Camera crews flocked to the town today (Monday) after Saffron Walden-taught singing sensation Sam Smith scooped four Grammy awards last night.
The 22-year-old soul singer was taught for nearly 10 years by jazz singer Joanna Eden, who lives on Gold Street and today is releasing ‘Hold On Tight’, the single she co-wrote with her former pupil.
“It’s wonderful for him to have the affirmation of the awards - he hears it a lot but to have these awards in one hand is a validation of that,” Joanna told the Reporter at her home.
“The last couple of years I taught him were spent song-writing, messing about on Garage Band together. The song [released today] is the first he brought to my house, he was about 17. I’d been nagging him for years to write songs.
“He wrote the first verse but didn’t finish it – and about a year ago I wrote the second verse. Last time he was here he said: ‘Why don’t you do something with it?
“The first verse is a teenage song about the feeling of wanting to be accepted; the second is a response to that, about believing you are loved.”
Sam’s awards included the record and song of the year, as well as best new artist. He was the only solo artist to sell more than a million albums in both the UK and the United States last year.
This Saturday, Joanna is bringing a cover of the Paul McCartney song ‘We All Stand Together’ – often referred to as the Frog Chorus – as the theme tune for the Saffron Walden ‘Boobiebellion’, a flash mob to raise awareness of breast cancer in the town.
To buy Joanna’s single or find out more about the singer, go to joannaeden.com
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