Instores & Fans with Kids

Noticing something really interesting and quite moving at shows lately, there’s been a change of scenery in the audience and at signings.

I’ve been doing this 18 years so it makes sense that people have grown up with my music and it still shocks me when I see 16 year olds singing along to songs in the front row. How and when did they get into this? Made of Bricks is older than them.

Humans that look like kids to me will come up after shows and say ‘this makes me so nostalgic’ and I’m thinking ‘for when?!’ as they finish ‘for when I was 8’ 😭 my jaw just drops to the floor. I can’t believe my music has this kind of connection with kids. Boom said to me in the dressing room that Made of Bricks is such a gret entry point to my music and that’s why kids over and over and at such a mix of ages can connect to it. Songs like mariella and skeleton really speak to them.

I’ve had mothers and daughters and a ton of dad’s with daughters at these instore shows. It’s new, people have grown up with the music and now they have families and kids old enough to bring to shows. I’ve had a dad bringing their 12 year old to their first ever gig and mum’s that tell me made of bricks helped them through the teenage years. One mother told me her daughter would come home, storm up to her room and slam the door, she’d hear MOB coming down the stairs and she said ‘ok, you’ve got it from here’ looking at me, ‘I know she’s in good hands’. I signed a cd for a 25 year old girl who came with her dad, as they were turning to leave her dad said, ‘right I have to say this and I didn’t plan on getting emotional’ he paused and put his hand on the table to steady himself, a lump in his throat, ‘your music…taught me how to be a better dad to her’ and points to his daughter child, she starts tearing up and says ‘oh dad’ and they hug as they walk out.

It’s just so meaningful and has caught me off guard a little. It’s a lot of life to take in. To be able to be part of these insanely important relationships, it’s surreal and special and I get these little windows into these tender and powerful moments. I just love hearing people’s stories. It’s such an incredible and unique thing to get to know each other through music.

❤️