Eva Stone - New Music - Telegraph Stone grew up in Newcastle as Amy Holford. Her grandfather played the box in a skiffle band, and she started playing music during family singalongs around bonfires. Later, she cut her teeth in what she calls the local area's "huge and supportive" music scene and, at 19, joined a rock band of middle-aged men. "They all played BB King and Muddy Waters," Stone says, "and I started listening to the raw emotion of that whole genre." After dropping out of university ("I knew exactly what I wanted to do and I was wasting my time with an English Literature degree"), in spring 2013 Stone was picked up by TV presenter and music manager Jameela Jamil, who encouraged her to move to London. "I'm finally in a space where I can be creative," Stone explains. Who are her influences? Stone grew up to a soundtrack of Eric Clapton, Chuck Berry and Sting. But it was hearing Eva Cassidy at the age of 10 that inspired her to start singing. It also gave contributed to her stage name: "I found a synergy with her and her music and her voice." Stone's grittier side comes from a love of chain-gang blues and gospel music. "There's something really powerful about that music that inspires me," she says. What does she sound like? Often accompanied by simple acoustic guitar strums, Stone's voice is sometimes reminiscent of Laura Marling's husky whisper, especially on BBC Introducing session track I Won't Wait. Other tracks showcase her range, including Take Runaway, a feisty blues track which combines a spry falsetto with a Janis Joplin-esque snarl. Occasionally, you can catch a hint of Stone's heritage in the odd Geordie vowel. How does she describe her music? "I always visualise my music as having a finger in both pies: contemporary and traditional," Stone says. Eva Stone performs at Blacks, Soho on January 20, and supports George Ezra at the Lexington on January 22.