Stepping into the shoes of The Beatles – Richmond singer-songwriter wins place in the national spotlight

By Rory Poulter

18th May 2022 | Local News

Emily Theodora, a young singer-songwriter from Richmond, has been chosen to follow in the footsteps of The Beatles. Credit: Fabio De Paola/PA Wire.
Emily Theodora, a young singer-songwriter from Richmond, has been chosen to follow in the footsteps of The Beatles. Credit: Fabio De Paola/PA Wire.

Emily Theodora, a young singer-songwriter from Richmond, has been chosen to follow in the footsteps of The Beatles.

She is one of four unsigned artists selected to perform in the childhood home of Sir Paul McCartney in Liverpool and receive support to launch their musical careers.

Emily, aged 23, who first learnt the chords for 'Love Me Do' in her bedroom at the young age of 14, was chosen from hundreds of entries nationwide by a judging panel, including Sir Paul's brother Mike.

Credit: Fabio De Paola/PA Wire.

The panel was also made up of representatives of the National Trust, who now own the property, as well as music writer, DJ and founder of Needle Mythology Records, Pete Paphides.

The singer will get the chance to perform at the house next month. 'The Forthlin Sessions' will be broadcast online, recorded, publicised, and released this year.

Before that, the artists will get the opportunity to sit in the very same spots where around 30 of the world's most famous songs, including 'Love Me Do', 'I Saw Her Standing There', 'Hold Me Tight', 'I'll Follow The Sun' and 'When I'm 64' were written and rehearsed.

Emily and three other aspiring acts will get the chance to soak up the atmosphere of the house renowned as 'the birthplace of the Beatles' to help inspire them to write new music, which will be performed at 20 Forthlin Road on June 17, ahead of Paul McCartney's 80th Birthday.

Credit: Fabio De Paola/PA Wire.

The acts will also be mentored by the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts (LIPA) ahead of the main event on June 17 and for six months afterwards.

Emily said: ''McCartney's song-writing has always filled me with positive energy; his catchy melodies and visual storytelling is what I strive to achieve in my song-writing. The Beatles have proved to the world that anyone with determination, kindness and a strong work ethic can be successful.''

She added: "'The opportunity to perform at 20 Forthlin Road is a childhood dream come true.

"Ever since I first learnt the chords for 'Love Me Do' in my bedroom at age 14, The Beatles repertoire has guided me through my song-writing journey. Since then, I've been writing regularly and I hope my music will inspire others to pick up the guitar and start writing too.

"To compose a song at the location of the start of McCartney's song-writing venture fills me with passion, warmth and celebration, which I will integrate into my original song for Paul's birthday.

"Similarly, to McCartney's songs about his childhood, such as 'In my Life' and 'Penny Lane', my songs reflect my personal journey through life and coming out the other side of difficult situations.''

The National Trust, which has restored the home so it is almost exactly as it was when Sir Paul lived there, is asking the public to share stories of how they were inspired by the music created at the house, where songs including Love Me Do, Please Please Me, I Saw Her Standing There and When I'm 64 were written and rehearsed.

Mike McCartney said: "It's wonderful that the two-up, two-down we grew up in is hosting a new generation of musicians over 60 years on.

"From an ordinary house in an ordinary street, amazing things happened because of being given the opportunity to express ourselves creatively, and we're passing that on today.

"I'm looking forward to seeing how the story of Forthlin, and what the public shares, sparks new music from these four acts and more widely.

"We want our little house to keep inspiring people for generations to come."

Celia Richardson, from the National Trust and one of The Forthlin Sessions judges, said: "We had a really wide range of entries, from up and down the country, of different ages, backgrounds and musical genres, making the judging a tough decision.

"This is all about giving an opportunity to unsigned artists and more widely using the story of the house and the Forthlin Sessions to inspire the wider public.

"The walls of 20 Forthlin Road are still buzzing with creativity and we can't wait to see how that inspires the four acts we've chosen."

To hear some of Emily's music listen here - https://soundcloud.com/emilytheodora

To find out more, visit https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/features/bringing-live-music-back-to-the-birthplace-of-the-beatles

     

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