Carmarthen
born Ffion Wilkins began her acting career as Hannah Bain in A Mind to Kill,
starring alongside Philip Madoc, who played her Dad in the series. Since then,
apart from an episode of Doctors, and her role as a WPC in Torchwood: Small
Worlds, Ffion has moved from acting into music. I caught up with Ffion recently
while putting an article together for the WATNOW series and last night, I
enjoyed a wonderful interview with her. Thank you!
Hi
Ffion, what came first, music or acting?
Ffion: Music. From a very early age really. My
mother played hymns on the piano and I went to chapel. I started playing by ear
from around 6 I think. Acting came later around 11 although I always performed
and sung at school and chapel.
You
played a police officer in both A Mind to Kill and in Torchwood. As some actors
choose those kinds of roles, or military or other, was this a decision you took
or was it that these roles came available by your agent?
I
realise it was a long time ago
Ffion: I was offered the part in A Mind To
Kill at the age of 15 as I’d previously worked for the same director who gave
me my acting break. The late Peter Edwards. I auditioned for Torchwood and was
surprised I got it as I’d played a high-profile cop in A Mind to Kill!
Were
you in a band when you were acting, or did this come much later?
Ffion: I was in several bands as a teenager. I
was a drummer.
Did
you improve on your music knowledge at uni, or college, or were you self
taught?
Ffion: I’m self taught as far as playing by
ear but I was classically trained on the piano from the age of 6/7 and did all
the exams. Went on to study music at Goldsmiths College, University of London.
Auditioned on piano but came out singing. I was also classically trained on
Tenor Sax.
Do
you sing a broad spectrum of songs or is there a specific style of music you
prefer to play?
Ffion: I’ve always listened to a broad
spectrum really. Been lucky also to sing lots of different styles from all the
different projects I’ve been involved with over the years. I love to sing jazz
and the older styles of songs if I’m honest where melodies and harmony are
challenging although simple on the surface to sing. Songs like “Smoke gets in
your eyes” by The Platters is a good example. Walker Brothers, Frank Sinatra,
George Michael and Rufus Wainwright are all huge influences on my singing,
More male singers than
female I add!!!
Sinatra
has quite a deep voice and quite powerful vocally, does that pose a problem
when you're singing some of his most familiar of songs?
Ffion: Sometimes but I have a deep voice so
when I work with Tuxedo Jazz often songs are in their original keys but if they
need taken up that’s no problem, of course.
When
I looked up initially at the band Tuxedo Jazz, I thought this was your band but
it's not is it?
Ffion: It’s a band I’ve worked with since Uni
over 20 years ago. My dear friend James Reader runs it and we also work
together as a duo upwards to a sextet. It gave me the most perfect grounding
for setting up my own band to do my original stuff. I owe that band everything
and all the guys I’ve ever worked with. Very lucky. Very.
I've
just been reading up on James - on LinkedIn. Wow!
Ffion: Yep top bloke. Great Jazz Piano player
and songwriter too
It's
pretty impressive
Ffion: I’m so lucky to work with the guys:
Michael Curtis Ruiz – bass, Michael Coates – Saxophone, Jim Fleeman – drums, Mark White
– Trumpet/Flugal and Nigel
Hopkins – keyboard, who
co produced the album with me. The other drummer who does the live stuff on
Youtube is Jiffy Griffiths, Vic Bynoe on bvs and Hywel Maggs on guitar.
Do
you write ALL the songs in the band or do you have other members of the band
write songs too?
Ffion: I write all the songs: Lyrics, Melody
and chords. I also co-produce and arrange bvs and some brass lines when
required. Nigel is a genius though. He knows what’s in my head and gets on with
it. He’s produced some amazing orchestrations on Chris de Burgh’s last 4 albums
I think. He’s MD for him. Super talented and lovely man Nige is. Honour to work
alongside him.
It's
great when you find that one person who just knows where you're coming from.
Out
of all the songs that you've written, what was the hardest one to put together,
for whatever reason?
Ffion: “Let me Go”. It’s a tricky semi prog
rock affair and that particular brass arrangement is Nige’s as he’s a huge prog
fan. Bass on that features the amazing Laurence Cottle. Sublime playing from
him. To be honest all the songs were a pleasure to work on and develop from
scratch. I think I speak for Nige too and the boys tell me they are also great
to play. That for me is the best compliment from peers I admire and look up to.
Is
your music on mainstream radio, such as Radio 2 and beyond?
Ffion: My songs have been played on numerous
Radio Stations both online and network here and abroad. However, when we were
promoting the album initially at Radio 2 they loved it and thought it was very
R2 friendly but I wasn’t or hadn’t been on their radar enough yet to warrant a
slot on one of their play lists of which there are three categories: A main, B
and C.
Very hard to get in with
them. Very closed off and producer driven. Takes a lot of time and promoting it
seems but we plough on!!!
In
the coloured photo of you with the band, your recording studio looks like a
church from the wooden fixtures behind the band. If it is, the acoustics must
be wonderful.
Ffion: The church is Acapela Studio in Cardiff
and we did the Welsh Album launch there and revisited on the tour last year. We
recorded most of the album in Studios in London and Nige’s studios in Wales.
Are
you working on any new songs at the moment?
Ffion: I’m always writing so yes got a few new
songs on the go!
Thank
you so much for the interview
Ffion: Thanks very much I really enjoyed your
questions.
You can find Ffion’s album
Never on Amazon by following or copy and pasting this link.
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