TWO minutes into the conversation and Eddi has asked if I can call her back in seven minutes while she makes a coffee.

Why?Well turns out, Eddi is a late riser and stays awake late into the evening.

As she explained: “I am definitely someone who stays up late. In my new album, Cavelier, there is a song called Pangur Bán And The Primrose Lass, which is based on a poem that a Monk wrote in 400AD.

“In the margin of the biblical passages he was transcribing, the Monk wrote a poem about a cat searching for mice in the middle of the night. And I think this is me. I am still a night owl. I will sometimes write or read or just muse until 3am - it is just my time.”

Besides being a night owl, Eddi Reader is also a Scottish singer-songwriter known for her work with Fairground Attraction and as a solo artist.

Passion for singing

Singing has always been a part of Eddi’s life.

Eddi said: “As a child I had always been attracted to music, but so was everyone. Now, on reflection, I realise I was surrounded by music – my parents were rock and roll fans and I was born to sing, it came naturally to me.”

Eddi used to take her guitar to school as a way of making her feel safe.

She added: “For me, at school you were either violent or the victim but I used my guitar and singing as a way of becoming safe from the rest of the world.

“In my late teens, I lived next door to a drug addict. No one ever offered me anything – because they just wanted me to sing! To me, singing a song is exciting, new and wonderful.”

Somerset County Gazette:

A visit to Seaton

Eddi has had many memorable moments throughout her life, but she chose to share one special memory with us – about a trip to Somerset when Eddi was just 18.

“When I was young I had a love affair. I was a singing girl with Doc Martins and I had a superpower (singing) that made people feel. I met a man in Elgin in Scotland, which was owned by royalty – the Viscounts of Moray – and I met one of the Moray’s. I was only 18, but he was 22 and we were swept off our feet.

“We ended up hitchhiking all the way from Elgin to Somerset and went to see Bob Dylan. Somehow, being a singer got me into so many places when I was younger – it was amazing. We then went to Seaton (Devon) and two guys gave us a lift. One of them gave us some scrumpy! It was the height of Summer and I absolutely loved this journey. We made in to Seaton and in the morning the two guys brought us milk, eggs and so on, as well as some more scrumpy. I remember feeling as though I was alive.”

Music as a form of storytelling

Eddi has so many wonderful stories to tell and now that she is older, she believes her music has become so much more about storytelling. Her new album, Cavalier, has a few songs on which are about moments in her life.

Eddi said: “All singers will tell stories but the best stories you will ever hear are those told and then sang by older people because you are transported back in time to that emotion, that memory.

“Theres a song called There’s A Hole In The Desert Dear Darling. This song was about my marriage to an Algerian when I was 28. After Fairground Attraction went big, the pressure became too much for us.

“He died two years ago and one night, in the middle of the night, this song came to me. It is about how we made the world shrink for a while an all the beautiful and happy memories that we had. Even though the song seems sad, it is about joy.

“I am not scared of telling my own story. We all have the same story anyway. We are born alone, we die alone and we have to work out how we feel towards certain moments along the way.”

JOY

Many singers sing about love and loss, pain and anger, but Eddi sings about joy.

Eddi added: “It is in our nature. Singing has always been used to soothe or express yourself. For me, I sing to create joy. It is clear that as I have grown older, I have become more of a story teller. I used to be a shy singer but I’ve always wanted people to smile.”

You can see Eddi on tour at The Brewhouse Theatre in Taunton on June 16 at 7:30pm.

She is incredibly excited about the tour.

Eddi adds: “I love touring. I love living within song, I feel safe and healed when I sing.

“I am excited to visit Taunton. Do you know what? I might visit Seaton and find some scrumpy – how far away is Seaton from Taunton?”

To book tickets or find out more please visit www.thebrewhouse.net or call 01823 283 244.