The Lithuanian-born artist Grete now lives in Manchester, the city in northern England that gave us Oasis and Harry Styles. It’s refreshing to see a young artist like Grete, who doesn’t want to be confined by the bland “bedroom pop” stylings of many artists.
Grete loves taking what she calls “nerdy” jazz chords and turning them into stunning compositions that remind me of acclaimed artists like Roberta Flack and Joni Mitchell. Her own personal favorites include sophisticated popsters like Yebba and Portuguese artist MARO.
The hit show The Voice has been replicated all around the globe – and Grete reached the finals of The Voice – Lithuania a few years back. Her stellar voice will remind you of artists ranging from Julie London (the ultimate torch singer) to today’s Jazmine Sullivan.
We caught up with Grete to discuss her debut EP Grey:
Your song “How Long” reminds me of the famous 1950s/1960s American singer Julie London. Are you a fan of her music, or is it purely coincidental that you sound a bit like her?
Purely coincidental I think! But just had a listen and this is something interesting to get into. Thank you for introducing me to her.
What are the best things about living in Manchester? And what was the most difficult thing to get used to there?
I like the fact that it’s so diverse. You can go to a jazz bar and then to a metal music venue right across the street. Manchester inspires you to be whatever you want, to make your music whatever you want it to be, because there’s always going to be a place and an audience for it. It definitely gave me the freedom and confidence to not be scared of sounding different. The most difficult thing to get used to was the amount of people here! I come from a small country with 300k people in my city, so this was a big change, but I love it now!
What were some of the emotional “low points” that caused you to name the EP Grey?
Most of the songs are about painful love, losing a loved one, not being able to be together with your loved one, feeling alone, etc. So it’s basically just about a darker point in my life, which led to the visuals being black and white and then the name Grey seemed to fit perfectly.
Do you plan to do live shows in the UK and Europe to promote the new EP?
Yes! And my first show is something very special. I’m still studying at Manchester’s Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM), and I’m one of the contestants for their Gold Medal Session Orchestra on June 15 at the RNCM Opera Theatre. I got to arrange my EP for an orchestra and will be performing it, which is truly something amazing!
