Introducing: Poesie

Following the release of her debut single Hunter-Gatherer in July, Poesie’s distinctive literary pop has been turning heads. Join her, alongside a curated selection of artists and poets, to celebrate the launch of her debut EP, Lost Romantic.

Poesie is your antidote to today’s noisy, messy world. The London-based songstress glides across sparkly synths, blending euphoric dance with indie pop. Beyond her stunning vocals, it’s her lyrics — sincerely silly, sharply observant — that set her apart. With wit and warmth, she tackles topics from online dating to climate doom and modern loneliness, all while making you want to dance.

An emerging musician and already an award-winning artist, Poesie is the electro-pop project of Eloïse Poulton, acclaimed theatre and film writer-director hailed as “genius” (The Skinny) and “incredibly compelling” (The Guardian). After sold-out runs at venues including Soho Theatre and The Arcola, and features on BBC Sussex, she now channels her storytelling into electrifying pop that brings people together when we need it most.

The Magic Position – Patrick Wolf

I first heard this song in the car on the way home from school. Magic FM was blaring (apt) and it was a day like any other – I was in Year 5 and my world was as big as my dreams, but otherwise pretty small. Then I heard ‘Shoot, Bang, Fire!’ and an ascending C Major scale and everything changed forever. Thus began a lifelong love affair with Patrick Wolf, who’s the artist I’ve seen live the most in my life. His diversity never fails to amaze and astound me, and the way his dense but playful instrumentation is always utterly faithful to the emotion of each song. The Magic Position is both joyful and anarchic and captures, with its anthemic chorus, a kind of resilient love.

A Case of You – Joni Mitchell

Mitchell has shaped me in so many ways. Her lyrics manage to be both direct and elliptical, she walks a very enchanting line between the two which means you can put yourself inside her songs and really live them. I find A Case of You so unabashedly devotional, its pared back chord sequence and dogged repetition perfectly captures the song’s essence. It’s what makes it all the more bittersweet as a break‑up song, hungover on a lost love.

Wuthering Heights – Kate Bush

Kate Bush is a master storyteller, the queen of melodrama, who is at once achingly sincere and has a tricksy, fairy‑like sleight of hand. To distill a gothic novel in a song is no mean feat, but she manages it — she becomes Cathy. Kate Bush has such a sense of place to all her songs which I love, and at the beginning of Wuthering Heights she drops you right onto the moors, ready to HAUNT. I love how the piano is almost a co‑protagonist in this track, like it’s coming to life of its own accord inside the blustery halls of Wuthering Heights itself.

I Am Not A Robot – MARINA

formerly Marina and the Diamonds, is an artist who I treasure dearly. As a teenager, she showed me that you didn’t have to just write songs about people you fancied: you could comment on the world around you. This was subconsciously very liberating and it’s something I’ve been able to put my finger on recently as I’ve grown more into my voice and my writing process. The simplicity of the production really lets her rich vocals soar, and the result is a robust defense of vulnerability, self‑expression and of being human. It came out in 2010 and was definitely prescient. I’m currently writing an echo, fifteen years later, about living with AI for my next EP…

Just Two Girls – Wolf Alice

I'm super late to the Wolf Alice party: I’ve only got into them this year and I am totally obsessed. I feel devastated about all this time I’ve spent living under a rock, but I’m making up for it now, making my ears tired, trying to listen to all the parts in all their songs. I saw them at the O2 in November and was very moved by their chemistry, love for what they’re doing, and commitment to serving every idea of every song to its fullest. The Clearing is such a masterpiece and I wanted to choose a track from it. I’m not sure if this one is my favourite, but I adore it for so many reasons: a hymn to female friendship, the 1950s‑inspired instrumentation, the intimacy and the humour of the lyrics. I see so many relationships I’m lucky to have reflected in it.