule when trying to get a gig, so much so that I don’t bother anymore. I seem to have spectacularly bad luck, and life often puts me back in my place. Ever the phoenix, though.
Track three on the album is my rage against the gatekeeping of the music industry — “platitudes and lies written in the sand.”
Do you have a favourite quote about life?
My grandmother used to say, “What they don’t know, they make up — so be sure to make it good.”
I took that to mean: do whatever the hell you like!
If you could take three albums with you to a desert island, which would you choose?
- White Ladder — David Gray
- Begin to Hope — Regina Spektor
- A Johnny Cash compilation, including “A Thing Called Love”
Aside from music, what other passions do you have?
Gardens and architecture — colour and form, with Gaudí being the epitome. I love formal gardens and wacky architecture. I love growing flowers and plants.
What’s next for you?
I’m currently writing a memoir encompassing three generations of Messers — my paternal grandmother, who was a music hall singer; my father, who left school at 14 and could only play the guitar; and myself — why I create and why I simply can’t not.
“Only This Song” is a beautiful demonstration of how one of my songs can be presented. I have two self-produced songs being released in the coming months and dream of working at the highest end of production again someday.
And breathe — I hope you can see the passion for music and life!
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Interview post by staff at MBTM
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