Arlo Parks has said spending lockdown at her childhood home has helped improve her songwriting.
The musician, 20, said it reminded her of when she was making music for herself.
She added that during the pandemic she has had more time “to just sit and think” and be more introspective about her writing.
“The reason why I enjoyed it was because it kind of took me back to a state of creating music solely for myself and not focusing on shareability and palatability,” she told the PA news agency.
“I was just reminded of when I was 17 and just making tunes for nobody and that kind of purity of expression was something I tried to go back to and that was something that I quite enjoyed.”
Parks’ album Collapsed In Sunbeams, which is due for release next month, was written during lockdown at her family home in London.
“In the year that was planned, I would have had to write songs in between touring, which would have been quite difficult but now I have time to really sit, reflect and think about the messages that I want to put forward,” she said.
The musician has been announced as an ambassador for Independent Venue Week, which runs from January 25 to 31.
Parks said it is important that smaller venues are protected during the pandemic because of the role they play in the music industry.
“Especially as an emerging artist, basically all of the venues that I have played have been independent venues and they are kind of the building blocks of the live music industry,” she said.
The venues are where “emerging talent is kind of nurtured”, she added.
Parks added that it would be “disastrous” if venues were to close because of the pandemic as performing artists need to be able to perform live.
“There’s nothing like being in a room full of people and having that human contact and being able to meet people face to face,” she said.
“Even playing things like festivals when you are first starting, a lot of the people who have come to see you have stumbled in.
“They have just been kind of wondering through the festival and maybe hearing your music from afar and it is those serendipitous encounters that you can’t really get when you are doing a live stream.”
Independent Venue Week will see musicians play exclusive shows across the country in celebration of the grassroots music sector.
For more information visit independentvenueweek.com/uk/.