City Showcase, the annual music event in promoting new home grown talent launches on May 5th with a free outdoor concert in the heart of Chinatown. Featured as part of the line-up, Vietnamese singer-songwriter Tuanne Mac and YouTube sensation Cherry Lee (aka The Bathroom Girl) will be performing in support of the critically-acclaimed indie rock band The Magic Numbers.
For Mac and Lee, it is a great opportunity to showcase their talents and reach out to a new audience beyond their current listener base. Yet apart from their honest approach to music and playing the guitar to accompany their beautiful vocals, the similarities stop there.
Tuanne Mac, the featured artist in Dimsum’s ‘Jazz & Opulence’ event last November has had a rollercoaster time since then. From that gig, she has established contact with a multitude of producers, notably Don Black whom she co-wrote an experimental “pop” inspired song with and also the ‘G Easy’ producer which she is currently working with on an EP project. Mac also began playing regularly at a jazz supper club in Barnes and has been requested to perform in various other festivals and venues throughout London. However, it is the linking up with Chinatown Arts Space’s David Tse that led to her playing at this year’s Chinese New Year celebrations.
“It was so much fun!”
Despite having previously played at intimate venues, Mac confessed that “it was easy to connect” with the hundreds of people that came to watch her perform. At one point she had the crowd singing along to the lines of her song ‘London Town’ (which simply goes, “uh oh London town, you’re the apple of my eye”).
Taking to the City Showcase stage with Mac, would be her hand-picked band members of Gavin Scott - bass, Keith Fairbairn - percussion, and Yazz Ahmed - trumpet. Together they will put on a jazz set inspired by “black and white French films” as the self described ‘old-school romantic’ declares. As to whether the big stage on Gerrard St, Chinatown and the presence of a TV camera crew would put extra pressure on her performance, Mac’s enthusiasm says it all.
“I’m totally looking forward it. I’m preparing something fun and my band and I will do our best to put on an amazing set on the day.”
Equally excited about performing at the City Showcase is YouTube sensation Cherry Lee, better known to the online community as The Bathroom Girl.
“Actually, this is my second time on the City Showcase, but it’s my debut on the Chinatown stage. The first time was back in 2007 when I performed at the Miss Sixty store. I was really nervous then, because that was my first live gig ever.”
Lee thinks she should be “less nervous” this time round and that she can be “more in the moment” when performing a selection of her original songs. Having gained more stage experience in various gigs and performed live to over three thousand people at West End Live 2009, Lee should do fine. “I’ll probably still forget lyrics though” she jokes.
Yet the beautiful lyrics to her songs and the way Lee emotionally delivers them is the reason why she has such a strong YouTube fan base. With over 60 songs uploaded onto her channel (The Bathroom Girl) and more than 3 million views, it is not surprising that more people know Lee by her stage name!
“That’s good. I prefer it that way.”
Rather than being a gimmick, it is Lee’s honest approach to her song writing and her views of being a “non-typical” artist. She stresses that her music is a “personal outlet” and all the songs she has covered touched her in some way or another. Perhaps by singing from the heart, Lee receives a lot of emails from her listeners of how her songs have helped them get through difficult times.
Despite Lee’s music potential and having been offered minor recording contracts, she doesn’t want to get into the music industry. She feels that the music industry is all about packaging and marketing the artist and it is something she does not want. Instead, Lee is quite content to remain as The Bathroom Girl. Essentially, she is focusing more on her overseas development work and on the side, slowly making her album in her own time.
“I don’t need a recording contract or management. With my YouTube channel, I can still share my music and the public can decide whether they want to listen to me or not.”
When the time finally comes and Lee’s (or maybe The Bathroom Girl) album is complete, I am certain there will be many eager fans waiting to hear it. For now, we’ll just have to continue listening to her online.
Kevin Han
City Showcase: Chinatown
Wednesday 5th May, Gerrard St stage
FREE
Lineup In the order of opening at 6pm:
Rebel Control www.myspace.com/rebelcontrol
Cherry Lee http://www.myspace.com/thebathroomgirl
Tuanne Mac http://www.tuannemac.com/
Lauren Pritchard http://www.myspace.com/laurenpritchardmusic
The Magic Number (4 songs acoustic) http://www.myspace.com/themagicnumbers
