Wynona

A Profile

For most grass roots musicians the last eighteen months have been a rollercoaster of feelings. Some have fallen to the unforgiving chill as the government closed the door on an entire industry, some found ways of surviving through technology and social media, and some used the time to take the plunge and release their own music for the first time. One such band is Wynona. The brand new duo, made up of partners Natalie & Rich came to life after they were forced back to UK during the pandemic. However instead of dwelling in the gloom the pair have thrown themselves into their music in hopes of blowing away those pandemic blues.

So who are Wynona and what led to the writing and release of fantastic debut single, ‘Get Back To Myself’? Well, there is no place like the beginning to start from is there….

“….I don’t know why I got into it so young,I was about fourteen when I joined my first band, and I was just so excited, I felt like ‘Oh my god, I’m in a band’, and I’d started playing keyboard originally but when the first band I was in, years and years ago heard that I could sing, they were like ‘You need to be the singer’, I was a bit nervous at first, but then I just thought ‘Why not’ and its kind of gone from there really….” Natalie

“….For me it was when my cousin gave me a mix tape, back when I had a tape player and everything, and it was full of like, Skate-Punk, like ‘NOFX’, ‘Offspring’, ‘Less Than Jake’, ‘Screeching Weasel’, just all these sort of California punk bands, and so I picked up a guitar as everyone was doing at that time in the 90’s and 00’s and just haven’t put it down since….” Rich

Both bitten by the musical bug it wouldn’t be long until their paths would cross on the music circuit as they kicked off their original music journey. However, performing in Hampshire, their hometown came with its draw backs.

“….I started writing songs at fourteen actually, as the bands that I, well both of us were in were original music bands and it was just great fun, being in Hampshire though there wasn’t much in the way of festivals and even venues to perform at, but this only meant we really got to know each other and the other bands on the circuit at the same time, and just really enjoyed the atmosphere of playing to family and friends, the original songs weren’t the best, you know what its like writing songs at fourteen, but even then we were both fascinated by songwriting….” Natalie

With fingers and minds working overtime in the songwriting department, it wouldn’t be long before Natalie & Rich would cast their eye further afield, beyond the boundaries of home. But little did they know that a decision to hit the road with their instruments in hand would result in finding themselves on the other side of the world performing for salary men in Osaka, Japan.

“….Well, we found that we’d written quite a lot of original songs and hit a point where we really got the itch to go travelling, so we made the decision to leave Hampshire and start gigging, working bars, doing anything really as we traveled across the world, and honestly it was just pure chance and fortune really that we reached Japan, and then we found ourselves performing practically every night at a wine bar in the sort of business district of Osaka….” Natalie

So from the hills of Hampshire to the high rises of Osaka Natalie & Rich continued to perform and eventually found themselves gaining a small, but devoted fan club.

“….While in Japan we managed to gain, not a large following, at least not large in numbers, but large in heart….” Natalie

“….In Japan people are like MegaFans, like when we were leaving to come home, we had some of them come to the airport to say goodbye, we even had someone drive from about an hour away to come and hopefully have breakfast with us before we left….” Rich

“….We were so shocked that they came but cause we had a flight to catch we were like ‘We’re so sorry but we’ve got a flight to catch’ and so we had a coffee with them and then they waved us off, it was just so nice and such an experience for us, we felt famous, it was so sweet….” Natalie

It wasn’t just the fandom culture of Japan that would prove contrasting to their home turf of the UK but the way in which audiences acted and the sheer differences in venues.

“….I’d say because of playing quite a lot we only really got a small glimpse into the wider scene around us, but in terms of western bands coming in, there was only a few that actually hosted them and then there was one a handful that we were interested in seeing, like the one night we went to see ‘Corrine Bailey Ray’ at this big venue called ‘The Billboard’ and that was weird because it was seating, but not like arena seating, it was more tables and chairs, almost like a restaurant, so you were sat there eating while listening to Corrine Bailey Ray on stage….” Rich

“….It was just so surreal the way the Japanese experience live music, like in Western culture we’re very much beer in hand, shoulder to shoulder in the crowd, while in Japan everyone is so much more respectful of space over there and its a bit more relaxed, even between songs they’ll applaud but then stay quiet, as though respecting that your getting ready for the next song….” Natalie

Sadly though, after living and performing in Osaka since 2018, Natalie & Rich, like many musicians around the world, fell victim to the pandemic in 2020. Due to restrictions and lockdowns the duo were forced to catch the final flight out of Tokyo and return to their home of Hampshire. However, they didn’t return empty handed. Along with their instruments and experiences they carried back a collection of songs that they had written during their time in Japan.

“….When we performed, we were mostly performing in the evenings at the bar, so it meant during the day we spent it mostly in our tiny little apartment and so we began putting down recordings and writing songs, it was quite fun to do really as our flat was so small I actually kept the microphone on my side of the bed so they were literarly bedroom recordings, we managed to get quite a few ideas down that way….” Natalie

“….We actually tried to recapture that bedroom feel when we eventually got into a friends studio to record the tracks, and I think the whole experience of performing every night, exploring tons of different songs, just really helped us to expand and define our own sound a little bit more….” Rich

So fresh off the plane and eager to make something of their hard work writing in a small Osaka flat, Natalie & Rich made the design to create their duo and begin to root themselves into the UK music scene once again.

“….I think the one things that stopped us from pursuing something original before now was in Japan, we didn’t really have any sort of connections, and lacked that support that you get from family and friends, and though we can’t say for sure that we’ll return to Japan or not, for now we’ve got our feet now back at home and just want to explore what we can achieve with our first few releases, to be honest….” Rich

So, with that decision made it was time to release their first single to the world and decide on a name for their new project.

“….We are both huge fans of Winona Ryder’s movies to be honest, I remember watching ‘Beetlejuice’ for the first time and thinking she was so cool all gothic looking and stuff and we’ve tried to watch all the movies she’s been in, so we sort of went with the name ‘Wynona’ in homage to that really, we did toy about with the name ‘Hobbo Kawaii’ but it just felt too random….” Natalie

Wynona now set in stone the brand new duo channelled all their experience, talent, and passion into the recording and release of their first single ‘Get Back to Myself. A song that swept the board with reviewers, playlsiters, and radio shows across the UK and beyond. Gathering momentum the duo hope to build off the success of their first release and fully embrace their new direction and sound.

“….We’re hoping to drop one song a month or so to begin with, maybe try for an EP or something, but honestly, its just nice to be at the beginning of something and know that at this point we can afford to take risks and experiment a bit more with our songs without it backfiring too much, and hopefully it keeps going well….” Rich

“….I just think nowadays the music industry is a bit more open to independent and even unsigned artists, and those types of bands and artists are getting more of a chance than they’ve had before, so who knows how it will all go, but at the moment we’re enjoying it, and hopefully everyone who listens will enjoy our stuff just as much….” Natalie

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Watch ‘Get Back to Myself’ Music Video