PREMIERE: Hope Winter - Fuel To The Fire (Single) + 10 Questions

London-based soulful singer and songwriter Hope Winter, is set to release ‘Fuel to The Fire’, sewing together soul, R&B and alternative styles. Winter’s silky-smooth vocals weave into place with the urban influenced bassline in the background, tapping into London’s rhythm and blues scene adjacent to a foot tapping groove.

Alternative R&B anthem ‘Fuel To The Fire’ is a step away from Hope’s past of traditional ballad-maker, and into a modern sonic soundscape which highlights Hope’s growth as a songwriter and musician. This was written in collaboration with prestigious producer, 'Cassell The Beatmaker', a partnership that has allowed them to explore vocal, artistic and compositional ability with confidence and curiosity. Fuel to The Fire mimics her growth as an artist, as well as teases her audience with what’s to come.

Hope is a 22-year-old unsigned singer-songwriter from London. Coming from a non-musical family, Hope is a primarily self-taught musician, with a passion for music as a driver for personal, social and cultural change. She left school at 16 to pursue a career focusing on song writing, releasing original singer songwriter material via streaming platforms and live performance. Hope has channelled her life experiences around loss, change and grief into her original material that has led to a global audience of over 100K YouTube subscribers, and an accumulative 20+ million views. She has also had sync placements for several global TV adverts Dog’s Trust #SpecialSomeone TV Ad (2016) and ‘A Place To Call Home’ Australian TV Show (2018), and jewellery company, ‘Vashi’ advert for TV and Cinema. Hope has spent the past 4 years performing regularly nationally and internationally, and been featured several times on BBC Introducing. She was also appointed the position of Board Director at the prestigious Ivors Academy.

Hope sat down with Wordplay Magazine to answer our infamous 10 Questions:

1. So tell me, how did it all begin? What sparked your love for music?

I used music & songwriting as a way to deal with some difficult experiences with grief, loss & illness throughout my childhood growing up. Like so many other artists, music was definitely a kind of therapy for me. And then I just fell in love with performing, recording and creating with other musicians.

2. Who are some artists that influence you and that you want to work with in the future?

I think I have different influences for the different aspects of my career, vocally I am of course inspired by all the female powerhouses; Aretha Franklin, Etta James, Cynthia Erivo, Joss Stone. Lyrically - who can beat the poet Joni Mitchell? Musically - D'Angelo, Joy Crookes, Tom Misch. The list goes on! In the future I would loooove to work with or support Theo Katzman.

3.  What projects do you have coming up and can you give us any info on them?

Fuel To The Fire is out on the 29th April! This has been such an exciting project to work on with my good friend, producer and co-writer, Cassell The Beatmaker. I'm also headlining Bermondsey Social Club on the 5th May gig, with support from the incredible Natalie Lindi - it's my first original gig in nearly 3 years and I'm absolutely buzzing.

4. How would you describe your sound?

Constantly evolving, but right now it's more traditional R&B with influences of soul, pop & jazz.

5. What's your proudest moment to date so far as an artist?

Probably getting my 100,000 subscribers button from YouTube. It was a lot of consistent work uploading every single week (something even now I find hard to sustain!). It was amazing having something physical to represent that accomplishment. So I'd say that, and attending my first Ivor Novello Awards.

6. Do you have any advice for our readers who may be trying to play the mad game of music?

Educate yourself as much as possible not only on the business side of the industry but also on how to diversify different income streams. There are also some great grant schemes out there to support early stage artists - the help is out there but you definitely have to make your own luck.

7. Are there any artists on your radar right now that we should check out?

LOONY & Masego are both absolutely wicked.

8. What albums are on heavy rotation on your Spotify playlist currently?

Somewhere In-Between - Eloise

Skin - Joy Crookes

Guess I'm Grown Now - Stephen Day

9. What do you like to do when you're not making music?

I'm a huge foodie, I love to cook & I love to eat. I'm fairly new to London so most of my free time is spent wandering around London and finding the best pasta spots.

10. Name Three things you can't live without when in the studio?

A good notebook, decent headphones & rhymezone (lol).