Emilia Quinn is a UK country/americana singer songwriter who is best known for her powerful vocals and expert lyricism. At Buckle and Boots this year, Quinn championed the UK singer songwriters and performed the Friday night headline slot. Having played an opening slot at the festival on the smaller Paddock Stage five years ago, Quinn and her band were thrilled to take on the prestigious Friday night headline slot.

On Sunday, after finishing most of her performances for the weekend, Quinn carved out some time to chat to me about her experience as a headline act, how she celebrates that and who she’s got her eye on across the stages this weekend.

Friday night headliner slot – how was that?

I’ve not yet recovered from it yet I don’t think. I’m very much dazed and in ‘what happened?’ kind of mode. I think it will take me a little while to process all of that, but it’s been an absolute thrill and a real pleasure to have that opportunity just to be part of the festival but to have had that opportunity as well like headlining on Friday night.

Tell us about your story then because you started here right, all those years ago?

Yeah! It was really, really early on. I’d just kind of started getting into country music and for some reason I applied and got a slot – I had no music out, I had no merch, I was just this little nobody in my ASOS hat that nobody knew. I was really fortunate to have Gary Quinn book me for Country on the Clyde and I’m sure he had a hand in booking me for Buckle and Boots as well. To have those people that just take that chance on you is just so valuable in this industry and I think that sums up this festival – people take a chance on you and people are here to lift each other up. And I think that’s been a huge part of propelling my career forward and yeah, I played a couple more times, I brought my band – the first time I was acoustic – so I bought my band to the Paddock Stage and I bought my band to the Main Stage last year and here we are headlining.

What do you do to psych yourself up for a set like that? You know, you’re watching artists like Canaan Cox – what are you doing while that’s happening?

So, while the stage was going on, I was in my dressing room trying not to throw up (she laughs). We had a little rehearsal in here with like first halves of songs and stuff to make sure we had our timings right together because we had a total of three rehearsals for this show, which is not loads. And we had one rehearsal with Christiano because he’s all the way down south, so we only had the one with him up here on the Monday, so it was very last minute. To be fair, it was fine because I’m very lucky to have a brilliant set of musicians in my band so I had no doubts that they could do it. So, we paced it through and yeah, we were just sort of listening to the music and getting ready and getting pumped.

Do you feel like when you get on the stage it’s rolling and it’s happening or are you sort of still in your own head?

Usually, the first two songs I’m kind of in there and I’m settled and I’m happy. I was quite surprised by how much was actually going through my head on Friday, kind of making sure I was putting on a show and I think – any set I want to make sure it’s the best set and I connect with the audience and I give them the performance because it’s not just about the song it’s about the performance especially on a stage like that. I feel like with the headliner slot there’s that little added pressure that it really has to be a show, it has to be a party, it has to be memorable. You’re finishing people’s nights. You’re there for them it’s not so much about you – it’s about you a little bit – but it’s not so much about you as much as giving them a good time and giving them the show of their lives as much as you can. I was giving myself a bit of a mental checklist the whole way through saying like right I haven’t moved for a bit, so I need to move a little bit and sway, make sure I go to this side, make sure I go to this side. I was off my guitar which I’ve only done here to be fair I’ve not done that at other shows.

Do you feel a bit vulnerable because I imagine that’s a bit of a comfort thing?

Massively. It is really weird to not have my guitar on me, but I think having the space that I’ve got on there – the width and being able to go around and see everybody on the stage as well because otherwise we’re so far away from each other! It was really nice and to get out front as well it’s always a bit of a laugh to get on that box and be right in with everybody.

And then you bought Matt Hodges on! How was that – did you guys jam a lot before?

So, a few weeks ago – it’s not an old song by any means – it was a few weeks ago that we co-wrote that song, ‘Call It Quits’, and as soon as we wrote it we were like, ooh I think we might be on to something. It stayed in my head for three days afterwards and I was like no, we really need to do something with this. So, I messaged him and was like, you know our cowrite, you know you’re playing Buckle and Boots as well so you’re going to be there, do you want to come on my set and sing it and debut it at Buckle and Boots festival and he was like yeah of course! So, we decided to do that and decided for me to come off guitar so we could really perform it to each other as well and make a show out of it, like tell the story and yeah it was a real laugh to do it. Although I did realise when I went to kind of square up to him – because it’s a bit of a to and fro break up song – so I realised when I went to square up to him that I am about a foot shorter than he is so I’m looking right up at him like oh this might have been a mistake (laughing) but we made a joke out of it but it was a lot of fun.

What did you do to come down from that after?

I was exhausted I won’t lie, once the adrenaline started leaving my system…we had a meet and greet and then the adrenaline started leaving my system and I just crashed. I didn’t even drink a lot that day because I try not to drink before I sing. I’m pretty sure I just went back to my camper and passed out for the night.

What was the song that you finished on?

We finished on Backroads which is a very special song for this festival. Backroads was written in 2022 and it was actually written on the way back from Buckle and Boots Festival where we played with a band on the Paddock Stage, going across the Pennines and the landscape was so beautiful and I was driving on the backroads and I was thinking about my journey and how sometimes growth can be really uncomfortable – you can get growing pains that go with it, you’re out of your comfort zone, you’re having to adjust to a whole new kind of lifestyle almost especially in this industry. When it goes, it’s fast and it’s kind of picking up speed for me at the moment and I’m a bit like woah what is going on, finding my sea legs a little bit with it. I wrote about that experience and so to bring it back to Buckle and Boots – I finished my set with it the following year and it went down a storm but I thought, I have to finish with it again like I know it’s a repeat but I have to finish with it again and playing it on Friday night was really something special because it’s just taken on a whole new meaning or a whole new place now and I’m at a very different place to where I was when I wrote it – in the best way – and the song really sums that up.

How did you feel when you were playing that? It looked very emotional.

Very emotional! I was having to hold it together really hard.

So, headlining here and then riding that wave to your tour this year. What’s happening there?

Second headline tour ever which is awesome. Pretty much started booking it as soon as last tour was over in November because I had so much fun, and it just went down so well but I’m changing it up a little bit this year I’m going acoustic – stripped back arrangements. I’m doing it as a duo with my guitarist John W Doyle, he was with me on Friday and he’s an insane guitarist and musician and we’ve never done duo so this going to be totally brand new for me as well. I’m really excited to start arranging the songs and figuring out what we’re going to do to make it really special. But he is also my guest on the whole tour because he is an incredible singer songwriter in his own right so I’m very, very much looking forward to watching him and playing with him.

So the tour is the same music, right? There’s no new album?

…There’s new songs…and I am going into the studio this year for my next project. I neither confirm nor deny that it’s an album but I’m very ready to lay down some new music and take it out on the road.

I was going to say doing it acoustic will be new and fresh for your fans but new music will be very exciting.

Absolutely. Lots of new stuff to look forward to.

So what else have you got going on this year because that’s not until later in the year is it.

Yeah, the tour is throughout October. I’ve got a really busy festival season before that so I’ve got a couple in June, I’ve got SpeedFest in June and Rock n Ribs in July and a special 4th July celebration in London so I’m really excited for that. That is part of the Black Deer Live series so very much looking forward to that we’ve got Savannah Gardner, Dom Glynn and his Sunday Best, and Ags Connelly joining for that line up so it is going to be an Outlaw traditional country americana melting pot of goodness so yeah, really busy summer and potentially more to come so we shall see. A wild year but a very very good year. I’m very happy.

You have been up and coming through Buckle and Boots – have you spied anyone this weekend? Who have you got your eye on?

I have! I’ve got my eye on a few people. I’ve just done a writers round with Taylor Moss and she played the Main Stage as well and she’s just incredible. Her songwriting is absolutely iconic, and she is a fantastic singer and guitar player as well so definitely Taylor Moss. Katie Rigby has also made me so proud. She supported me in York and we’ve just been really good friends ever since. She absolutely smashed it and deserved every bit of that really loud applause that she got at the end like she so deserves that she’s so hard working. I’ve seen Jake O’Neill he is the UK’s answer to both Morgan Wallen and Chris Stapleton. I think he’s absolutely amazing. And my label and management firm brothers Wood Burnt Red of course they smashed their set, the energy was amazing. I’m calling future headliners there. And of course, Matt [Hodges] I could not forget Matt. He brought it, he definitely brought the energy, another future headliner, I think. It’s a seriously strong line up. I’ve been really blown away by the amount of talent and strength these artists have.

Emilia Quinn has released a live version of her song ‘Daddy’s Girl’ and will be releasing more live recordings later this year as well as going out on tour in October.