Devon born artist Fable is making waves with her genre-fluid debut album Shame, drawing influence from Portishead and Kate Bush, and touching on themes of social media and the climate and mental health crises (she is an ambassador for mental health charity My Black Dog).  We caught up with Fable for a 5 question interview ...

1. What’s the Fable manifesto?

I’m no politician but I would like to live in a fairer society, one that is built on some kind of humane moral structure rather than purely an economic one, but one can dream. I guess my goal as a person in the world and as an artist is to point out the unseen obvious through my music and use it as a tool to tease out the truth, first for my own understanding and contemplation and if it rings true to others then I’ve succeeded in making a connection. That’s the vague mantra, connection. 

I get a lot of joy from singing and it’s only when I’m lost in a harmony that I’m truly present and happy. I’m also fascinated by sound and how it interfaces with our bodies and minds. It’s the closest thing to magic – the healing quality of the right set of words against the right melody. All of my favorite musicians I think of as sorcerers.

2. What’s the best song on the album and why?

Orbiting is the best song on the album in my opinion, I just felt like I can’t take too much responsibility for its creation, it wrote itself so naturally like I was just singing it back from a memory, a friend’s 8 year old was my muse in coming up with the opening line “I’m petrified, but still spell bound by the world” I was blown away like, you absolute genius I’m ‘avin that and here’s some royalties if it does alright. We produced the track in Soho with the super talented Jonas Persson who is also the one behind the bass and that moody guitar solo, my live drummer Wayne Riches plays on the record and the backing vocals are the original ones from my bedroom studio set up, a 4am kinda jam.

3. What song do you wish you’d written?

It’s gonna have to be ‘Black Bird’ by The Beatles, what a distillation of beauty. To speak a thousand truths in 3 short simple verses. That’s the pinnacle of artistry. 

4. Pass the mic – who are your top 3 contemporary bands/artists?

Right first up pushing the boat right out there is Nuha Ruby Ra with her experimental performances and punk ethos I think she’s the future. She’s on some Grace Jones flex and I’m low key in love with her.

Billy Nomates has a voice like Stevie Nicks and the face of someone I went to school with who I was very fond of, her new single ‘Blue Bones’ makes me want to dance and cry simultaneously, I live for her realness and DIY mentality.

And finally the lovely Yumi and the Weather, a psychedelic indie rock outfit from Brighton, fronted by Ruby Taylor, she’s just cool af and I can’t wait to hear what she does next.

5. Draw us a picture 

Here’s a sketch from inside my brain, featuring the lizard wizard. I wish all interviews ended with an art class, this has been super fun so thank you!