6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Scots singer sneakily put her CD through top DJ's letterbox in a bid to become a star
'I remember getting hold of his address and going to deliver a CD to his letterbox at like midnight at his home in central London where he lived at the time'
PUNK SHOCKER Scots singer sneakily put her CD through top DJ's letterbox in a bid to become a star
SINGER Sandi Thom has revealed how her incredible ride to the top of the charts all started 20 years ago when she took a clandestine drive to the home of broadcasting legend Johnnie Walker.
The musician from Banff, Aberdeenshire, had just independently pressed her first single I Wish I Was A Punk Rocker (With Flowers in my Hair) when she made the cheeky decision to pop a copy through Johnnie's letterbox.
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Sandi Thom as she is now and the single that started it all.
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Sir Sean Connery was a fan of the Scots singer.
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Sandi graduated from Sir Paul McCartney's Liverpool music school and went on to play the same stage as Queen's Brian May.
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The Scot landed her big break after popping her indy single through the letterbox of DJ Johnnie Walker.
The next day the late DJ played her track for the first time to his millions of listeners on his Radio 2 Drivetime show - which eventually led to it topping charts in the UK and around the world.
Sandi - who is on the comeback trail - says: 'Johnnie was the first person to play that song on air.
'I remember getting hold of his address and going to deliver a CD to his letterbox at like midnight at his home in central London where he lived at the time.
'You had to physically deliver CDs at the time because in 2005 you couldn't just send them as an audio file.
'I put the CD through his letterbox and drove home and the next morning he listened to it, loved it, then played it on his show. That was the start of everything for me.'
That breakthrough hit took Sandi on an incredible journey that saw her support George Michael and play on the same stage as Queen's Brian May.
While she also performed in front of Sir Sean Connery and future President Donald Trump at a star-studded bash in New York.
She even duetted with the late SNP chief Alex Salmond in Aberdeenshire.
But Sandi maintains that she was no 'overnight success' and it had actually taken her 10 years of 'hard graft' to achieve her dream.
Sandie, 43, explains: 'I have been performing since I was 14, so that's nearly 30 years ago.
Paul McCartney wows the crowds in Manchester with stonking three-hour set - and Beatle John Lennon makes an appearance too
'I'd play in local pubs in the northeast of Scotland - that's where I cut my teeth performing.
'I had already been performing for about 10 years when I popped that CD through Johnnie's letterbox.'
Sandi trained at Sir Paul McCartney's prestigious Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts where the former Beatle personally gave her tips on launching her career.
But the canny Scot also seized the opportunities presented by the new world of streaming, when she began broadcasting 'concerts' from her flat in Tooting, London on the now defunct platform MySpace.
She recalls: 'I was part of that initial digital revolution as nobody had ever heard of streaming anything live at the time.'
The success of those shows led to her landing a major recording deal with music giants RCA who then formerly released I Wish I Was A Punk Rocker (With Flowers in my Hair) which went to No1 in the UK, Ireland and Australia in May 2006.
She followed that up with her chart topping debut album Smile…It Confuses People and soon found herself living the rock star life she had always dreamed of.
Sandi says: 'I always knew since I was little that this was what I wanted to do.
'I made so many amazing records with people all over the world including in Nashville, Los Angles, New York and London.
'I lived in Malibu and stood on the same stage as George Michael as I was his support act and opened up for him in stadiums all across Scandinavia playing to 80,000 people a night. It was amazing.
'I also shared a stage with Brian May at the Royal Albert Hall. I've done some really fantastic things.'
In 2007 Sandi took to the catwalk at the Dressed To Kilt fashion show as part of the Tartan Week Celebrations in New York.
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Sandi even performed a bizarre duet with then First Minister Alex Salmond.
She says: 'I was invited there by Vivienne Westwood to model a tartan outfit because she was renowned for that punk look that a lot of it incorporated tartan and I obviously sang about being a punk rocker.
'There were many people there and one of them was Donald Trump and also Sean Connery.
'I never have ever had a conversation with Trump, but I did have many conversations with Sean Connery.
'Not only just at that event, but also I once performed at the Library of Congress in Washington for Scottish delegates.
'Sean had such a great presence, as he's got such stature, height and everything, and his wife (Micheline Roquebrune) was like the cutest little thing ever.'
In 2009 she performed an unusual duet with then First Minister Alex Salmond - who passed away suddenly last year aged 69 - when they sang Caledonia on stage in her hometown of Banff.
Sandi, who was raised by helicopter pilot dad Sandy and marketing manager mum Josie, says: 'That was such a great informal evening.
'I performed duets with many people that night including my dad. But it's a great memory.'
SANDI'S KID IS EVER PRESENT AT MUM'S GIGS
SANDI has lived in such diverse places as Wales, Malibu and the Middle East since finding fame 20 years ago - but reveals she moved home to Scotland's northeast again.
The singer who was born in Banff and raised in MacDuff, Aberdeenshire, has returned to her roots to raise her nine year old son Logan.
And now that she's found contentment back in the family fold with her folks Sandy and Josie, she is ready to unleash a new musical direction for her fans.
Sandi: 'I live really close to my mum and my dad lives a little bit further north.
'We're all very close and it's great for me because obviously I'm a singer, but I also have a nine year old son and dogs. So I need the support network.
'But Logan comes with me to many of my shows. He has been to loads of my gigs.
'He's the kid that'll sit on the drum riser at the back of the stage in front of a crowd of 15,000 people being as cool as a cucumber.'
She adds: 'But I was in the studio yesterday and what I will say is that my next album is going to challenge me - in the respect that I might sing in a different language.
'So that's going to challenge me as a singer more than anything else.'
However Sandi's pop star bubble burst in 2015 when she blasted Radio 2 - who had launched her career - for failing to play her new single Earthquake.
The singer posted a Facebook video, ranting: 'Honest to God I'm f***ing sick to death of the bulls**t. Enough I'm done. F**k you Radio 2.'
Sandi later blamed the outburst on being pregnant with her first and only child Logan, but she did turn her back on the music industry and move to Bahrain where she set up a sanctuary for stray dogs.
But now she's back , relaunching herself on the music scene this time without the help of her radio pal Johnnie, who died on Hogmanay last year aged 79.
She says: 'The music industry has held so many greats, not just artists, but also people like Johnny who are broadcasting legends.
'I think it was such a compliment that Johnnie gave me his blessing even if he did only get to hear about me from a CD through his letterbox.'
*Sandi will play Banff Castle Rocks festival on August 30. For more info visit:
