By Rafe Llewellyn, Second Year History
A circle clicked shut as Holly Wellington, better known as Holysseus Fly, sat down with me to discuss her residency at the Beacon and all things going solo. Holly studied at Bristol University and she tells me her housemate wrote for Epigram whilst she was here.
Holysseus Fly is the artist alias for Holly Wellington, whose rising solo career is decorated by a mix of group successes. Notably, she plays keys and sings for Ishmael Ensemble who will be playing at Forwards this year
Holly is decidedly against moving to London in your 20s, as is the stereotypical Bristol graduate route; instead she decided to stay here in Bristol where she has 'found her people'.
Holly was a budding musician from long before university but it was the music societies in Bristol that launched her down that career path. A keen member of Jazz, Funk, Soul society and Big Band, Holly says she found her friends for life here who she still hangs out with 'almost every single day.'
Holysseus Fly has a stacked resume only 3 years into her solo career, a Glastonbury appearance both solo and with Ishmael ensemble as well as opening the Forwards main stage on its Sunday last year.
'Glastonbury is magical' - I agree despite my lack of ever actually being there, which she sniffs out instantly. I sheepishly admit that I haven't been, but regardless of being there or not, Glastonbury has a fairytale and almost mythic aura to it that even those who haven't experienced it.
Although Holly studied music at Bristol, she regretfully informs me that many of her fellow course mates haven't followed a similar route to her. 'In reality, it's so difficult to make money in this industry'.
The sobering reality of the entertainment industry is real, with more venues closing down every year. This summer even, we will be losing Motion, a tough reality that feels as though a giant in Bristol's entertainment scene has been slain only to leave many more of Bristol's smaller venues out in the open, vulnerable to the chopping block.
We discuss Holly's upcoming music plans as she reveals that she will be releasing an EP this summer and an album next year. Holly has put great emphasis on releasing at the right time, when she's comfortable.
She suggests that it is 'way more valuable to work out who you wanna be, what you wanna say in your art and your music' and that you should be 'taking that time to hone in on that and making something that you really love'.
Many of the biggest stars of today are rushed to fame and spotlighted from such a young age. But Holly is on a slightly different track, and it isn't one to be ashamed of.
The Bristol Beacon has a 6 month residency programme for artists over the age of 25 to help them maintain momentum in their career. The programme has been extremely beneficial to Holly, as well as local bands Waldo's Gift and Grove.
'We're always under the impression that were running out of time' and 'there's this glorification about being younger', Holly's optimism and relaxed nature to the passing of time is refreshing and to all of you handing in dissertations and finishing university for good over the coming weeks, hopefully these words bring you some solace.
Whilst Holly has also received major commendation for her role in Ishmael Ensemble and various other groups, the origins of her solo career are truly inspiring.
'I wrote my first EP not really caring about how it would be received', just making 'Art for art's sake.' Holly birthed her solo career whilst she was recovering from a breast cancer diagnosis which changed her life in 2019.
Holly is bravely open about her experiences, having shared her story through Instagram. Whilst admitting to being a serious over-sharer, Holly also maintains that when she was diagnosed 'all I looked for were people the same as me'.
In this case, Holly represents a large and often unspoken group of young people that experience similar diagnoses and her story is extremely inspiring; continuing to shine solo, and often speaking about her experiences in her music.
Look out for 'Anchors’ on her new EP which Holly played at the showcase of the Beacon's resident artist programme last week.
We end on a note which may also be inspiring to our Bristol readership. We discussed my illustrious music career, which was cut short at the young age of ten years old when I was told it was a waste of time continuing with clarinet because I wasn't getting any better.
Holly suggests becoming a DJ, 'you should totally do it, add yourself to the pile!' Truly there can never be enough DJs in Bristol and if you're considering it now, this is your sign to go for it!
Holly releases her next EP A Red Sea this summer and you can catch her with Ishmael Ensemble at FORWARDS festival this year.
Featured Image: Tom HamWhich of Bristol's music scenes would you most like to have a career in?
