Interview with Tileyard Vinyl Scratch winner B e g u t

ICMP songwriting student B e g u t (Beatriz Gutiérrez) finished her first year of studies with ICMP in style, winning Tileyard’s Vinyl Scratch competition.

Tileyard is a hub for London's music industry, a complex behind King's Cross which many of the sector's leading businesses call home. ICMP students can benefit from an exclusive partnership with Tileyard, enjoying the opportunity to study in and engage with an immersive industry environment, building their networks amongst some of the music industry’s biggest names.  

After some live heats, the Vinyl Scratch competition saw a number of new talents invited to compete in a live final in front of a panel of judges made up of professionals from Syco Music, Autonomy Music Group and more with Bea eventually being crowned the winner. 

We caught up with Bea following the win to learn more about her and her music... 

How did your songwriting journey begin?

I think I wrote my first original song when I was thirteen years old; I loved writing and singing and I just put them both together, I guess. The person who got me into it was my guitar teacher at the time, who was a Beatles fanatic and made me fall in love with them as well.

How do you approach the creative process? 

I don't have a specific way or set routine for my creative process. However, there are a few things that help me; like free writing or just playing a few chords in a loop and singing nonsense over them - I usually get my best lyrics that way, as weird as it may sound.

What led you to study at ICMP? 

In Spain, where I'm from, it's very difficult (if not impossible) to study any area of modern music in depth - most of the certified studies are in classical music. I was researching into going abroad to study something related to songwriting and a friend of mine recommended ICMP to me as she was already doing her degree here.

And what have you learned while studying with us? 

I have learned a lot of things at ICMP: my first year has been life-changing. My perspective on the industry and my process towards writing songs have changed completely."

I have also co-written a lot of songs, which has given me a lot of tools to use for my own craft. Also, being surrounded by so many creative musicians is very motivating and inspiring.

How have you found studying music in London? 

London, in my opinion, is the place to be if you are a musician. There is always something going on; whether it's a concert, an open mic or some kind of artistic event. The city is filled with creative people and the best opportunities can come at you at the most unexpected times.

What's the best piece of advice you received around your songwriting career? 

Sometimes being a creative person is hard and a lot of doubts come with exposing yourself so much through your songs, so I guess the best piece of advice I've received – as cheesy as it may sound, is to keep doing my own thing and not let other opinions weigh more than my own.

Co-write. It´s amazing how many new ideas you can get from working with someone else and from pushing each other to achieve the best results."

Who are your biggest songwriting inspirations and influences? 

This question is very tough as my influences are very varied. The Beatles have been my favorite band for as long as I can remember. Some others that I love are Norah Jones, Amy Winehouse, Lianne La Havas, Damien Rice, Passenger and Coldplay.

Congratulations on winning the Tileyard Studios competition - could you explain a little about your experiences in the contest - were you surprised to win? 

Thank you so much! The contest was great, everyone who performed was amazing; I actually would love to collaborate with some of the artists that participated. And yes, I was surprised to win and it was a great boost of energy to keep working hard on my songs.

What does the future have in store for you? 

Hopefully to release my debut EP that I am currently working on. I can't wait to release my music and have something to call my own out there; like a sort of presentation card.

Visit B e g u t's Facebook profile for more and watch her performance of 'City of Stars (La La Land)'. 

Photo credit: Jal Lux