ABOUT - PETER BEATTY

Photograph by Oliver Twitchett

I grew up in South West England and I currently live in London. I learnt guitar young though didn’t study music, but when songwriting suddenly arrived to me, it was a way I found I could process experience. From there I began to develop my own craft and continue to write through my own experience, or trying to understand the experience of others. Sometimes the result is direct, sometimes abstract, but I always aim to create songs that if not totally understandable, feel relatable and from the heart and soul, with a focus on vocal melodies and a lyrical story-telling approach.

I’m influenced by singer songwriters such as Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan and Lou Reed, to contemporary alternative artists such as M Ward, Belle & Sebastian, Sufjan Stevens, Laura Viers, Big Thief and Richard Hawley.

My debut solo album ‘Different Flowers’ initially grew from travel experiences – India, Nepal, America and a seven month boat trip exploring England’s waterways. I made rough demos on some of these travels, including some with musical friends in various locations too – a windmill in Suffolk and on the houseboat in the community where I had settled in London.

Amassing a collection of songs, a wonderful and talented musician friend Jamie Doe (The Magic Lantern) pointed me towards Fred Thomas. Fred is one of London’s most sought after producers, composers and multi-instrumentalists, who I went on to make Different Flowers with. We recorded it as a studio album in London, and as well as having the good fortune of making the record with Fred, I had some incredible contributions from some of London’s finest musical talents. These include the wonderful violinist Phillip Granell, the brilliant Ewan Bleach on clarinet and saxophone, and the amazing vocal talents of singer-songwriter Miranda Joy.

As well as themes of adventure and wanderlust, the album also tackles themes of love, grief, vulnerability, our relationship with the natural world, taking chances, self-discovery and hope. The title references the song selection process, but also individuality and the fragile, ephemeral nature of existence.

I’m also a visual artist, so as part of the Different Flowers album project, I decided to create a world of illustration and animation around the songs. Using the music and lyrics as the starting point, the images and animations that grew from this process are intended to make you feel like you are stepping into a strange, dreamlike realm you’ve not been in before.

This visual work includes a bespoke collection of illustrations – available soon, and one for each of the 12 songs on the album – the live action with animation video for ‘Go Gently’, and the stop motion animation video for ‘Tell Me Where To Go’, made on board the boat where I live. Tell Me Where To Go’s release has been an unexpected journey, with it receiving global recognition at film and animation festivals including winning ‘Best Music Video’ in July 2023 at the London Independent Film Awards, Oxford International Film Festival, Vienna International Film Awards, and nominations at the British Animation Awards and The Cannes World Film Awards.

The song ‘Tell Me Where To Go’ has also been met with acclaim, being given a ‘Best Song’ award in July 2023 at The Cannes World Film Awards.

You can buy Different Flowers on Bandcamp, and it’s currently available on CD too. Soon I’ll have the 12 illustrations for sale as prints, as well as a limited edition 12” double vinyl of the album.

To find out about some of the press that ‘Different Flowers’ and ‘Tell Me Where To Go’ received, please go here.

I am currently working on new songs. Different Flowers is my first release as a solo artist. I was previously the lead singer and songwriter of alt folk band Urusen.