Feature

Yolanda Quartey: Whole lotta Diva

I was lucky enough to catch Phantom Limb's lead singer Yolanda Quartey whilst on a trip to Bristol recently. with the re-release of their first critically acclaimed album and a mighty fine new single (Draw the Line) causing waves. Things are definately on the up for this unique and intriguing outfit.

Emrys: Yolanda tells us about yourself how did you get involved with music?

Yolanda: Well I started singing at the tender age of five and by the time I was 13 I was in the schoolband and from the ages of 15-18 I was out in Bristol doing jazz type gigs but not in the conventional type of way I relied heavily on improvisation. These type of gigs where you are not the main attraction, background I guess, was the perfect breeding ground I could really develop my intuition for songwriting it was freeform randomness that suited me.........

Emrys: And after that what direction did you turn to, when did you start to get noticed?

Yolanda: Virtually as soon as I left school I got involved, purely by accident, with the newly evolving break beats scene and from working in bedrooms with Bugz in the Attic and Jazzanova things really took off. I was constantly touring from the age of 18-21 I was unstoppable, Bugz were exploding and signed to V2records and were going from strength to strength. To be honest, I was pretty wild in those days, I even found time to be a dancer with the cuban brothers, my life was mad but I was young and having such a good time and a laugh, I didn't take anything too seriously, nothing mattered - I was caught up in the mad maelstrom of it all not realising the enormous harm I was doing to my voice (nevermind my brains!). I was thrashing my vocal chords nightly something had to give!

Emrys: My God you were thrown into the deepend! So tell me how did Phantom Limb actually come about?

Yolanda: Various friends that eventually formed the band decided to treat themselves as a sort of xmas present to one another so we book some recording time at Rockfield studios and experimented. Part of the original recordings eventually ended up on our debut album. It was a purely organic process the songwriting came easy, Stew Jackson and I hit on a method and things just clicked from day one.

Emrys: What then? The seeds were sown so what did you do next?

Yolanda: We were becoming a band! Debuting at Colston Hall supporting Courtney Pine, gently easing our way into this new and exciting period. We knew we were onto something special and we spent six months in a total songwriting frenzy. However I was still involved in the dance scene which was beginning to take it's toll. eventually I had to quit.

Emrys: Quit? What happened?

Yolanda: Constant touring, recording and performing completely buggered me up! I was a nervous wreck and what's worse, my voice completely packed up on me nodules developed in my throat I couldn't even speak a word!

Emrys: Blimey it was going all Pete Tong!

Yolanda: Precisely! I even got hospitalised and had the bailiffs after me too! One thing I did learn is those bar*#rds can't touch you if you're unconscious! I was at my lowest ebb in complete meltdown suffering from stressed related anxiety. My career in tatters everything include my life came to a crashing halt!

Emrys: I've heard of paying your dues but that's ridiculous! What was the road to recovery like!

Yolanda: Slow my friend very slow! I didn't know if i'd ever sing again let alone talk!

To cut a long story short things did work out for me but discovered how ignorant the "professional" voice coach establishment were. This an area I've become adept in and I found out most teaching does more harm than good. A recipe for disaster, nodules are still misunderstood and the advice as well as the teaching is
generally misguiding and down right dangerous!

Emrys: So you're voice coach too is there no end to your talents?

Yolanda Ha! Thanks.... I lecture and teach speech therapeutic singing at Bath Spa University on the commercial music course, at the BIMM on the songwriter's course, as well as doing one to one coaching. It's a combination of singing lessons and voice therapy.

With the interview over Yolanda insisted that no trip to Bristol is complete unless you've sampled the famous beverage of the city scrumpy! So off we went on an adventure to find the best scrumpy available. She's quite a lass is our Yolie and she made sure I was sent home in the merriest of ways! Thanks, I needed the rosy cheeks and a guided tour of the best hostelries around. A warm west country welcome from an exceptionally unique talent.

Catch phantom limb now on tour with Will young throughout November and early December.
Words Emrys Baird