Martine White

Much like her musical heroes Boyz II Men and Eva Cassidy, Martine White is soulful, captivating and talented. An incredible voice weaved throughout heartbreakingly honest lyrics, Martine's music is the perfect expression of her passion and emotion.

Unaware of her desire to sing until she was 19, Martine discovered the performer within after receiving her first singing lesson as a student of Vancouver Film School. Shot through with a new-found confidence and curiosity for her burgeoning talent, Martine chose the most unlikely of songs to sing in front of her fellow college mates. While the Broadway classic 'I Love A Cop' isn't the song of choice for most debut singers, Martine made it her own and used the experience to propel her into something much more creatively demanding.

After watching a gig by local acoustic guitarist Paul Jemmett, Martine knew where her calling lay. Singing became her main goal, and collaborating with Paul was the perfect union for achieving that goal. After an unofficial audition singing Natalie Imbruglia's 'Torn', Martine and Paul began performing together at local open mic nights and writing tracks for what would eventually become her debut album 'Broken'.

Featuring the likes of haunting power pop ballad 'Empty Chair' ("emotionally this song is about Paul losing his best friend to cancer and I relate it to my dad who also passed away through cancer"), the album bursts with lush harmonies perfectly enveloped by Martine's evocative and rich vocal. "'Broken' is the album's title track, and the majority of the album is about things not being quite right." Says Martine. "You know, relationships, life, and stuff, being broken and wanting to be in a happier place. The vibe of the album is quite dark, even if sometimes it's musically upbeat or happy. Like 'Songs Of Summer' is actually about not being quite where you want to be...

Imagine Portishead and Zero 7 melded with Mazzy Star and you'll have an idea of the brooding melodies that bring Martine's songs to life. With Paul writing most of the music and original lyrics, and Martine adding to them later on, 'Broken' is biographical for both in parts. "Some people may initially find the songs a bit depressing," she laughs, "but they will be able to relate to them!"

As with most songwriting partnerships, the songs for 'Broken' took on an organic approach with the creative process starting in Martine's home. "Paul and I were both off work for a week," explains Martine, "so Paul sat round mine everyday with his acoustic guitar, we wrote songs and recorded rough copies to his laptop. We both think along the same lines, so it was very relaxed way, although we worked very hard getting the songs to sound right. After the rough copies were done, Paul went away and worked with James Uings (for drums/guitar solos), Robbie Stamp (Bass) and Graham Boyle (Piano) and added extra parts to the songs such as strings and piano lines. I regularly worked on the vocal melodies as each song progressed, and then Paul got the tracks to a point where they were ready musically for us to go in to the studio and record."

You'll be hearing a lot more from Martine in 2009. "We'll be promoting the album through MySpace, Facebook – anyway we can! We are currently looking at booking shows and are trying to put a band together to play 'Broken' at The Avenue Theatre in Sittingbourne in January." Says Martine. "In an ideal world, I would love to support KT Tunstall and Katie Melua, while Paul would love to support Counting Crows. Over the next year we'll be aiming to get lots more shows to promote the album and get the music out there."