Louder Than The Music

UK singer/songwriter Tina Boonstra will release her first full length album ‘Circle Back, Start Again' on April 28th. The first single 'Martha' was released last year, and the follow up 'Call Me Thomas' is set to drop on January 27th.

"What do you do when you're the only one in the room who isn't sure they believe?" asks Tina. "Everyone says it's a miracle, and you look down at the ground, out the window, up at the ceiling. Anywhere, anything to avoid catching the eye of that friend. Oh, you know the one... The one who has never had doubts, the one who would be heartbroken to know that you do. 

And if you're honest, you're heartbroken. Who are you if you're not the one who believes - if you're not the person you thought you were? Does your whole self unravel, does everything you've built your life upon crumble away, is there anything to hold onto anymore?"

The album, is a collection of intricately woven stories of love, fear and identity in the face of change. Ambitious in its scope and sprawling in its emotional complexity, it tenderly asks; what do we do when life doesn't go the way we expect? About writing the 12 songs for the album, Tina says: "I thought I had found my niche in songwriting, but these songs have pulled me down a different path. I've pushed back a lot. Stubbornly resisting the invitation to explore what’s around this bend.

When I finally succumbed, I’ve found stories of friendships and sisterhood, of heartache, love and of loss. To be honest, I’ve found it very uncomfortable to sit with some of these songs. To really listen to what they were saying, but I’m looking forward to exploring them. If we’re lucky maybe they’ll explore us too."

Tina expected her songs to find their home in the church halls she grew up in, but it wasn’t until she began performing on the London open mic circuit that she cut her teeth as a performer. Since then, she's honed her craft into a treasure trove of songs that are bold, compelling and refreshing in their like of contrivement (Fresh on the Net). 

From the vulnerable strains of isolation and doubt, to sprawling heights of love and friendship there isn’t a place where Tina’s astute observation and crafted storytelling doesn't go. Her debut album will be released on 28 April.