Wolverhampton singer Kerry Worton has released her debut single, Mother U. We asked her the BIG questions . . .
Speaking about the track, she says, "It’s a personal song as I'm from a fostering family. It highlights the need to nurture and encourage children placed into care and the vital role foster parents play."
As well as launching her solo career, Kelly sang backing vocals on The Age Of No Opinion by Spoon Speaker Man, the new project from Craig Walker (Power of Dreams) and Dan Worton (Ned’s Atomic Dustbin).
"It catapulted me back into the studio after finally kicking long Covid in the b*****ks," she says. "Whilst attending a rehabilitation hospital and walking without the use of a wheelchair, I eventually swapped my crutches for the guitar again and started to write my own songs to help me to improve my speech (which had also been affected) and my coordination.
"Music certainly healed me ! I have now started a music charity called Wolves Music United in my hometown of Wolverhampton to support those affected my mental health or financial hardship to access music."
Tell us three things about yourself . . .
I was a primary school teacher once, more of a School of Rock teacher rather than your Sound of Music type.
I’m a long Covid fighter and survivor. It put me in a wheelchair and affected my speech. Now I’m back on my feet and determined. New songs are pouring out of me - poetic justice!
Fostering is personal to me. This is what inspired me to write Mother U and to produce the video myself. Something that I haven’t heard explored in a song before, so if it gets people thinking about fostering teenagers, then I’ll be happy with that alone.
How would you describe your music?
Black Country acoustic rock, which echoes sounds of bands that wail and hail from my birthplace in the West Midlands, but I’m proud of my Irish heritage too. I’ve been compared to the likes of Janis Joplin and Sinéad O’Connor, but I think that’s more of how my voice can be soft and haunting then in a split second it can grab you unexpectedly by the rawness and emotion that has been pent up inside. I would describe the genre as alternative just as a safety net. I play the guitar hard or when I feel like screaming like a banshee, I don’t feel the need to apologise.
Don’t be fooled by a woman walking on stage with an acoustic guitar. I can make that guitar sound like it’s in Black Sabbath rather than Simon and Garfunkel.
Who are your musical inspirations?
Most bands that have come out of the Black Country in the West Midlands and Ireland during the 1970s and 1990s. Ironically in the 1990s, as a very, very young fan of indie music, my favourite bands were Ned’s Atomic Dustbin and Power of Dreams. Fast forward 2024 and I recorded backing vocals for the Spoon Speaker Man album - The Age of No Opinion - where Dan Worton from Neds and Craig Walker from POD wrote this incredible album. I couldn’t believe it!!! It was a project that I couldn’t turn down as I’m married to Dan Worton. Funny how life turns out! Furthermore, our daughter is recording her first album with the band Sumwotgrrrl with the legendary sound engineer, Jessica Corcoran who recorded Neds back in the day and mixed my album recently.
What was the first gig you ever went to?
Ned’s Atomic Dustbin was the first proper gig without parents. Ended up with a black eye from a crowd surfer!
What was the first record you ever bought?
I bought Like A Virgin by Madonna with my pocket money. I was told off for singing it at school and at home. Thought it was because I had a terrible voice, then someone (not my parents) explained it to me.
What’s your favourite song ?
Life is Sweet by Maria McKee. That song gets me every time.
We need your consent to load this Spotify contentWe use Spotify to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences
Favourite lyric of all time?
Taken from Life is Sweet my Maria McKee: "Don’t listen to your teachers, you’re not crazy, just smarter than the rest of them, Paint a picture, Write a song, Tell your story, Bang a gong". Today this line means so much to me as I was diagnosed with ADHD as an adult.
If you could only listen to one song for the rest of your life, what would it be ?
Three Little Birds by Bob Marley and the Wailers.
Where can people find your music/more information?
Kerry Worton Music on YouTube and Instagram. Bandcamp. Facebook. Mother U is available on all streaming platforms now.
Alan Corr
.svg)