Rise of the Red Hot Gingers

It’s no secret that people with ginger hair used to automatically lose points in attractiveness. Writing that now, it sounds so trivial but it’s true. With ginger hair, often came freckles and pale skin; which were also not in the criteria used to make up the world’s sexiest person. I don’t know who decided this originally, but the gingers have had enough of the “carrot top” name calling and are fighting back…and not just with the retort “I'm strawberry blonde!”

Ginger is now the most popular colour of hair dye in the world. Being ginger is now seen as cool and definitely doesn't make a person less attractive, of course, a few big names have helped. Teenage girls up and down the country are lusting after gingers more than brunettes with six-packs. Who knows if it’s just a phase or the thing of the moment, but I think the boundary has been crossed and from now on gingers will be credited with more respect.

You may find it hard to believe that just a few years ago record companies told Ed Sheeran to dye his ginger locks. Even more so, considering his whole orange brand and image is based around his hair colour. Orange is his thing and nobody could mistake his merchandise for another artists. Ed’s music video for Lego House featuring Rupert Grint is like a ginger feast. The shot which features them both together will remain a favourite of mine and, I'm sure, many others for years to come.


Our very own Prince Harry used to get a bit of a hard time for his “unfortunate hair colour” but now it’s what makes us love him even more. He just looks so cute, and what with William practically having no hair, Harry is representing us all with his gingerness.

In case you’re not convinced yet, here are a few more cool gingers; Julian Rhind-Tutt from Greenwing, and one of the biggest actors right now in Homeland, Damian Lewis. Benedict Cumberbatch (who may be my favourite person ever) is also naturally ginger, although he would remain just as perfect with a pink Mohawk. Gingers are even favourites in the world of fictional characters; Tin Tin, and Lois from Family Guy are at the top of the list.

When I interviewed Theme Park I asked Oscar; have you ever suffered because of your hair colour or have you always been a red hot ginger? "Both, they're not separate things," he replied laughing. "I think anyone who is ginger will know suffering, will know pain and will know being on the end of very shit jokes from people who think they're hilarious."

Nicole Kidman, Christina Hendricks and Emma Stone are just a few examples of ladies that prove it’s not just boys that look hot with ginger hair! I read in the paper recently that when Christina Hendricks originally dyed her hair ‘red’ everybody told her it was a mistake. It’s not really necessary to point out who’s laughing now. Desperate Housewives’ Marcia Cross and songstress Florence Welch are more examples of high profile glamorous redheads.

We all remember that video of the young ginger boy shouting and proclaiming to the world that "Gingers do have souls!" Were we convinced? Well if we weren't then, we certainly are now. Pass me shade 74 Mango Intense Copper.

Gabrielle Aplin - English Rain

The British songstress had her first No.1 Single with her cover of 'The Power Love', used in the John Lewis 2012 Christmas Advert. Over the past few years Gabrielle gained a huge online following after publishing acoustic covers and released her first 5-Track EP in 2010. She since toured the UK and Europe, meeting fans after every gig expanding her army of loyal followers wherever she went. Earlier this year she supported Ed Sheeran on his Australia/New Zealand tour after being invited along via text message by the Acoustic King himself.

First single from the album 'Please Don't Say You Love Me' shows her melodic tones and word phrasing to perfection. 'Panic Cord' edges closer towards the sort of pop music we're used to hearing, while other tracks such as 'How Do You Feel Today' and 'Alive' prove why she really is the indie-folk princess.

It's notably refreshing to hear an album with every single song written by the artist. I had the pleasure of watching Gabrielle soundcheck at The Electric Circus, Edinburgh, in July last year. Her voice was so effortlessly powerful and she seemed like a sweet, down to earth girl. This album deserves every success and I'm sure it won't be long before Gabrielle Aplin is a household name and a national treasure.

Published in Vista Magazine June/July 2013

Down at the Apple Tree with Nina Nesbitt

Ahead of her King Tuts gig on the 17^th May, I was lucky enough to go backstage to catch up with one of my favourite musicians of the moment, singer/songwriter, Nina Nesbitt. On entering the young star’s dressing room I noticed a small fridge containing a pint glass of milk, bizarrely, lit up like the Crown Jewels. Nina had no more clues than I did as to why it was there.

On the 23^rd of April Nina released her EP ‘The Apple Tree’ with five original tracks which fans went mad for. She reached number 6 in the album chart on iTunes and is still, one month later, number 5 in the Singer/Songwriter chart. I asked how she reacted to it’s success, “I thought it was quite funny to be honest, I didn’t really expect it to do that well, I was just putting it out there for fans to hear the music. Then, it charted. It’s just weird, but I’m really grateful that loads of people have bought it, it’s cool.”

The talented 17 year old now has over 16,000 twitter followers and Sold Out her own headline mini-UK tour. “It’s a bit crazy,” she smiles, “a year ago I played my first gig in Manchester. Since then it’s escalated really fast but it’s great, I’m really grateful that I’ve got loads of followers and people coming to see the gigs.”

Along with the positive, there is also the negative. There’s lots of internet ‘trolls’ out there, sending hate for no apparent reason. After supporting Ed Sheeran on tour a rumour spread that they were an item, promting abuse from many of his young fans. Nina tells me, “I think I’ve been quite fortunate with the number of people that send me abuse, I get about 1 or 2 every month but it can be pretty deep, they don’t know me at all. If they knew me, I don’t mind them not liking me but I find it quite odd when people say ‘I hate you’ or make up things like ‘you’ve stolen my boyfriend’ because I’m not dating Ed Sheeran. I don’t know why anyone would hate me if they don’t know me, it’s weird.  Fair enough not liking my music but when they send me stuff I do get quite angry and have to laugh at them, my fans are really supportive as well.” Her fans don’t let the trolls off lightly and as Nina says herself, it’s better just to ignore it.

I asked Nina her highlight gig to date, “I had a really good gig in Denmark supporting Ed Sheeran and usually as a support act you get about 50% listening and then the rest coming in and chatting away, in Denmark it was like pin drop silence. For The Apple Tree they were all singing along and I loved that gig, it was nice to know that there are actually people that don’t know you that do listen because most people aren't bothered if they don't know your name. Or in September last year I had my tenth gig at the Glasgow SECC, it was Jim Gellatly from Clyde1 that had asked me to play and it was just two songs at this arena, just me and my guitar. It was crazy, but the crowd were really good there.” Although, after her sold out gig in King Tuts, Glasgow, that night, she posted on her Facebook, “That was my favourite gig I've played, thank you GLASGOW! It was crazy to hear you all singing back the songs word for word that I wrote in my room a few months back.”  

I first met Nina at the Young Scot Awards last month when I was reporting and she won an award in the Entertainment category. She told me how much it meant to win as other stories were so inspirational. “I’m so grateful to have won an award like that. It’s so important that I’ve got support from Scotland and it’s great I think because that’s where I’m from.”

For her tour she plays an acoustic set with either piano or guitar, “I’ve brought in a trigger pedal which triggers beats off behind me and I think when my album comes out I would think about getting a band, I’m not really wanting to get the standard four piece band though, I’d like something a bit different.”

“I think quite a lot of people’s parents would hope they’d go to uni but I’ve always been quite a strong willed child “, she laughs, “and my parents know that once my mind made up about something, it’s what I’m going to do. They’re great and really supportive, it’s good that they understand music is a career because some people don’t think it is.”

“I’m writing with Elliot aka Example, over the summer. We need to find a date that we’re both free but I’m really looking forward to writing with him. At the moment I have a lot of tracks for the album but I’d like some cool co-writes on it. I think our song-writing style is quite similar even though our music is quite different.”

A couple of times I asked Nina about designers or coveted items but she seems to have little interest in the latest designer must have but much prefers to mooch about in vintage shops.

“A mansion and a swimming pool,” she chooses as something she’d love to buy but couldn’t justify spending the money on, “but I couldn’t afford that anyway!” she laughs. (Although she will be able to soon as her success continues!)

Nina’s had an immense amount of airplay for an unsigned artist. Jim Gellatly plays her single ‘The Apple Tree’ every Sunday and Radio Scotland have added it to their playlist, in fact my granny was telling me the other day how she’d heard Nina’s “lovely voice” on the radio. She has also found herself a big fan in Fearne Cotton and is in fact her ‘Big Thing This Week’ which means she’ll be played on Radio1 everyday. “It’s definitely a really important part of music, radio play, it’s really weird to hear it on the radio. All of the Scottish stations have been really supportive as well, it’s amazing.”

When I ask how she came to song-writing she tells me she loved to write stories when she was 5, when she was 10 she picked up keyboard and started putting the stories to music. Two years ago she taught herself guitar and that’s when her songs developed.

I asked about her music video influences but she struggles to tell me one she wishes was hers. “To be honest I don’t watch a lot of music videos but most these days seem to be girls dancing around with no clothes on,” she sighs. Nina has spoken out before about her disapproval for people stripping off to sell records, The Guardian were supposed to be writing about the ‘Up and coming star Nina Nesbitt’ but instead decided a porn pop star was more important, proving her point perhaps.

Just like me Nina is not a fan of camping and mud, which would explain why she hasn’t been an avid festival goer. However, as a playing artist it’s a different story. “I’m excited to be doing some pretty big festivals this year.”

The interview concluded with Nina and I posing for photographs which took longer than anticipated as the camera was on video setting. Luckily, Nina isn’t the diva type and laughed about it.  

You can purchase both the 'Live Take EP' and 'The Apple Tree' from iTunes now!