UK Singer Twinnie is Pulled to Country Music From Across the Pond

During a recent Nashville show British singer/songwriter/actress Twinnie admitted on stage that she sometimes has trouble locating her clothes while visiting Music City. “I literally have five bedrooms. I do. I can’t find any of my clothes,” she says, admitting that she’s blessed to have so many friends who let her crash at their homes, but the downside is she can’t keep track of her wardrobe.

“I keep texting them ‘Have I left my leather jacket?’ Nope? Okay. It’s at Annie’s? Cool,’” she says relaying a recent exchange.

With the release of her new EP, Better When I’m Drunk, country music fans are quickly learning what music industry insiders already know—Twinnie is a force to be reckoned with. The title track of her EP has already hit No. 1 on the UK Country Charts, beating out Kelsea Ballerini’s “Miss Me More” at No. 2.

Twinnie is a powerhouse vocalist, substantive songwriter and has an endearing personality that makes you feel like you’ve known her for years after chatting for five minutes. “It’s amazing. Honestly I feel like I have second family and home here, which is awesome. I’m kind of living in two worlds, which is cool.  I’m a bit of a gypsy by my heritage, but by nature as well,” she says, noting her song “Hollywood Gypsy” is definitely autobiographical.

Twinnie currently makes her home in London, but is a frequent Music City visitor. “I started coming about six years ago. So I’ve been in this town for quite a long time on and off, way before I had management, label or a publisher,” says the artist who is signed to BMG.  “I really fell in love with Nashville. I live in London, but my family is from the north of England, a place called York. Nashville is obviously the southern part of America, but the north [of England] is similar. It has that kind of family values and it’s all about the community. That’s my heritage and that’s where I’m from. They are all about that.  Nashville feels like a small town.  That’s what initially attracted me. It was very intoxicating music wise. And I just found so many people loving on me and wanting me to do well.”

Twinnie has developed quite a network of friends and collaborators in Nashville. She generally visits every two months  and usually stays a month when she’s here. She would eventually like to move to Nashville, but isn’t ready to take the leap just yet. “I’m a family person and I think they’d take a fit if I said I’m moving here,” says Twinnie, who gets her unique name from her Aunt Jane, a twin, who was nicknamed Twinnie.

In addition to her music career, Twinnie is an accomplished actress who has performed in West End musicals such as “We Will Rock You,” “Rock of Ages” and “Footloose” and films such as The Wife, starring Glenn Close, Jonathan Pryce, and Christian Slater.  She began performing at an early age, singing at her mother’s hair salon when she was only two-years-old and landing her first modeling gig at four. “It’s always been in me,” she says of the desire to perform. “There’s never ever been a question about what I want to do. It’s always just been there.  It’s been a very winding road and I’ve been very lucky to have the journey.  It can be frustrating when you get to a certain point and [think]  ‘I’ve not done this yet. I’ve not done that.’ You compare yourself to others, but everyone’s journey is different. Looking back now, I feel like everything has happened for a reason and I have quite a lot of faith in that.”

Twinnie has worked hard and overcome substantial obstacles to arrive at this place in her career, and she’s thankful to be where she is today. “In 2011, I had a motorbike accident and I was in a hospital for 12 days.  It was a wakeup call for me because I was spreading myself thin,” she shares. “It was a defining moment in my life because it all could have been gone.  If anything, it taught me that life is too short. You have to do what you want to do because there is no rehearsal.  You have to go buy that dress. Eat that food. Enjoy yourself. Go out with a guy. Just go do it!”

Twinnie’s enthusiasm for life is contagious, and she parlays her experiences and observations into her music. “‘Better When I’m Drunk’ was based on one of my friends who I should actually give one third of my songs because she inspires me quite a lot. She is funny. She’ll say, ‘I’m not texting him tonight,’” Twinnie says of her friend trying to avoid her boyfriend when she’s angry at him. Yet after a drink, she’s usually reaching out again.

“When you are a bit tipsy you have a different perspective,” Twinnie says, and admits it was fun to portray that in the video. “That’s why some people get drunk because they want to release their inhibitions and have fun. We’ve all had those moments when you wake up the next morning and you are looking through your phone and you are like, ‘Oh I called THAT person! What did I do?’ You have anxiety. It’s real to a lot of people but it’s not a lyric that a girl would normally say.”

When it comes to being vulnerable in her songwriting, Twinnie says “Daddy Issues” is her most revealing song and a favorite during her live shows.  “As I’ve gotten older, I’ve worked out why I do certain things,” she says. “I feel your parents are the first people that teach you how to love and what love is. My parents are brilliant, but they weren’t that good together and I think a lot of people experience that.”

She recently performed the song at the C2C Festival and got strong reaction. “‘Daddy Issues’ isn’t just for girls. It’s for men as well,” she says. “So many people came up to me and said, ‘This song was me before I got married,’ and it kind of took me by surprise. I was like, ‘This is why I do it. This is why I tell my truth.’ I want to be vulnerable because I want my songs to help somebody else to go, ‘I’m not the only one.’”

Though she sang back up earlier in her career for pop stars like Justin Timberlake and Robin Thicke, she’s always known country music would be her home. “My soul is definitely country,” she says in her lovely British accent. “I don’t think I’ve chose country music. I think country music chose me. I’ve always been doing it. It kind of just found me.  I can’t tell you why. It’s just where I feel comfortable and what I’ve got a passion for.”