My lockdown: Elton John-endorsed local singer Bow Anderson talks walks on Portobello beach and missing her mates

The track has already had exposure on Sir Elton John's Rocket Hour radio show, and was Scott Mills' Tune of the Week on BBC Radio a fortnight ago.

Born and bred in Edinburgh, 23-year-old Bow is tipped to become a massive star before the year is out.

In the latest in our exclusive series – with more famous names to come – the Evening News caught up with Bow to find out how she is coping under lockdown.

Edinburgh-born singer Bow Anderson is tipped for huge success this year.

What is the best thing about lockdown?

During lockdown I’ve been spending a lot of time with my family, which is great as for the last five years I’ve been living in London whilst my family live in Edinburgh, my home town.

We’ve been watching a lot of action films, baking and even just sitting in the garden on a nice day playing cards.

I’m definitely making the most of it as I don’t see my family very much. The walks around me are great too as there is Portobello beach near by. I also cycle to Arthur’s Seat, which has some great views overlooking Edinburgh city.

I’ve also had more time to draw, which in normal life I don’t do much of, as it’s never a priority.

What is the worst?

I’ve definitely had up and down days in isolation, like most people I’m sure. It’s been really hard not seeing my friends – especially the ones in London as they are like my family down there. We are all very close.

It’s funny, a lot of my friends down south are actually Scottish (unintentionally) – but it’s great as it feels like home, so not having them around at the moment has made the situation harder.

I’ve also never been good at staying in the house all day. I like to get out – even if it’s just to go to a coffee shop – so this has definitely been a test for me. But it’s shown me that maybe I don’t need to go out every single day.

A lot of festival gigs I was booked to play at have been cancelled, which isn’t great, but at the end of the day there will always be more gigs to come and I have my health so I can’t complain.

Have you been more creative during lockdown?

At the start of lockdown I found it really hard to be motivated. Creatively, I wasn’t doing much as I was frustrated, uninspired and didn’t really know what to do with myself.

A couple weeks into lockdown I started to come to terms with the fact I was probably going to be in isolation for a while and so sat down at the piano in my family home and started playing.

I’ve had a lot of emotions during this period – anger, sadness, worry, confusion – and music has helped me get it all out. For that I’m grateful, and I’ve been using the time to write some ideas to use later down the line.

What’s your exercise routine?

Exercise has been a great way to give me some structure to my day. It also really helps me mentally as it's a good way to forget all your worries and just focus on your movement and breathing.

I love going to the gym anyway in day-to-day life, but in isolation it’s helped me feel less claustrophobic. I’ve been doing various HIT workouts online every second day, and then in-between I’ll do a day of stretching.

What's the first thing you plan to do when the restrictions are lifted?

When the restrictions are lifted, I plan to hangout with all my pals and have some ciders in the sunshine. I also can’t wait to sit in a coffee shop surrounded by the sound of people chatting and the smell of coffee. I really miss that and won’t ever take it for granted.

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