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With a string of incredible singles to her name, singer-songwriter Cally Rhodes is making waves in the industry. Her latest release ‘Summer of My Life’ is the perfect song to blast in the sunshine!

Cally has been working on her craft since a very young age and it has definitely paid off. The multi-talented musician was named ‘Best Artist of the Year 2018’ by BBC Introducing in Berkshire.

We recently had the opportunity to chat with Cally. In our exclusive interview, the Welsh songstress spoke about: her musical influences, playing at Swansea Pride, her favourite summer memories, supporting Ben Haenow at his Cardiff show and much more.

You can read highlights and hear our full interview with Cally Rhodes below!

For people who haven’t yet heard your music, how would you describe your style and sound?
“I’d say my style is definitely chilled pop vibes. I think the music itself is always melodic but still very chilled out and laid back. The stories over the top are always based on my reality and my life.”

We’re loving your new single ‘Summer of My Life’ – what do you want people to take from it?
“Thank you. You know what, I loved writing ‘Summer of My Life’ so much because I just love summer and it’s my favourite time of year. When people are listening to it, I really want them to just take it away as their summer anthem and really enjoy the song. Just listen to all of the summer vibes that are within it and have a really positive experience.”

We’re sure it’ll be the soundtrack to a lot of people’s summers. What are some of your favourite summer anthems by other artists?
“I love ‘Remind Me To Forget’ by Kygo. I absolutely love Kygo as an artist because I feel he has the same kind of vibe as myself where he’s summery, laid-back but still very melodic. Another artist I really love is Selena Gomez. ‘Back To You’ from the 13 Reasons Why soundtrack was definitely my favourite summer song last year; I really liked that.”

Your single ‘System’ has now been streamed more than 3 and a half million times on Spotify which is an incredible achievement. Congratulations. Is it sometimes overwhelming to think of so many people listening to your work?
“Thank you. It is but I’m definitely really grateful. I’m grateful because I feel like I’ve put out a song that people can relate to and that’s exactly what I wanted to do when I released that song. To have people listen to it and think ‘that’s happened in my life’. It means a lot to me that people can understand why I wrote it and where I’m coming from.”

It’s clear from your songs that you’re a very talented songwriter – are there any lyrics you’re particularly proud of writing?
“Flattery gets you everywhere. I like ‘I’m going to get you out my system’ because it’s very matter of fact. It’s a phrase that people use in everyday life so it’s kind of cool to use that about a relationship. I’ve also got upcoming lyrics from songs that are not out yet which you’ll have to stay tuned and listen out for. I’m not going to give too much away.”

We’ve seen on social media that you’ve been in the studio a lot recently – how’ve the sessions been going? Can you tease what you’ve been working on?
“I’m working on another song with Si Hulbert who was the co-writer and producer for ‘Summer of My Life’. It’s amazing to work with him because he’s had some amazing cuts including Dido and One Direction. I’ve got another one with him that I’m looking to release and then another one with a guy called Rich James who produced ‘System’. So yeah, two exciting songs in the pipeline.”

Who are some of your musical influences?
“Growing up was definitely Kate Bush because I really admire her storytelling through music. I also love how quirky her voice is as well; it really stands out and I find that my singing voice is a little bit different or quirky. When I listen to her, it makes me feel like I can sing exactly how I’m meant to sing and how I was born to sing. I don’t need to change it to be someone else and I really like Kate Bush for that. Then going back to Kygo, I really like his laid-back chilled beachy vibes so he’s definitely an influence for now.”

You recently performed at Swansea Pride – did you enjoy that performance?
“I absolutely loved performing at Swansea Pride because I think that Pride events are so important for where we are now. I absolutely love Pride events. I love that everybody comes and they’re the best versions of themselves and they’re not afraid to be who they are. That’s just so important.”

And you also supported Ben Haenow at his concert in Cardiff in April – how was that show?
“I thoroughly enjoyed the Ben Haenow show just because I found it really awesome to meet Ben. He is exactly how he appears on social media and when he was on The X Factor. He is everything that you think and you hope him to be. He is just a nice, sweet, charming, down-to-earth person so it just made me feel really at home.”

Your new single is titled ‘Summer of My Life’ – what’s been the best summer of your life so far?
“The best summer of my life was probably when I was about 8 years old and I was allowed to go camping on my own with my friends for the very first time on a trip to Sherwood Forest which was where Robin Hood was. I left home for a week. By the way… there were chaperones, my mum didn’t just let me wander off when I was about 8. I just thought I was really cool because I was allowed to go away for a week and thought I was really grown up.”

What does the rest of 2019 have in store?
“2019 is going to be really exciting. I plan on doing a lot more live shows. I’ve got some live performances coming up such as Dartford Festival and I’m definitely going to be releasing two more songs. I’m just really looking forward to showing more music to everybody and showing who I am as an artist.”

If you could leave a message for your fans and supporters, what would you say?
“So, first of all, I want to say thank you so much for streaming my music. It makes the whole experience so much easier for me to do and I really appreciate you guys taking time out to listen to my songs. Also, I want to say that it’s really important for everybody to be themselves and not take the opinions of others to heart too much sometimes. I feel like if you’ve got something that you really believe in, don’t deter because other people have maybe criticised you. If you believe in something, I think it’s really important that you go with it and love what you do.”

‘Summer of My Life’ is available here on all digital platforms. As mentioned in the interview, Cally has been busy making magic in the studio recently so fans can expect more new music from her very soon. If Cally’s previous singles are anything to go by, we’re certainly in for a treat.

As well as writing original material, Cally loves to cover her favourite songs on YouTube and she recently shared a stunning version of ‘Señorita‘ by Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello. Her acoustic rendition of ‘Touch‘ by Little Mix was praised in a tweet by the girl band themselves.

With phenomenal vocals and a natural flair for music, Cally Rhodes has all the makings of the next big pop star. Make sure you keep her on your radar!

Are you excited to hear more new music from Cally Rhodes? Which are your favourite songs by her to date? Let us know over on Twitter @CelebMix!

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