The south coast songwriter set on coming-of-age.

Portsmouth singer-songwriter Jerry Williams started penning lyrics at the age of 12. “I remember singing a few songs to my mum and her saying, ‘maybe you’re not much of a singer, maybe you should stick to the songwriting’,” Williams quips. “I was like ‘yeah, okay’, but I just kept working on it. I’m glad she was honest, because it just drove me harder.”

Even as pre-teen, she was picking through childhood heroes for inspiration: Roald Dahl and other children’s novelists. Nowadays, her list of influences reads like a Zane Lowe playlist: Coldplay, David Gray and Johnny Cash.

Williams finds writing songs in the bathroom effective (“it’s really weird”) – but staring
deeply into the mirror is what she does best, metaphorically speaking anyway. Using coming- of-age issues as subject matter – “boys, friends and the things they talk about” – Williams’ tracks are an honest insight into the 19 year-old’s mind. Aside from releasing her four-track debut EP “Cold Beer” last month, this summer Williams has been racking up studio time with the likes

of Whinnie Williams and Newton Faulkner. “I couldn’t believe I was sitting round Newton’s table, having a cup of tea with him and his brother. I was just like, ‘oh my god, what’s going on?’”