Kirsty Almeida

Kirsty Almeida is a singer, songwriter and visual artist from Gibraltar, United Kingdom. Her music draws on jazz, folk, soul, blues and elements of pop, and she is known for crystalline vocals and elaborate live arrangements. She performs with Almeida Girl & Descarga and also leads the musical collective Odbod in Manchester.

Background and early life

Born in the UK and brought up in Gibraltar, Almeida spends part of her childhood travelling between Venezuela, Singapore, Florida and the Philippines. She attends 19 schools in different countries and learns music by ear, picking up guitar and piano while also painting, sculpting and making objects. Music becomes a central part of her life from an early age.

At 17, she moves to London and studies art at Middlesex University, where she paints both abstract and figurative work and exhibits paintings and sculptures as a teenager. She later studies music at Bretton Hall in Leeds.

Manchester, Descarga and solo work

In 2001, Almeida moves to Manchester and performs as a singer-songwriter in local venues. She sings with Latin band La Gran Descarga, is asked to join the group, and becomes its principal singer and songwriter. She tours with the band in the UK theatre scene for three years, and the group develops a live following with international opportunities in places including Switzerland and Peru. She later decides not to continue as a Latin artist and instead writes her own album.

Her debut album, Pure Blue Green, is written largely in two months in a converted stable in Sheffield. The recording features a seven-piece band drawn from Manchester’s jazz scene, with drums, upright bass, keyboard, guitar, trumpet, trombone and saxophone. The album is signed to Decca and produced by Youth, with assistant production by John Ellis.

Pure Blue Green and collaborators

Pure Blue Green is described as a blend of soul, folk, blues and intricate pop, with live instrumentation and a strong emphasis on mood and arrangement. Almeida records it at State Of The Ark Studios in Richmond, Surrey, in two intensive weeks. Before recording, she and her musicians spend two weeks in Spain playing, singing, swapping instruments and working as a band rather than as a soloist backed by session players.

Youth’s involvement shapes the record, and Almeida cites his openness and ideas around voodoo music, New Orleans funeral marches, circus music, Bond themes and 1970s influences as part of the process. John Ellis also contributes as assistant producer.

Selected songs and musical character

Several songs from the album are described in detail: Scares Me is a dramatic song about the fear of true love; Butterflies is a simple piano-led piece; Late At Night has a country feel and is written in a circular room in Spain; Willow includes a Nintendo DS solo; Sweet Ole Love is singled out as a lyrical favourite; Spider is a voodoo-inspired folk tale; Cool Down Rewind recalls late-1980s Edie Brickell; Shine All Your Light uses piano flourishes and steel drum; and Old Josie Brown is presented as a camp-fire story.

Almeida also describes experiencing colour and texture in music, and says she customises her own instruments and stagewear. She works with stylist Mrs Jones and designs a musical dress for live performances.

Artistic practice

Alongside music, Almeida continues to work with visual and craft-based forms. She customises instruments, makes stage clothing and combines music with performance and costume ideas. Her work often links sound with colour, texture and theatrical imagery.