Emily Maguire from cheesemaker to the Albert Hall

WHEN your fans pay to get your album released, you must be doing something right Emily Maguire’s fans reckon she can do no wrong!

The British singer-songwriter has had an incredible life already, and if her wonderful new album does as well as it deserves to, the next episode is about to begin.

From Australian cheesemaker to Albert Hall star, from chasing mice out of her piano to helping people cope with depression, Emily’s a musician like no other.

“I suffered badly, at 16, with fibromyalgia,” recalls the beautiful singer, “but it ended up being a good thing, as while I was stuck at home for so long, I learned to play the guitar.

“As a kid, I’d already learned flute, viola, cello and piano, but now I could write songs, and I wrote over 100 at that time.

“When I was getting better, I decided to move from London to the Australian bush as you do! where I lived in a shack with my partner, Christian Dunham.

“We started our own recording studio there, and it was really unusual.

“The walls were made of potato sacks, the bathroom floor was made from river pebbles, and there were often mice hiding inside in the piano.

“When we weren’t making music, we made cheese. Goats’ cheese is very popular in Australia and, though I’m not a good cook, I was a good cheesemaker!”

Emily’s first two albums did well, and she performed across Britain to rave reviews, even doing a tour as support to Don Maclean, of American Pie fame.

“We came over to Britain in 2007 for a tour of pubs and clubs,” Emily recalls, “and someone sent a CD of one concert to a DJ at Radio 2, along with a nice box of chocolates.

“It must have been the chocolates, because they played it! I was meant to get on a plane back to Australia a few days later, but a music manager heard it and asked if I’d tour with Don Maclean.

“It took all of two seconds to say yes, and I went from making cheese in Queensland to performing in front of thousands at the Royal Albert Hall.

“Meanwhile, back in Australia, customers were phoning to ask where all the cheese was they were being told: ‘Emily’s not here to make more cheese, she’s performing at the Albert Hall, you know!’ and the customers were screaming: ‘We don’t care, we just want more cheese’!”

She doesn’t just supply gorgeous music and lipsmacking cheese Emily, who’s suffered with bipolar disorder and severe depression, wrote a book about her struggles, and one of her songs was chosen as the anthem for a Defeat Depression campaign.

“I’ve played for patients in psychiatric wards,” she says, “and they enjoyed it. First, I read a bit from my book, so they know I suffer, too, and the music really helps.”

That sensitive, caring side unlike many a music star we could mention has made Emily extremely popular with her growing band of fans.

“We spent all the money we had to get the latest album produced by Nigel Butler, who’s worked with Robbie Williams, KD Lang, Tom Jones, Will Young and others,” she explains.

“Unfortunately, it cost an awful lot. We had no money left to release it, so I made a video telling everyone who’s on my fanbase.

“I was astonished to see people send in money, some complete strangers sending £1,000! There were also people who sent 20 quid and were sorry they couldn’t send more.

“It’s just fantastic, to know people want the record to be out that much.”

And fantastic to have such an unusual, wonderful songwriter doing things her own way.

l Bird Inside A Cage, the new album paid for by the fans, is out on July 15 on Emily’s Shaktu Records label, No. SHK2104.

Her book, Start Over Again, is in all good bookshops, and her website is www.emilymaguire.com/