Watch ‘Let’s Stay Home Tonight’:
KW.lnk.to/LSHTPR/youtube
On Wednesday (9/23)t via YouTube, Glaswegian singer-songwriter Kerri Watt premiered the video for her cover of NEEDTOBREATHE’s ‘Let’s Stay Home Tonight’. Taken from her upcoming EP Chapter One, the song follows recent original track ‘Jessie’, both of which will appear on the country-themed EP due for release October 2nd 2020 via Cooking Vinyl.
Live-streams have become a normal part of life for artists over the past 8 months, with Kerri being no exception. Poking fun at the smoke and mirrors one can achieve with this concert format, Kerri has self-produced this clever little music video on a DIY budget without creating risk to crew members, as she puts it, “I thought it would be fun to portray the reality of putting on a live stream show and the minutes leading up to it; albeit with a little twist! Getting creative with music videos at home has been really fun and challenging; it’s amazing what you can make with a few house hold items and a half decent camera!”
Kerri says she choose to cover NEEDTOBREATHE not just because they are one of her favourite acts, but also because, “their music is a perfect blend of country, rock and pop – three of the genres prominent in my upcoming album. I loved the idea of doing a stripped back acoustic cover song with some country style picking and harmonies inspired by Southern American acts like The Chicks and Little Big Town.”
Kerri has been keeping busy recently with a host of content and streams, including her ‘Watt A Wonderful World’ show, which has been streaming every Wednesday at 7pm for over 3 months. She has also been a featured performer on charity streams such as Save Our Scottish Venues for the Music Venue Trust, Takeover Fest for Nordoff Robbins, and The 2.6 Challenge for Stop The Traffic, plus being sought after for collaborations with Puma Women on their Stronger Together campaign live stream, and French designer Les Georgettes on a jewelry campaign.
With the original album release date closing in and the global situation unfolding, Kerri chose to divide her upcoming album into a series of themed EPs, “I’ve waited such a long time to release my debut album, so when we went into lockdown a few months before it was due was pretty gutting. Releasing an album with no live shows to promote it, and without getting to interact with the incredible fans that have been on this long journey with me didn’t feel right.”
Fans will be pleased to hear that the album is still on the way, and we will be getting even more music than originally planned, “in trying to come up with an alternative that held the album off but still allowed me to connect with my fans and keep me feeling inspired, I had the idea to keep putting out little nuggets from the album in the form of EP’s – giving more glimpses into the style of the album. I’m hopeful that by the time the full record comes in Spring 2021, I’ll be able to hit the road and sing and dance along with all the wonderful people that have stuck with me over the years.”
Whilst Kerri is celebrated for honest songs about her true-life experiences, she also has a knack for drumming up a compelling fictional tale, “Chapter 1 focuses on narration and some of the stories I’ve dreamed up, beginning with ‘Jessie’ – loosely based on the character of Lucy from Leslie Bricuse’ss Jekyll & Hyde.”
2020’s highlights have included a BBC 5LIVE Session for Laura Whitmore, a Mahogany / COVERS Session on YouTube, playing at Celtic Connections and Americana Fest, a One To Watch for 2020 feature in Maverick magazine, plus an Under The Apple Tree Session.
2019 saw Kerri Watt successfully supporting Keith Urban on his sellout London O2 show, plus receiving rave reviews with her stand out performances at Country 2 Country Festival London, Cambridge Folk Festival, Glastonbury, Kew The Music, British Summer Time, Introducing Nashville and support performances including at the Royal Albert Hall & The Palladium.
Previous radio support and successes include BBC Radio 2 A & B listed solo singles, plus BBC Radio 2 C-list with Embrace as well as Soccer AM and Virgin Radio session appearances with Embrace. Other TV appearances and support have come from Bob Harris, Ricky Ross, Chris Country, Jim Gellatly, Amazing Radio, ITV Weekend TV show, ‘The Edit’ BBC Scotland, The Sun Scotland, CLASH, Metro, BT Music (multiple playlists for ‘Kissing Fools’ ‘Cut Me Loose’), and Vevo, plus spots on mainstream Spotify & Deezer playlists.