Ebony Buckle is a London-based singer/songwriter, originally from the tropical seaside town of Townsville, Australia. Taking listeners on a whimsical leftfield-pop journey with her complex harmonies and imaginative storytelling lyricism, Buckle sings about universal themes of romance and broken hearts to more poetic themes of disgruntled mermaids, lonely whales and joyous, hypothetical alien invasions.
Over the last couple of years, Buckle has realised that in order to create an authentic narrative and preserve her unique creative style, she had to make her own music. She confides, “I am a naturally shy person and sometimes find it hard to be myself in front of other people, but music has really helped me connect to my true self. I feel like the songs I write come straight from my inner dialogue and they are a true expression of who I am”. She writes and performs with her husband, musician Nick Burns, who also produces her music.
Her latest single “Ghost” details the heart-wrenching experience that Buckle and her English husband Nick endured during their fight to renew her visa after their marriage. Despite her specific experience, Ghost is a universal song of love, loss, commitment and pain of feeling utterly helpless. “Ghost” was written over Skype between her and her newly-wed husband, as they were kept apart for nearly two years. It was a time in their lives when normality was turned upside down, and they were put in limbo.
Developing an immeasurable sense of depression due to the separation, the couple couldn’t plan for any future and during this time had no end date to look forward to together. It was in this difficult time, Buckle and Nick wrote “Ghost”. The song acted as not only a healing mechanism, for their pain and loss; but allowed them to move forward together – with something beautiful that they had created during their separation. Sonically, “Ghost” builds from delicate, sweeping soundscapes into a dramatically haunting release, soaring with atmospheric harmonies and organic instrumentation.
The stunning visuals for “Ghost” showcase the debilitating feeling of being completely alone and empty of anything except heartache. Buckle explains how the video is a way of finally letting go of those traumatic days, revealing, “It’s a very raw video and for a while, I felt too embarrassed to put it out. We do not talk openly about mental health issues in society, and it made me feel very vulnerable. I have come to believe that having these conversations and allowing yourself to be vulnerable only makes you stronger in the long run. I think it shows a different side of me. We are all made up of light and dark and I think perhaps we need to know that everyone has their own unique dark moments, worth expressing.” Hoping to represent the feeling of endless monotony, the video depicts waking up, feeling numb, being caught in a cycle of pain and allowing the day to carry on without you being truly present.
Reminiscent of Regina Spektor, Imogen Heap and Kate Bush, Buckle is inspired by strong female artists who have forged their own path into the music industry. Aspiring to create music which will help others realise their most authentic self and encouraging people to always take life with a strong sense of optimism but also to develop that confidence to face reality when it may not be what you have planned. Buckle confides “I hope it inspires people to be true to who they are. To not be afraid of being different and to know it’s ok to express themselves and how they feel”.
The singer come actress has performed in The West End and on screen for the BBC. Her role in George Gently as a Geordie folk singer gave her the platform to perform her vocal talents and her music from the show reached number 1 in the iTunes World Music Charts. Buckle continues to have her original music receive extensive airplay from numerous BBC stations across the nation, garnering her considerable blog attention. Every day, through her lyricism, music and poetry, Buckle continues to feed our imagination with her beautifully kaleidoscopic music. Come along for the ride – her unique world is completely enchanting.
