Kendal Calling 2024 - Interview With Heather Small

I had the pleasure of getting to conduct a brief interview, amongst many great acts I got to speak to over the Kendal weekend, with someone who has had an outstanding career, Heather Small.

From the sheer joy of M-People to the anthemic songs of her solo career Heather has been a huge success for British music and by all accounts a very nice person as well so I was keen to meet her.

Hi Heather, its an absolute pleasure to meet you, how are you?

Hi, I’m great, nice to meet you as well, but before you ask me any questions, I have one for you, what does 3 Songs & Out mean?

It’s the normal number of songs photographers get in the pit when photographing live acts before they are asked to leave, our sites founder, Sean, has photographed many acts over the years so as a photographer when he decided to set up a review site it seemed the natural name.

Now you say that I knew that I’ve often seen the photographers leave at the start of the show and I knew that!

So how have you found Kendal, you’re literally just off the main stage where you had a massive crowd all singing along with you.

It’s been amazing, we didn’t have the easiest of journeys getting here as we drove up from London today and at one point I didn’t think we were going to make it on time but then when you walk out onto the stage, see all the people who’ve made the effort to come and see you and see them signing and dancing along you forget the journey up and just enjoy yourself.

Is this your first time playing Kendal?

I think I may have played here before years ago, but I have played a number of shows up here and love it, the crowds are always so warm and welcoming like they were again today.

Do you enjoy hearing the crowd singing your songs back to you?

It’s a fantastic thing to hear people singing back to you, knowing that they know and love your songs and cherish them. I had a brilliant feeling being out on that stage.

I heard a few people comment on how great you’re looking; do you have a particular exercise regime you do to get ready for gigs?

I’ve been a vegan for a long time now, I have made the effort to look after myself, I exercise, and I’ve always been aware of the need to live well and to make sure I eat well as well. I’m passionate about being a vegan.

One of the things I wanted to ask you about was your involvement with Young Voices, I know you travelled to Sheffield to take part in it as one of the photographers here, John, was there and saw you perform with all of the young artists. Why did you get involved, why do you do it and what do you get from it?

It’s an absolute privilege to be involved, it’s not about the money or singing to my fans, it's about totally about these young artists. I got to spend time with them, listen to them, talk to them, help them think about their performance and generally try to give them some steers and tips about being an artist. They are, as a group, in love with what they do and while some of them are so sure about what they want to be others are still finding their way and working out who they are. I got to share some of my experiences with them, talk to them about the need for persistence, for commitment and for putting their all into being an artist. It was a joy and a privilege for me to share the same stage as them. I hope they enjoyed it and learnt from it, I gained a lot seeing their passion and joy and getting to spend time with them.

That sounds fantastic and a brilliant use of your time.

It absolutely is, I would recommend getting involved in initiatives like this to anyone.

I do have a lot more questions for you but unfortunately your manager is hovering, and I suspect its time for you to move on, it’s been an absolute privilege speaking to you, could I be cheeky and ask for a selfie?

Of course, happy to, thanks for your time as well.