An Independent Sout

Brooke Combe has found fulfilment away from the big labels

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SIGNED to a major record label after posting videos of herself singing soul music covers during lockdown, Brooke Combe seemed poised to become Scotland's newest pop star.

But it quickly became clear that the label had a very different vision for the soul and Motown-influenced songwriter - so Brooke opted to go it alone, releasing debut album Dancing At The Edge Of The World as an independent artist at the start of the year. A risk? Perhaps - but as she prepares for a headline show at Glasgow's legendary Barrowlands this month, it's one that the Dalkeith-born 25-year-old thinks was worth taking.

"Being signed to a major label is not what it seems to be. I was 21 years old, going up and down to London on my own to work with these songwriters, and it felt like I'd barely even started in the industry and the songwriting side of things was already being taken over by other people," she says.

"It was such an intimidating experience - and when you're that age, and lucky enough to be doing music as a career, if you're not enjoying yourself there's something not right."