Fiona-Lee is busy! 2025 isn’t over yet, but it’s already proving to be a significant formative year in her career.

Her debut EP, Nothing Compares to Nineteen, was released in March, and the singer-songwriter has been taking the stage at a variety of shows and festivals up and down the country, one of the most momentous being the BBC Introducing Stage at Glastonbury (her first time at the festival!). She’s also recorded at Abbey Road Studios – scroll down to see her play “Mother” here.

Fast forward to August, and Fiona-Lee has linked up with BBC Introducing again, this time at Humber Street Sesh in Hull, the singer’s local city that became a home away from home as she built her reputation on the music scene. It’s here that we caught up with Fiona-Lee to ask her about her year, stage setup, writing process, and what she has coming up.

You can watch and listen to the interview in the video below.

The up-and-coming singer-songwriter has been featured in some high-profile publications as of late. And it’s not surprising — she hits all the marks as a music artist. Her lyrics cover difficult themes while her indie-laden guitar provides a surprisingly upbeat and catchy backing, making the song hit harder.

Take “Mother”, for example, the first single from her EP, Nothing Compares to Nineteen. It recounts Fiona-Lee’s story of trusting her manager and having that trust broken. What begins with vulnerability turns into anger and head-banging indie-rock, propelled forward by the momentum of the guitars. The same goes for the EP’s title track, a fantastic, captivating opening to the record.

Fiona-Lee’s wide, eclectic array of influences has formed her into a unique singer who sounds wise beyond her years; from Sam Fender to PJ Harvey to Genesis to Joni Mitchell, it’s all there. You can hear these influences so clearly in her work; there’s the storytelling lyricism of folk, the grit and heaviness of grunge, and the hard-hitting yet melodic nature of indie rock.

“I don’t like having to tap dance while sing at the same time.” – Fiona-Lee

But despite such a great range of inspirational artists that have come before her, Fiona-Lee keeps her setup simple. In fact, her show at Humber Street Sesh was her first time playing live with the band.

It’s the songwriting that speaks – not any complicated lineup of pedals or nuanced amp settings. Her current pedal setup consists of… a tuner! That’s it, as it alleviates any “tap dancing” while Fiona-Lee’s performing. Again, it’s just the songwriting that speaks, with her Fender Jazzmasters leading the way. In the past, though, she has used an overdrive pedal for that extra oomph and depth.

Her songwriting process also holds no surprises: “I usually just sit on my bed and write the songs on an acoustic guitar.” Considering the deeply personal topics of her songs and her enduring, visible connection to them on stage, you wouldn’t really expect anything else in their beginning stages.

Fiona-Lee is currently working on her second EP – and given the success and coverage her first has had, we’re excited to hear what she has coming up!