Charlene Soraia

Charlene is a hidden gem in the rocky world of music; inspirational and gifted she shows honest, true talent. Striding in the footsteps of current BRIT School leavers Kate Nash and Adele, Charlene lets her acoustic songwriting abilities shine through. On her myspace page you can get a taste of what is to come from her forthcoming EP entitled Daffodils & Other Idylls which will feature the beautiful tracks Daffodils and Bike, currently available on iTunes. Chill out on Charlene’s myspace page at www.myspace.com/charlenesoraiajones and her website at www.charlenesoraia.com

When did you start playing the guitar?

I got my first guitar at age 5 because my dad used to tell me off for playing his (I used to lay the neck over my legs, strum and sing whilst twisting the tuning pegs until a string broke - I always blamed it on the cat and her sharp claws). I played my first open mic night at 8, but started gigging and playing open mics regularly when I was 11. It was a little illegal, but I was 17 for a very long time!

You went to the BRIT school, what was that like?

BRIT School was just amazing. My secondary school didn’t have a music department and being self-taught I shouldn’t have gotten in, but they let me…BRIT is in no way a ticket to fame - there’s been a good handful to come out and have successful careers, but there are just as many who are still working hard at achieving success.

Are any of your family musical?

My mum sings to herself and dad plays the guitar…they used to go into a studio when they were younger with their two best friends Ray and Cere, but they weren’t trying to become number one stars!

You are in a band called Retrospect, how did that come about?

That happened when I was at BRIT. I met this amazing drummer called Andrea and this other guy called Rich who is actually an amazing guitarist, but he developed into a bass player for us. We’re a quirky sexual rock band, check us out on www.myspace.com/retrospectfever

Which is your favourite song to perform?

I never have a set list, not because I’m lazy, but I tend to work off how the crowd react and relax with my sound. So every song I perform is enjoyable in different ways. At the moment I’m quite liking a song called Wishing You Well which is a darker, sinister waltz sounding adventure.

If you were allowed to go on tour with anyone who would it be?

It would be amazing to open for Bowie, or Gilmour… but erm… I’m not fussy… I’d just like to play to audiences who can really appreciate the colour in my music.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

I arrange my gigs, make fliers and design my EP! I don’t really do many other things that aren’t musical, I wish I could say I do, but I don’t…I like drawing. I’m building my website at the moment and I’ve decided to put in a part called Scrapbook which will have doodles and animations in it.

What is your favourite clothes shop?

I don’t have one. I go a thrift store called Beyond Retro as they usually have nice bits. I don’t really have that much disposable income to spend on clothes! Most of my shirts are vintage, but I’m a jeans sorta person y’know?

What star sign are you?

I’m a typical Cancerian, July 19th; I’m a moonchild through and through.

What would you like to achieve in your musical career?

I just want to be successful and have an audience who appreciate what I do. I’d rather it be a tight community who are really into the colour, the sound and the concepts behind the songs & EP’s, than some large scale mass media thing. I don’t want to peak at the beginning of my career you see, I want it to be a long steady thing…so if you want to be a part of it, please check out my music on www.myspace.com/charlenesoraiajones or www.charlenesoraia.com.