On the eve of her largest headline tour to date, Marika Hackman recalls the "hellish" start to her live career – where nerves threatened to get the better of her. "I used to not be able to eat before shows. When you're playing as a support act and no one is listening, it gets really gruelling."
Now, the 23-year-old is gearing up for a 17-date run across the UK and is fully accustomed to life on the road. However, she admits there's one bad tendency that she hasn't been able to shake off.
"I have this terrible habit that when I do mess up my first instinct is to swear quite loudly down the mic," she chortles.
Marika is set to grace the Bodega on Saturday March 28 and she is no stranger to the revered venue. In fact, her most recent of forays came only a few months ago. So what's different this time?
"It's going to be funny because it will be a solo tour without the band. I'm excited because it's a return to a really raw and intimate show," she explains.
"It's just me up there with the audience. The songs are as they were when I wrote them sitting on bed at home – there's no embellishment."
Marika recently released her debut album, We Slept At Last, to critical acclaim. Although most artists tend to shy away from reading reviews of their work, she was overwhelmed by the gleaming response.
She adds: "It's an immense relief when you spend so long making something and then get it out there."
When queried about the album's themes, she cites them as "loneliness and the acceptance of it" and "the capacity for darkness all humans have". These are all rather solemn topics on paper, but Marika manages to transpose them onto record in a harrowing manner.
Her upcoming single, Ophelia, is a poignant tale of spurned love which teems with all the traits of an accomplished wordsmith. This comes as no surprise when Marika recollects her early penchant for songwriting.
"Instruments were put in front of me at a very early age so I would always try and write. When I was 14 and I started to learn the guitar was when I really wrote songs properly because it was an instrument I could finally get my head around."
She also uses songwriting as tool for coping with her most intrinsic of anxieties.
"My way of making sense of it all is writing about it. I edit it a bit and make it more abstract because I don't want to put my heart on the line for everyone to judge," she concedes. "I like to keep a protective shield."
Through the years, Marika has noticed an improvement in her writing, but she isn't keen on resting on her laurels. In fact, she's already pushing herself with a view to album number two.
"I've started writing for it and have got a couple of songs already," she reveals. "I want to get those written and get back into the studio as soon as possible. It's my favourite part of this job."
She's even keen to write while on the road – something she hasn't done before.
"It's something I really want to do on this upcoming tour. Generally I find that there's not enough time and personal space to write because it's a very private thing."
For those unfamiliar with a Marika Hackman live show, she labels it as an intense, yet intimate, atmosphere "full of abstract, grungy folk."
Having overcome any initial jitters in the fledgling stages of her career, the songstress now boasts a compelling stage presence. By taking a stripped back approach to her live fare, this will only be further intensified when her next venture to Nottingham rolls around. Just watch the language this time, Marika.
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