Roxanne de Bastion Talks Her Music, Touring The UK With Howard Jones And More

Singer-songwriter and musician Roxanne de Bastion will be the special guest on Howard Jones’s November 2025 ’40th Anniversary of Dream Into Action’ UK Tour. She very kindly spoke to JLTT here:

What is your earliest musical memory?

It’s impossible to know what exactly my earliest musical memory is, but falling asleep listening to my dad play music in the kitchen is most likely one of them… I’d also watched The Sound of Music and The Beatles’ Yellow Submarine on repeat as a child (I was and am obsessed with the Beatles).

When did you begin songwriting?

I just about remember verse 1 of a ballad I wrote about dolphins when I was five…I wouldn’t say that it was a smash hit. Because I fell in love with The Beatles at such an early age, writing my own songs was always really important to me. I’d say I started songwriting in earnest as a teenager around the age of 15.

You have your new EP ‘Ultraviolet’ out now. How did you want to approach the making of the EP?

It was actually a bit of an unusual process! I booked a string of ‘New Song Showcase’ gigs and advertised that I’d perform a full set of exclusively new songs…so I had to write them! It was an excellent, albeit high risk strategy to combat writers block. My favourite songs that I wrote in this process became the EP.

Where did you record the EP and who produced it?

I recorded it together with the brilliant Ed Harcourt in his Wolf Cabin studios in rural Oxfordshire over a very hectic, but very fun four days.

Do you have any interesting, funny or memorable stories from the recording sessions?

None that I can share on the internet.

Did you use any particular instruments, microphones, recording equipment to help you get a particular sound/tone for the record?

I think the key to the sound we achieved was actually just really not having much time at all…there’s nothing like time and budget limitations to force creativity. A lot of it was recorded live (Future Tense is a live take on piano and vocals). Ed is such a great musician and can play so many instruments well, it’s remarkable watching him put it all together with such speed and imagination. Oh and I got to play a beautifully upright Steinway piano that’s over a hundred years old, so that was pretty special!

Which of your new EP tracks hear you at your a) happiest, b) angriest and c) most reflective?

I really like this question! Ok so: Angriest song award goes to Skin. It’s not an emotion I express often in music so it felt good to let myself go there. I’d say the happiest song is UV (despite the fact that it’s about my negative experiences as a woman navigating the music industry and the world, the underlying message is a hopeful and a positive one). I’m going to award most reflective to both remaining tracks, Relentless and Future Tense. The former is quite literally about me being alone with my thoughts. 

Who were the musicians who were on the EP with you?

It’s all just me (vocals, piano, guitar) and Ed Harcourt on everything else (electric guitar, bass, drums and synth). 

Does the EP’s title have a specific meaning/significance?

Yes, it’s just a slight variation of the title track, UV. I like the metaphor of this powerful light surrounding us, whether we can perceive it with our bare eyes or not.

Was it a difficult EP to write?

In some ways yes…my previous album, You & Me We Are The Same, was all about grief/love for my dad, who passed away just before I finished that album. So this was the first set of songs written in my new reality, without him here. It wasn’t easy, but I’m very glad I got through it and that I have such a lovely community of people who support my music who got me through it.

Who designed the EP artwork?

Oh I did! The photo was taken by the brilliant Amanda Rose and I came up with the concept / layout. My manager Matt is the keeper of the photoshop account, so he helped me refine the concept and put together those special edition box sets using actual UV ink! It was a proper DIY endeavour and a labour of love…

Where is your hometown and could you please describe it in five words?

Uff! Well I don’t think I can because I have more than one… I was born and mostly raised in Berlin, so let’s go with that one. My five words to describe Berlin are: Free, ever-changing, broke, vibrant, unbothered

 

How do you look after your voice?

I have to say that I’m not particularly disciplined about taking care of my voice, I just live my life and hope for the best! Although I do vocal warm up exercises way more frequently than I used to. On tour I’m usually stocked up with Vocalzone tablets and drink lots of tea with fresh ginger and lemon.

 

You will be touring the UK in November 2025 as special guest for Howard Jones. How did that opportunity arise?

I’m so excited for it! I had the huge pleasure to open for Howard Jones a couple of years ago on this acoustic trio tour. I just put myself forward as soon as I saw him announce the 40th anniversary tour for Dream into Action and luckily I got the gig! They’re such stunning venues and Howard and his entire team are just the nicest people, so I cannot wait and hope to meet lots of lovely HJ fans along the way. 

Do you have any further live dates planned in the UK/Europe in 2025/2026?

Yes! This is a little…let’s go with ambitious, but I’m also opening for the brilliant Anchoress at the Union Chapel in London on November 14th (which is an off day during the Howard Jones Tour). I’m also performing a show that’s focussed around my book The Piano Player of Budapest in Darlington on November 28th. And to close the year, I’m hosting and performing at a Beatles celebration show (60 Years of Help! And Rubber Soul) with a little help from my friends at the Liverpool Philharmonic Music Room on December 2nd (it’s very nearly sold out so be quick if you’d like to join!). As for 2026…yes, hopefully loads to come, but nothing I can talk about just yet.

What two things do you hope to have achieved once you have left the stage?

I hope to have had a good time and I hope to have made people happy.

Do you have any favoured stage instruments, effects, pedals, microphones etc?

Ah well that would definitely have to be my Rickenbacker 360 jetglo guitar!

 

You are given the opportunity to write the score for a film adaptation of a novel that you enjoy. Which novel is it and why?

Is it cheating if I pick my own book The Piano Player of Budapest? I’d love to see my grandfather’s story brought to life in a film. And the scoring would be easy, because I could use his beautiful compositions as the basis.

https://open.spotify.com/album/30CEpC0XaY1QSJJ8w8EhMO?si=L4ZftsOoRRmrGCgzagPMZA

One of the tracks is the single ‘Skin’. What was the story/inspiration behind the song?

There’s a sense of urgency to this recording – we captured it mostly live and quickly – that mirrors the emotions in the song: it’s about airing quiet frustrations we are too scared to voice. Allowing myself to be angry out loud is a learning curve.

 

Do you have any visualisers to accompany the music?

Not as in music videos, but I did film/record a live version of Skin and UV at Hertfordshire university (you can find them both on YouTube)

Who are some of your musical influences? Do you have any recommendations?

My dad (Richard de Bastion) is a key music influence (he taught me the basics of playing guitar and piano and was always my most important sounding board). I was and am of course hugely influenced by The Beatles and, later, artists and bands such as Regina Spector, The White Stripes, St Vincent, The National and even The Streets.

As for recommendations… How much time have you got? I’m currently absolutely loving the new Hayley Williams album and KIRBY’s debut album Miss Black America, so I’d highly recommend those! And perhaps to recommend lesser known artists, I’d recommend checking out Zoe Konez (as well as her synth band Cat Bear) and singer songwriters Niall Connolly and Jake Morley! 

What makes Roxanne de Bastion happy and what makes you unhappy?

Food makes me happy and having insufficient snacks in the house makes me unhappy. 

Feature Image Photo Credit: Supplied By Artist

Roxanne de Bastion’s latest EP ‘Ultraviolet’ is out now.

She will be the special guest on Howard Jones’s ‘Dream Into Action’ 40th Anniversary Performance and Greatest Hits November 2025 UK Tour. Remaining tickets are available here: https://myticket.co.uk/artists/howard-jones

Roxanne de Bastion’s Official Website: https://roxannedebastion.com/