London born, Rachel Mason, grew up in the South West of the UK from the tender age of three. Deciding they wanted to raise their daughter in the countryside, Rachel’s parents moved to a little village called Wrington and welcomed a second daughter shortly after.
At the tender age of 6, Rachel began learning how to play the piano and would begin learning the guitar at 7.
“I started having singing lessons at age 8 from an opera singer and continued my music education through school and university in Wales, eventually getting a Masters in Songwriting at Bath Spa.”
But life wasn’t always easy for this budding talent.
“I have wonderful parents and a very close bond with my sister. My mum was very ill for years when I was younger which was a very difficult time as I was afraid she wouldn’t survive, but also too afraid to ask anyone about it in case they told me she would die. Fortunately she survived and we have a very close relationship now, but those difficult years have definitely shaped my personality.”
Today, Rachel is a singer/songwriter who has been building her music career one step at a time. She’s even been nominated for a 2020 Hollywood Music In Media Award.
“I could never have imagined being nominated for the same awards as Justin Timberlake, Diane Warren and Lady Gaga and will find out if I’ve won at the end of January 2021!”
The ceremony will be held online this year due to the pandemic.
Over the years Rachel has developed a style and sound that works best for her!
“I was trained as a classical singer, so when I decided I wanted to sing pop instead, I needed to adapt my voice to sound right for different genres,” Rachel shared.
She writes most of her songs on the piano, which she says has helped her to develop her musical style into an acoustic singer/songwriter sound.
“When I write for other artists I compose all kinds of songs in a variety of styles, which is fun as it’s completely different to my own style.”
Rachel released her latest single, "One Breath Closer" in October 2020 and was inspired by the lockdown.
“I wrote the song about being in lockdown and missing family, but knowing the only way to get through it was to know we were ‘one breath closer’ to seeing them again, whenever that might be. When I spoke to my parents on the phone they’d tell me they were ‘fine’ but I knew they were feeling sad and scared. The song was inspired by them and my love for them.”
Often referred to as a “mama bear”, Rachel cares for, and volunteers her time to mentor, young musicians.
“This inspired me to create my company Listen In Colour Artist Management. Through this company I support aspiring artists in all areas of their music careers from songwriting and performing through to television appearances and endorsements. I also mentor those artists who aren’t quite ready for management.”
Two pieces of advice she gives to aspiring artists are this:
Always be kind. People won’t want to work with you if you have a reputation for being difficult or aggressive and word gets around fast in this industry.
Do your best no matter where you are. Amazing things have come from the seemingly most insignificant performances I’ve given during my career. I always remind aspiring artists that you never know who is watching.
This Christmas she has prepared an online concert for her community choir so they can still bring some Christmas cheer to people and raise money for charity.
“My family will be at my home for the first time this year. My toddlers, Layla and Elias, will be super excited to spend time with their grandparents and open presents. I’m looking forward to having a bit of time off work and chilling out with the people I love!” Says Rachel.
In the new year she will be releasing a brand new EP with co-writer, Nina Sundstrom.
“We have written it about mental health and each song reflects different aspects of the emotions and situations we can go through when we’re struggling mentally. I’ve also got a big project in the pipeline with a huge number of international choirs and have lots of songwriting booked with some fantastic Grammy winners.”
You can follow Rachel on Social Media!
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