"After all this, I took a break to concentrate on family and becoming a mother. When my daughter was school age, I began writing music for children. I collaborated with multi-million selling recording artist, Alison Wheeler from “The Beautiful South” on a pre-school children’s album for the high-profile children’s entertainer Amanda Frolich of “Amanda’s Action Club”.

"My latest album “Near Life Experience” has been the biggest labour of love to date. I collaborated with multi-platinum-selling producer Lestyn Polson (best known for his work with David Gray, Patti Smith, and David Bowie) as well as a team of celebrated musicians, including producer Henry (King Thumb) Thomas, famous for his role as a co-presenter and writer contributor of the BBC TV series Rockschool. It was recorded at the famous Konk Studios, London as well as in Echo Zoo in Eastbourne.

"The album opens with 'Facing Life', with two messages at its core. The first can be best summarised by the Thomas Hardy quote; “If a way to the better there be, it exacts a full look at the worst”. Meaning being informed is considered forearmed. The second, is the hopeful idea that emerged in conversation with a family member; that whilst we all fear death, facing life is the hard part and that is what we are all already doing. The album has two instrumental bookends, 'Waltz for Life' and 'In Touch’, representing life's openings and endings, with the songs in-between reflecting the content of life and the inseparable nature of life's highs and lows.

"As one of the only animals aware of our own mortality, us humans have the unenviable task of navigating how to live our lives with the shadow of death always close by. We are used to hearing about near-death experiences, but I thought flipping it round to consider what it means to nearly live would be interesting. To me, the idea of nearly-living, was haunting. Someone who almost had the courage to live the life he or she wanted to live but was held back in some way. Whether from trauma, fear of the unknown, death, or the weight of family or societal pressure and expectation.

"The message was about utilizing the knowledge of our mortality to inform our choices and priorities in a way that allows us to really live as opposed to nearly live. There is hope that this could mitigate some of the many profound deathbed regrets that we often hear about. A Near Life Experience could be interpreted as a moment or event that is so profound, or transformative that it feels like a heightened state of living or an intense connection to life itself. Making this album has very much been that for me.

"I was delighted when designer Dan Abbott and photographer Rupert Truman from Storm Studios agreed to work on the album cover. I knew that I wanted a sense of reaching, for life, but with the shadow of death holding that back to be captured. We considered what impending life might look and feel like. When their concept of “The Plant” emerged, it was so perfectly fitting and the initial sketch was striking from the offset. I will never forget the moment when Dan initially described the concept to me, “a long dress that starts off black and dead but grows towards the sun and becomes a fresh green shoot with a real Marsha at the end”. This encapsulated the theme perfectly. The roots that we come from and return to are in death, yet we continue to reach for the light. The finished artwork was breathtaking and captured the central theme in a way that words alone could not."

How did you decide what to wear for the album cover?

"The initial brief for the dress was that it should be long and cover my legs. We were also going for an Early 20th-century silent film look. The fabric needed to be neutral but no particular colour as that was going to be added later. However, I wanted the dress to be green so that I could properly embody and feel “plant-like”. As soon as I saw the Pretty Eccentric dress, I knew it was perfect! It had a 1920s' vibe but a modern take on that era. The velvet silk material gave it a shimmer and the way it hugged the figure whilst still being breathable was great for shooting in. Normally when I am choosing what to wear for a video or cover, I think about the distinct energy of the song so that what I’m wearing can communicate the same thing. It might be the colour, the fabric, the style, time, or timelessness that achieves this. Often it will be different elements that come together."

We have gotten to know you as a Pretty Eccentric patron, how do our clothing designs resonate with you?

"I am always able to find one-off unique pieces at Pretty Eccentric that you don’t see anywhere else," she responds. "I guess the name of the shop says it all! This individuality appeals to me. It is also my go-to place for finding that something special. I love the vintage leanings because of the emotional connection that they evoke. My music tends to travel in and out of time with reflections and memories, so it reflects that. All the clothes are beautifully made, elegant and have that exact fit that you only get with precision-tailoring. The dresses are glamorous but also remain classy."