Life is an accumulation of moments, good and bad, with the power to devastate and throw everything upside down. The multi-faceted actor, singer, and songwriter Nell Tiger Free announces her debut EP, ‘ Worst Day Of My Life (so far),’ which will depict when she knew nothing would ever be the same.
” I felt like I was hurtling through a black hole,’ Nell Tiger Free says about the paralysing period of her life. Once the uncertainty of the future stopped being debilitating and scary, the songstress tapped into her inner artist; she began to perceive the situation as an opportunity to get to know herself again.
With the release of her debut single ‘Do I Just Keep Making Things Worse?’ Nell Tiger Free describes it as ‘coming out of the gates,’ owning her artistry. The studio has become her safe place since she started working alongside Tim Bran (London Grammar, KT Tunstall, The Verve, and Aurora). Brian’s mentorship led her to unleash her angelic vocals and cinematic lyricism.
There is no denying the star factor of Nell Tiger Free, but with the release of her singles ‘Love Of My Life,’ and ‘Do I Just Keep Making Things Worse?,’ she emerges from behind the television screens and embarks on a journey of storytelling, truthful revelations, and sonic healing.
What were the main priorities for you for the beginning of this year?
I mean getting the EP ready to go and to keep writing was definitely at the forefront of my mind, I’d just finished shooting so I felt like I had room in my brain to really throw myself into the studio!
Congratulations on your debut EP ‘Worst Day Of Her Life (so far)’! Could you tell us more about the backstory that inspired this project?
Thank you! Honestly my entire personal life exploded in one day so the songs that followed were just a direct exploration of how on earth to navigate that. I can’t write about anything other than exactly what’s happening in that moment, so the whole EP turned on its head and became just me working through this one thing, – the worst day of my life so far.
How would you describe the period of your life that ended up inspiring ‘Worst Day Of Her Life (so far)’?
Christ, I don’t even know how to start. I think I would describe it as transformative. It felt like one day I knew exactly what the rest of my life was going to look like, Icould see it and I was so sure of it and then everything changed overnight and suddenly my future was just one giant question mark, and I felt like I was hurtling through a black hole. Slowly that question mark stopped being scary and started to feel like an opportunity to get to know myself again, so I guess I’m trying to do that.
For the lead single ‘Love of My Life,’ you dig deep into your personal experience with a brutal heartbreak. You depict the vulnerability of last goodbye, does portraying such personal emotions via songwriting come naturally to you?
At the time I couldn’t write about anything else because I couldn’t think about anything else- I know it’s cliche but being in the studio is the best therapy in the world for me. It gives me a chance to understand exactly how I’m feeling and then kind of set those feelings free. So, I’d say it comes naturally, well at the time it was all just kind of pouring out of me, I’m lucky that I’ve got the outlet of music to channel all that tough stuff.
You grew up in Teddington, what are the main things you cherish about your childhood?
I have the coolest family in the world, we’re just always laughing so when I look back on the days when we all lived under the same roof, I feel so wistful and weepy about how fucking fun it was. And God it was so brilliant to live a stone’s throw away from all my best friends, as you get older, and time and circumstance takes you to different places you realise how special it was to be able to walk for five minutes and be at your best friends door.
For your 15th birthday, you got a gift of a studio session with Tim Bran, what was going through your mind initially walking into the studio? Did you give yourself a pep talk before, or you instantly felt comfortable?
Tim has a knack for making people feel comfortable straight away. I remember being more excited than I was nervous. I remember that even though I was 15 and it was a birthday present he made me feel like a real artist, like what I had to say was important. Looking back, I see how kind that was. Tim’s the best and still to this day he always makes me feel like that.
What were some lessons you took away from that experience that you still value to this day?
I watched the way he was so comfortable with every instrument in the room and thinking ‘damn I wish I could play like that’ so I tried to learn guitar and get better on piano (still struggling to improve but doing my best ha-ha) Also whatever crazy ridiculous idea I have to just say it because it might be ridiculous, but it just might work. I also know a lyric is keeper when Tim starts laughing at it, those ones always end up in the finished track.
How do you approach songwriting now compared to when you started professionally writing with Tim?
I feel like writing with Tim has made me a better songwriter. When you have someone who is an expert at what they do to bounce off it just naturally elevates you. I’ll go in with an idea or a feeling that I want to write about and sometimes it takes a life on of its own because in the process of focusing on one idea we’ll accidentally find a better one!
How was it being reunited with Tim after so many years?
Ah it was brilliant. He understood my strange little brain straight away and we were off to the races
What was it about ‘Do I Just Keep Making It Worse’ that made it the right song for your debut single?
It just felt like a nice introduction to what my vibe is. I wanted to come out of the gate with something simple and honest and it’s kind of just me saying hello. I mean it felt like a good starting point, I’m incredibly indecisive so if it were up to me, I’d still be agonising over what to release- thankfully I have people who are smarter than me to tell me to stop being a pussy and just release the damn thing.
How was your experience being part of the Game Of Thrones family?
It was an honour. I was 14 so I don’t think I really understood just how big the show was. I was only a part of the cast for a year, but everyone was so kind and made me feel so welcome and I’m proud to have been a part of it in any capacity
What would you like to focus on moving forward this year?
Well, I guess the plan is to get the EP finished and released. I want to start doing live shows and hopefully get comfortable doing them. Keep making movies and try not to have another worst day of my life (so far).
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Words: Karolina Kramplova