BY MICHAEL CHOWNE
Photograph – Michelle Fredericks Photography
Michael Chowne sat down with Savannah Gardner before her gig at Ain’t Nothin’ But on Thursday 23rd July 2026. The conversation flowed – Michael’s comments and questions are in bold – and they went deep in Savannah’s first interview since her wedding last month. They discussed the wedding (of course!), her childhood and move from the USA to England, what it’s like to be a full-time musician, Savannah’s love of fellow female musicians, her musical sound, new music and much much more!
For anybody who doesn’t know you, how would you describe the music you make?
I guess I really do expand a lot of genres because I love a lot of genres. I’ve never felt really just confined to one thing. I feel like something that’s always been true about me is I’m kind of a sponge. If I like something I’ll take it in. Like I love country, I love blues, soul, rock ‘n’ roll, I love classic rock and folk so it’s just like I kinda can’t contain it. I know that’s not very good for a selling point to put yourself in a niche. But actually it is because you’re different to everybody else just doing country or just doing blues. Maybe, and maybe once people hear it they appreciate it. They kind of get it even if they don’t know what it is. Yes, that’s the goal! But I guess I can say that I’m under the realm of Americana and live music and so there is a certain type of person who likes that music so I know I can find my audience that way.
Do you think your sound has evolved since you started?
Yeah, definitely. I think when I started it was more a way to figure out who I was as a songwriter and what I wanted to say and now I feel like with practice it becomes more honed I’d like to think. From all the gigging experience I know what kind of sound I’d like to give the audience and what the audience response is.
So do you think you’ve found your sound now or are you still searching for it a little bit?
I’m comfortable in saying that when people do hear my songs or my music the feedback is usually ‘you wouldn’t hear that anywhere else’ so I think that would be my sound, I think I’ve found it. You know it’s always fun to play in the studio but I think the main thing is my voice is what kind of ties all my songs together
Let’s go right back to the beginning then. Where were you born?
I was born in Secaucus, New Jersey, on the East Coast, I lived there til I was 8 months old so I don’t remember a single thing. Then my family moved to Southern California when I was 8 months so I feel like I’m a California girl.
What was it like growing up in the Gardner household?
Oh, it was incredible. We were a family of 5 and we lived a block away from the beach in this 3 bedroom quite small cottage and we just had the best neighbourhood. Loads of kids would play and we could go and run to the beach and my parents are very loving, amazing people. My brother is a surfer and my sister loves the arts so we would put on performances all the time. Yeah, it was a very loving household.
So music from an early age around the house?
Yeah, definitely cos my mum’s whole family are musicians so it was never like a weird thing for us all to be into the arts. It wasn’t like ‘oh you’re different’ it was like ‘oh yeah of course that’s part of life’.
When did you first think singing was what you wanted to do?
I was probably 8 years old. It took me until I was 18 to have the confidence to pursue it as a career but I was 8 years old when I started taking singing lessons and doing my first theatre shows. I was like ‘this is incredible’ but then I think that if you start so young you don’t know what it feels like to lose it and not do it. So the one year that I wasn’t doing any arts I was devastated and I realised I missed it so much. The year that I’m talking about was when I was studying journalism in university and I did dance and stuff like that but I wasn’t singing or performing in the arts and not in musical theatre shows. My soul was aching!
That must have really helped you come to the decision you made that you talk about on stage (to follow the music path not journalism).
Yes,cos my mum alwaysthrough high school was like ‘you have to pursue music, this is your calling, this is what you have to do’ and I was like ‘no mum’, cos I just was scared. I took it for granted, I sing all the time and you have to realise on your own that no-one’s gonna ask you to do it. When no-one asks you to do it it’s up to you to do what you want to pursue.
So when did you move to England?
The summer of 2018, 8 years ago. It’s unbelievable to say that! Do you consider this home now? I do because it felt like home the week I got here actually.
Had you holidayed here while you were growing up?
Yes, we’d go back every year almost to see family so we’d come back for Christmas or summer. I was comfortable in England, definitely, the move was with my parents and it was only going to be 6 months. I rented a little apartment near Camden with my best friend. We just did like an AirBnB rental while my parents were in The Cotswolds and, by the end of that 3 months, I was like ‘I don’t wanna go home’. My friend went home!
Have you always been a full-time musician?
Yes, I worked in a coffee shop in Laguna Beach for 2 years full time as a barista and I would sing and do shows around Laguna Beach, a little bit around Orange County but mostly Laguna. That’s where I got my gigging start from age 21 on. I did do a few shows before I was 21 but you’re not allowed in the bar in the USA so I had to go in, sing and go right out again accompanied by a parent. So I would do open mikes and cafes and bars when they’d let me. My shows now have a lot more dynamic, I think, like we can dance and stuff. I think I used to be more of a singer-songwriter, purely like slower music.
Not talking so much about the songs as you don’t really do that when you’re young, do you?
No, you’re just terrified to do it. But it’s so important to do it. Otherwise how do you get people to really care? Yes, it really helps to build your audience. It really does. I stand by it takes gigging, gigging, gigging, gigging, gigging.
So, does being a full-time musician now involve anything else other than gigging and recording?
Yeah, it is a full-time job. I have to actually make myself not think about shows and everything. If I want to have a day off I have to actually switch off. Especially with social media you’re constantly having to concentrate on that, you’re running a business so you’re in contact with promoters and people want bios and you’re trying to get other venues. It is full-time, non-stop while also being sparkly and shiny.
Do you try and be strict with yourself to set some time aside just for you?
Yes, I think that I do that when Kieran is home. He works really hard as well and so when we are finally both home together for like a tiny little period we both switch off. I take my dog for walks I try to leave my phone at home and stuff like that. But it is always on my mind because I am a very ambitious person as well. But also I can’t complain, it’s amazing to always be focussing on how you can further your dream. So it is tough but I don’t have a boss, the only person who’s my boss is me so it is great in a lot of ways.
If you’re not doing something it’s you you have to answer to.
Exactly, it’s me who loses out. I think a lot of musicians say that they do have that anxiety that when they aren’t doing something then they’re like ‘oh my God, I’m going to lose it all, I’m not doing enough’. So you just have to constantly find balance otherwise you could go crazy. Balance is the key.
What about audiences, have you found much difference between the types of audiences you had back in the States to here?
It’s kind of the same. I get all ages and I always have even when I was 19/20, it’s very awesome, kids will love it or like young girls who can’t come to the shows as much because it’s costly. But then I’ve had older people as well who love the shows.
When you started, the younger people couldn’t go into the bars.
No, but people would come to my coffee shop shows and my restaurant shows and a few little tiny festivals and stuff like that. So I’ve always had support from all kind of ages and it would be nice to grow it a bit more but I think that I’d have to spend more time. I’m growing steadily.
You’re going to other places, like you went to Ireland earlier this year and had great responses from crowds there.
Yes, Organic growth. I do feel it when I meet someone who’s all of a sudden on the bandwagon it’s very passionate. From the person who loves the shows it’s usually not a half-ass kind of fan. You’re a person who invites people in, that’s your character. Yeah, maybe, I find it weird not to. We’re all the same.
So do you think you’ve found ‘your people’ since moving to England?
Yes, in terms of my community and band.
Both musically, people you’re working with, and audiences?
Yes, I love whoever I play with on stage. It’s usually because, firstly, I have huge respect for them as a person as well as a musician. I think that’s really important and they all are at the same standard, my band members. They’re all incredible musicians and they’re all also very good people and they only want to work with very good people as well. They’ve made my standards higher as well, they’re always pushing me to be better. Also telling me ‘no, you deserve more than that gig’ or ‘you shouldn’t be playing there’. Cos there is a tendency for me to play as many gigs cos I do love it and I have to pay the bills as well. I’ve met so many great people from playing and I hope that it continues and we keep getting stronger with the audiences I’ve had. Keep spreading the word and we all keep going together.
Was it always your intention to play with a band?
Yes, it’s always more fun with the band. You can get that full sound, a bigger sound and looking around and seeing that you’re creating something with other people, there’s nothing better.
Do you think the band is still evolving? I know it’s difficult to get the same people together all the time.
Yes, it is, very, everyone’s so busy in London. The band’s always evolving.
You started off with the likes of Marta and Amy and a couple of others.
Yes, you have to date around, you need to all be on the same page because it’s not just you turn up and gig, there’s so much more to it. You travel together, you sleep in the same hotel rooms, you go for meals together.
So to do it with your friends is the ideal really, isn’t it?
Yes, and I’m not the type of person who will be like ‘I’m gonna go do my own thing, I’m gonna have my own dinner over here’, I can’t, even if sometimes I do wanna be alone, it’s just not a nice way to be if you’re kind of being the diva. It’s important that everyone feels good and feels valuable and they want to be there. It’s more fun. We’re adding on more people, we’ve played with Tomas, I’ve got this incredible guitar player, Bruce, who’s going to come and join me for a few gigs, and Holly, so it’s just ever expanding. People will have to do their own personal things and maybe some people will go off and have kids or whatever. It’s more of an idea and whoever wants to be on board, who’s also good, they of course are gonna come and play, it’s always great.
One of the other things you’ve been keen on doing is showcasing other female artists? I know that’s something you’re very proud to have been doing for some time now.
Yes, that’s one of my biggest joys. We haven’t had an event all year but the Women of Americana event is coming and I’m so excited just because I’m so inspired by other women and it’s been such an issue for so long with just the competition energy amongst girls. We sometimes think that only one of us can have the spot among the guys when, really, there is room for everybody.
Raising each other up is a lot better than competing with each other.
It is and it makes you feel better too. It opens other opportunities doesn’t it? It does, people want you to come and join their gigs and vice versa. There’s so many talented women and we’re all 100 per cent different so why not just band together?
There’s been some important things happening personally for you recently. Do you want to talk about that at all?
My wedding or my grief?
I was thinking of the wedding but whatever you want to talk about.
I did just get married to Kieran who I’ve also known for 8 years, I met him the second/third week I was in England so probably a big reason why I stayed. It’s pretty incredible. He is not a musician he is just the most supportive husband and just an encouraging, lovely human. Yeah, we got married. Our lives probably won’t change too much as we’ve been together for a while now.
How did the wedding go?
It was everything we wanted and more. We really felt like my mom was there (Savannah’s mom died in September 2024, on the day of her album launch show). Everyone did, it was like a weird thing during the service on the beach, everyone kinda felt it. The sun came out and the calmness.
I’m fortunate to have heard a lot of your unreleased original material. What plans do you have for recording this year? Can you tell us anything about that yet?
I wishI could tell you more than this but we’ve got a week blocked out to go and record at a studio – we’re still choosing the perfect studio, we have a few options that we’re looking at – but we want to go away, maybe somewhere deep in Surrey or Wales, we’re looking at a couple of options there. So that we can completely get in the zone and just have everything done in one fail swoop and have everyone that plays with me, like Holly, Duncan, Carmen, Riley, Tommy, they’ll all be involved. Everyone’s keen, everyone really wants to do it and everyone’s really excited about it which makes me happy. It’s my songs but they’ve all created their own instrumental parts so I feel it’s as much their songs. That’ll be done in the fall and then we have to go to mixing, mastering and planning but it’ll definitely be 2027, a new album, I can’t wait, I cannot wait!
So the next few years? What are your ambitions?
I would just like to keep making great music. I would obviously love to get to bigger venues, bigger tours, get on some bigger support slots. I do everything all on my own, I’m self managed, I’m my own booking agent.
Are you looking for outside help?
I am, I would love outside help, yes, but it has to be right. I am open to an agent, I should be more open, I want to expand. I don’t have small ambitions.
Collaborations?
My dream would be opening for Sierra Ferrell. I love her so much, she’s so uniquely herself and she’s not trying to sound like anybody else. I get really bored of listening to the same thing over and over and there’s so many artists – no-one that I know but just in the grand scheme of Spotify, everyone’s trying to copy each other to get on the playlists. Chasing the algorithm. Yes so to hear someone like her is so refreshing, and she’s being successful doing it and people love it. I think that the secret is she is so connected to who she is and my ambition is to keep trying to be as authentic as I can and see how that works and hopefully get to bigger audiences. I suppose I need to go on TikTok a bit more, I don’t do it enough but I’m working on it. It’s like giving yourself a shot of reaching more people so why wouldn’t you? I’m just trying to figure out how to do TikTok to feel like it’s me.
What shows do you have coming up?
The next few ones that are exciting is my Women of Americana songwriters’ night at Crazy Coqs on August 6th with Lady Nade, Daisy Chute and Holly Carter. All women who I adore their music and I adore them as human beings. We get to hang out – that’s part of it, you just want to work with people you want to hang out with as well. October 14th I’ve got a headline show at The Water Rats with a 5 piece band so that one I’m really looking forward to and I’m supporting someone on tour in October but I’ll let her announce that. I’m always adding more shows to the calendar so keep an eye out.
Where can people best find out about what you’re doing?
www.savannahgardner.com and Instagram @savannahgardnermusic
Anything else you’d like to add?
I know this sounds silly cos I’m just a small-time artist but there’s nothing I’m more grateful for than getting to perform and to have anybody just smile or feel something from my songs is the greatest gift in the world to me. If I can just touch one person then I’m a happy soul cos I think that’s what I was put on this earth to do is to make people feel seen.
That’s so beautiful. You definitely do that, Savannah!