Poet-singer Arlo Parks is UK's next rising star. Learn more about her story in this edition of Youthquake
I was a shy kid but I began to put myself “out there” more by uploading my stuff on Soundcloud. I was active in the internet space before I ever started performing live. I started by just emailing venues all over London asking if they would let me sing. There’s one called the Basement Door that puts on gigs for locals, and I remember biking around the neighborhood to hand people physical tickets to my shows.
The one I always come back to is “Black Dog.” It’s strange how you can write about something so personally devastating that has such a ripple effect on other people. That song has been incredible to play live because I hear from so many people who say it helped drag them out of a difficult space in their own lives. Hearing stories like that are always moments where the music feels bigger than just me.