Listen: Llinos takes centre stage with debut single in Welsh and English

Stephen Price

Carmarthen-born singer-songwriter, Llinos Emanuel has returned to her Welsh roots, with a move back to Wales from London and the release of her debut English and Welsh single, Golden/Unlle

An enchanting blend of angelic vocals, waterfall harmonies, and impressionistic songwriting, Llinos Emanuel is asserting herself as an emerging talent after years of lending her voice to the likes of Jacob Collier, Tom Odell, and Paris Paloma.

Drawing influence from Lianne La Havas, Laufey, and Lizzy McAlpine, Llinos’s debut release, ‘Golden/Unlle’ captures the feeling of lazy mornings spent with a lover, basking in the morning sunlight.

Co-produced by Llinos and Barnabas Poffley, the song was part recorded in the very house in which it was written to realise its intimate feel.

Success

Having gained popularity with the close harmony band Archie, Llinos’s illustrious roster also includes features on The Little Mermaid Soundtrack (Disney), Robbie Williams Soundtrack (Netflix), The One Show (BBC One), Capital Breakfast (Capital FM), The Folk Show with Mark Radcliffe (BBC Radio 2), The Jazz Show with Jamie Cullum (BBC Radio 2), and many more.

Llinos launched her debut single to a sold out crowd at the Green Note, Camden.

Other notable venues she’s performed at include Queen Elizabeth Hall at the Southbank Centre, Union Chapel, and Montreux Jazz Festival.

From the beginning…

Born and bred in Carmarthen and a native Welsh speaker, Llinos attended Bro Myrddin Secondary School where she regularly competed in the Urdd National Eisteddfod.

Following school, Llinos moved to Cardiff to study Classical singing, before moving to London, Trinity College of Music to study a master’s in jazz singing. Llinos remained in London for several years working in the music industry as a singer, songwriter, composer, and arranger.

After a successful career working for other musicians, Llinos decided to move back to west Wales to begin concentrating on her own music.

Feeling inspired by the rolling hills of Carmarthenshire, and the golden sands of Cefn Sidan, Llinos began writing her best songs to date.

Llinos’s debut single ‘Golden/Unlle’ was written in both English and Welsh as a nod to the two languages that shaped her as a songwriter. 

Hiraeth

Llinos told Nation.Cymru: “Golden/Unlle’ was written in May of 2020. I returned home to Carmarthen just before the first lockdown to spend it with family in my childhood home.

“As a full time musician, work had pretty much dried up other than the odd virtual gig here and there so I had a lot of time on my hands.

“Having spent the last couple of years working for other artists, and recording for film and tv, I was so busy that I hadn’t given myself the space and time to discover what I wanted to do as as an artist.

“I spent most of the first lockdown rediscovering my love of songwriting and that’s when I wrote ‘Golden/Unlle’ and many other songs that are yet to be released.

“Following the lockdown I went back to London but my heart was in Wales so in September 2023 I moved back for good.”

Y dyfodol / The future

Llinos plans a full length album eventually, and there are lots of songs that have been written and banked for an album, but at the moment she told us that she is still discovering her sound, working with various musicians and producers, and learning how to produce herself.

She shared: “I’m taking my time and sticking to singles for now but the goal very much is to self-produce an album in the not too distant future.

“My next release will be out in September, and it’s a very different sound to ‘Golden/Unlle’. It leans towards the more folkier side of things, although the layers and layers of backing vocals will still very much be present.

“That’s one thing I can definitively say is here to stay, my love for including layers of vocal harmonies in my records.

“I was in a close harmony band called Archie for many years where I did most of the vocal arranging, so I can’t record a song now without at least 20 layers of my voice.

“There may also be a Christmas song on the cards, watch this space!”

Single launch

Llinos still travels to London fairly regularly and was there on the day of the release for a debut single launch at the Green Note in Camden.

She told us: “I was worried having not been in London for a while that I might have lost my audience so it was a lovely surprise to sell out the show.

“Other than that, I still travel up for other gigs and recording sessions but my roots are now firmly back in Wales. I find that spending my time outdoors in the Welsh countryside is where the majority of my inspiration comes from.

“Of course it’s fun to go back to London now and again but there is nothing quite like spending time with friends and family in Wales.

“For the second single I hope to put on a launch gig in Cardiff, as the Welsh community has been so instrumental in supporting me with the release of ‘Golden/Unlle’, it’s made me want to record all of my songs in both English and Welsh.”

Website – www.llinosemanuel.com

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/llinosemanuel/

TikTok – https://www.tiktok.com/@llinosemanuell

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@llinosemanuel

Soundcloud – https://tinyurl.com/4vhffumd

Spotify – https://ffm.to/golden-llinosemanuel