Caswell: 'Confidence holds so many women back'

Caswell has been a regular contributor to BBC Music Introducing in Suffolk and was selected to play the Latitude Festival for them in 2018

The Suffolk singer-songwriter Caswell was one of the local acts who supported Ed Sheeran on his Divide tour in Chantry Park in 2019 - and has since been developing her own unique style.

She has a busy summer schedule - a new single, an album on the way and festival performances starting with First Light in Lowestoft on 21 June.

Here, in her own words, she talks about her creative voice, empowering others - and staying out of her comfort zone.

Caswell performed on the final show of Ed Sheeran's Divide tour at Chantry Park in Ipswich - one of the highest-grossing and most attended tours of all time

I tend to work with a fusion of genres, but what connects it altogether is my top line (which is what we call the melody and lyrics in the music industry).

My voice is quite ethereal, it's quite high, so I feel like it's got a signature sound but I honestly was so nervous for such a long time.

I had quite low self-esteem as a young musician and that is something that I've really built; doing open mics around Suffolk and doing all of the small gigs and putting myself out there continuously... so now it's like my stage presence is one of my strongest aspects.

The more I have grown and developed, the more I want to use my creative voice to express some of those things that I feel are most important to me; women's rights and self expression.

I work with lots of different community groups but one thing I'm most passionate about is empowering young women and girls to have that confidence to follow their aspirations.

'Integrity'

Confidence holds so many women back, so many people back.

And if that is something we can help build and give people that self-belief that they deserve to have their voice heard - that is what is really important to me because I can kind of see myself in those young people that lack that confidence.

I try to have integrity throughout everything I do, rather than just the public facing side of things and honestly, every day, I have to work against the negative voices in my head, that tell me to be smaller, 'don't come in to do the radio interview, don't go and talk to those young people you've got got nothing to offer them'.

I put myself out of my comfort zone all the time because I believe that really matters.

And by constantly pushing the boundaries of my comfort zone, I know that I'm going to be growing, rather than staying within my limits.

I did a recent fundraiser for Future Female Society, a grass roots women's charity based in Ipswich. I have worked with them as an artist facilitator, so it is really important to me to support local charities like that because you see directly the work that they do.

You meet the people they are positively affecting, hearing some of the stories of the changes in people's lives is incredible.

Caswell recording the video for Your Type in 2023, filmed inside St Jude's pub in Ipswich

Playing First Light feels fantastic because I went there last year and the weather was glorious.

Everything is set up so well with a real community vibe.

I love that it's free and it is accessible for all, and the main stage is very impressive.

I'm really privileged to be able to perform with my band and I've never performed in Lowestoft.

I guess First Light is giving opportunities to Lowestoft for performers to come through because previously I don't know that I would have had many opportunities to perform there.

I'm also playing Rock and Roll Circus in Norwich and McFly are headlining. I was so excited when I got asked because it's like my childhood dreams.

I've also got an album coming out later this year, so I have a couple of really big shows around that which I have not announced yet.

It's my first ever album and it's got funding from PRS And Help Musicians, so it has been very independently done and I'm really excited to finally share it.

Caswell at Wild Paths in Norwich, which has grown to be a five-day multi venue festival this October

The First Light Festival runs 21-22 June on Lowestoft beach. The main event is free and open to all, some evening shows are ticketed.

Final Call was released on 13 June.