Tracks That Shaped My Sound: Cherry

At just 21, Cherry isn’t waiting for permission-she’s kicking down the door. Hailing from Glasgow’s Maryhill, she blends soulful melodies with indie rock grit, her raw honesty cutting through the noise like a blade. Raised on a soundtrack of Culture Club, The Clash, and Madonna, she channels the spirit of Paramore, Oasis, and Amy Winehouse into something entirely her own.

Her songs? Sharp, unfiltered confessions about womanhood, mental health, and the chaos of simply existing. As she gears up to release her debut EP, we sat down with Cherry to talk music, survival, and why she’ll never fit into anyone’s box but her own.

Nancy Sinatra - Bang Bang 

This song for me basically started the idea of Epiphany, the vulnerability of Nancy’s voice combined with the heartbreaking story that accompanies it spoke to me and a personal heartbreak I was going through at the time. Loving someone who has repeatedly hurt you over and over again, but still longing for them even after ‘death’. The song is so beautiful, and that old school retro vibe became the main inspiration for my track. 

No 1 Party Anthem by Arctic Monkeys 

This song was one I was listening to loads during the writing of Epiphany. I’ve always admired Alex Turners ability to tell stories, the detail of where he was, what he saw, who he was with - he almost manages to make the most normal experiences like going out on the town sound cinematic. This song was definitely a huge inspiration in terms of the lyrics of Epiphany. 

Opened Once by Jeff Buckley 

It goes without saying that Jeff Buckley is pretty much the perfect artist. This song which was unfinished and released after his death is a masterpiece to me, the intricacies  of the guitar moving with his voice softly was a huge influence on the sound for Epiphany. 

Once by Liam Gallagher 

Oasis are my favourite band, but I actually got into Liam Gallagher before I got into them… crazy I know. His swagger, cool attitude and of course blinding vocals have been a main source of inspiration for me since forever. This song in particular inspired Epiphany in the middle 8, the dramatic ‘no more waking up in strangers beds’ line is what I’d describe as a Liam esque belt. 

Last Hope by Paramore 

This song in particular is extremely special to me because my older sister introduced me to Paramore when I was a kid, and we went to see them on the self titled tour in 2013, held each other and cried our eyes out to this song. Hayley Williams is an absolute genius powerhouse of course, Taylor York and Zac Farro are also geniuses in their own right. This is a band that are deeply important to me, and if they didn’t exist, I’m sure I still would but I’d definitely be less cooler.