Latest news with #JonnyOwen
Yahoo
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Daytime clubbing event coming to Southampton
A national daytime clubbing event has announced a date for Southampton. Day Fever will be hosting an event at the O2 Guildhall on September 13, from 3pm to 8pm. The event series was launched in 2024 by actress Vicky McClure, filmmaker and broadcaster Jonny Owen, Jon McClure, frontman of Reverend & The Makers, brother Chris McClure and Sheffield businessman James O'Hara. It has become a cultural sensation and is set for its biggest month yet. Jon said: "It started as a WhatsApp idea. "Jonny just said, 'A daytime disco, how good would that be?' "We're all a bit nuts, so we just said, 'Come on then!'" READ MORE: Vue Eastleigh unveils packed summer line-up for school holidays Tickets for the Southampton event go on sale on July 17 at 9am at The daytime event is different to the typical clubbing experience. A spokesperson for Day Fever said: "There's no dress code, no pressure, and the hangover is optional, just wall-to-wall feel-good tunes and an open invitation to dance like nobody's watching."
BBC News
23-06-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Merthyr singer Nancy Williams says playing Glastonbury is surreal
A teenager from Merthyr Tydfil says it is "so surreal" to be trading gigging at local pubs for singing at one of the world's biggest music Williams is heading to Glastonbury this week, where she will play on the Croissant Neuf Big Top stage on 27 19-year-old said it was "such a dream" to have a slot on the same stage where Ed Sheeran made his debut at the festival in DJ Huw Stephens said it was a "huge deal" that Nancy had secured an opportunity known to boost young artists' careers. Nancy's debut single I Don't Wanna Grow Up went viral three years ago, catching the attention of Merthyr-born producer Jonny Owen who helped connect her with a record label. Since then, she has released three more folk-inspired "sad girl music" songs and hopes to follow in the footsteps of artists like American singer-songwriter Gracie Abrams. Nancy, who is now studying performing arts in London, began writing songs when she was nine years said she loved reading and watching films which inspired her lyric-writing."I've always sung in the shower," she said."But I think writing songs made me realise that I did really want to be a singer."After discovering her love of song writing, Nancy taught herself to play the ukulele and then the guitar."I'm not amazing at it, but I can do a few chords."I think that's what I really love about my music, that it's so authentic and in your ears."It's real." Nancy said she was 14 when she first began to seriously believe she could pursue music as a posted videos of her singing on social media which were spotted by film producer and actor Jonny Owen - a close friend of her dad - who decided to help."He really liked my music," she said. "It's honestly thanks to him that I'm here now, and I've got such a lovely team behind me too." Connecting with a music label gave Nancy access to a studio and she released her debut single in October 2024. Within two weeks, it had racked up 20,000 plays on Spotify."It was the first song that made me think, I can actually do this," she said."Publishing it and putting it out there was scary."But it did really well and I'm so grateful for that because that's why I'm here now."She has now released four tracks, including Ocean, Home, and Tattooed."Every time I listen to them on my playlist I'm like wow, that's so insane that I did that." Nancy found out she would be playing Glastonbury in December - via a text message while she was at a local pub with friends."It was so surreal," she said."It didn't hit me for ages and honestly, it still hasn't."I can't believe I get to do this, it's such a dream."I feel really lucky, because not many people like me get these chances."She said her friends and family at home in Wales were "so supportive", adding: "No-one is jealous or envious."So it was really nice to celebrate with everyone as well."She said it was "insane" that she was following in the footsteps of Ed Sheeran."I look at him now and I think that could be me, I could be there," she said."That's what's motivating me to keep going."To prepare for the festival, Nancy has been rehearsing with her backing singer Harry."We're experimenting with different songs and sounds to figure out what works best for my voice," she said. Welsh radio and television presenter Huw Stephens said opportunities like Glastonbury were important for the development of emerging added Nancy was "fantastic" and he had always enjoyed playing her music on his shows."You can tell instantly that her songs are real," he who has attended Glastonbury every year since his first in 2000, said securing a Glastonbury slot "cements the year" for the young musician."She's had the hard work that she's put in and the talent that she's got and it'll get her more attention just by being on the line up." Nancy said her family were "so proud" of her, especially her dad, who has attended all of her gigs."My brothers are really supportive too," she added. "They're the ones who keep me going and motivate me to keep doing this."I'm really grateful for them."After the festival, she hopes to stay in London, write more songs, and perform across the country."I'm excited to see where it can go."It's not just a dream - you can make it real if you put in the effort and work hard."
BBC News
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Paul Weller's little-known Welsh connection to Merthyr's Jonny Owen
For years, filmmaker Jonny Owen had been saying that his hero, singer Paul Weller, was Welsh. And not just Welsh - more importantly than that, The Jam lead vocalist had roots in Owen's beloved hometown of Merthyr to mark Weller's 60th birthday, a national newspaper asked 20 well-known figures to pose any question they wanted to the star, known as The Vicky McClure, Owen's wife, was asked to contribute. Without him knowing, she decided to put an end to the debate with her husband about Weller's Welsh roots. "She asked him, without telling me, which is quite funny," Owen told Lucy Owen. "She said, 'my husband is obsessed with you, to the point where he actually claims you're Welsh. Not only that, he actually claims you're from Merthyr Tydfil'. "And he came back confirming that his grandmother was indeed from Merthyr Tydfil and lived in Aberdare as a young girl. I was over the moon." Owen has since got to know Weller and they text and meet up every now and then. And when he played the Town Called Malice star some music by an up and coming singer from Merthyr called Nancy Williams, it proved to be a hit."He gave her a week free in his barn studios, he said 'get her down to my studios and let her record'," Owen said. "That's the kind of guy he is, he supports not just new artists but Welsh artists as well, so he hasn't forgotten his roots. What a guy." As part of a season across BBC Wales celebrating Merthyr Tydfil and the 200th birthday of Cyfarthfa Castle, Owen has been discovering more about the place where he grew up in a documentary series for BBC Radio Wales called Merthyr Made said his favourite thing he discovered from a historian he spoke to as part of the documentary was how the famous Welsh valleys accent was born in Merthyr. "There was no Welsh accent [when speaking English] before, because people spoke Welsh. All these people came together from Ireland, west, north Wales, England, Italy, Spain, as part of the industrial revolution there," he said. "And this accent was sort of created. It's the accent I've got, the accent people know all over Wales, all over the world know, a valleys accent. It was born in Merthyr. I thought that was fascinating." As part of the documentary series, Owen returns to his roots to learn about his own family history as well as the town's history - even going back to his old primary school in Heolgerrig. "They traced all my generations back and I'm almost a perfect example of someone from Merthyr," Owen said, speaking about relatives like his great-grandfather who left Ireland for the "goldrush" town in search of work during the industrial revolution."There was even a saying in west and north Wales that if someone disappeared for whatever reason, they would say they've gone to Merthyr," he said. "People would just turn up in Merthyr because there was work there." Owen and McClure now return to Merthyr Tydfil as often as possible, organising their Day Fever daytime disco events in the town as well as watching Merthyr Town FC, which they sponsor. "[Vicky] loves Merthyr," Owen said."We try to do as much as we possible can in our hometowns. We film stuff there and try to create a positive impression of both places."She's an adopted Merthyr girl, the people there love her and she loves the town as well." You can catch up with Lucy's full interview with Jonny Owen on BBC Sounds.
The Independent
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Watch rising singer-songwriter Nancy Williams' Music Box session
Welsh singer-songwriter Nancy Williams joined us in the Music Box studio for an enchanting stripped-back session of two original songs, 'I Don't Wanna Grow Up' and 'Home'. The rising star, 18, who hails from Merthyr Tydfil in south Wales, was discovered by director Jonny Owen through a Facebook video before being introduced to producer Darren Morrissey. She recorded her debut EP, a coming-of-age collection of songs, at Paul Weller's studio in Surrey. Stay tuned to Independent TV for more Music Box featuring the latest acts breaking through, available across desktop, mobile and connected TV, as well as our YouTube channel.
