Bow Anderson new single ‘Mama Said’ follows the budding pop star’s viral hit ‘20s’ which reached over 4 Mio. streams on Spotify just six weeks after its release and evolving to be her first song to enter the Top 50 Official German airplay charts. ‘20s’ kickstarted Bow’s 2022, as well as tours with the likes of Mimi Webb, Ella Eyre and Tom Walker in the wake of Bow’s debut EP, ‘New Wave.’
‘Mama Said’ is a quietly powerful torch-song from Bow Anderson, blending a lifelong love of 60s Soul with the R&B-leanings of early Rihanna. Like ‘20s’, it’s a song that soundtracks learning and growing from those necessary mistakes (says Bow). ‘Mama Said’ is a song about my first relationship. It was new and I didn’t really know what I was doing. My mum could see it was unhealthy but I never listened to her, and in the end it got pretty toxic. I wanted to write this song because I finally realised she was right and that maybe I should have listened to what my ‘mama said’. This song is dedicated to my mum for helping me get through the heartbreak.”
It’s this positive mentality underpins everything Bow Anderson does – and her incredible road to making pop music. Bow Anderson was born and bred on the east side of Edinburgh, where – as a teenager – she took part in competitive trampolining; training with people who went on to be part of Team GB before a freak accident put a halt to her competing (“I almost lost my leg,” she shrugs today). But as the body she had bet her future on proved fallible, Bow found her voice. During her rehabilitation, Anderson’s father would sing with her each night to help her get to sleep, which led to Bow moving to London after her recovery to hustle making music. Coming from a dance and sporting background, Bow knew that to succeed she would have to put in the graft, as the pop she’s drawn to today mirrors: from the bombast of classic Motown to empowered female role models like Beyonce. Bow Anderson’s early music, continuing today with ‘Mama Said’, turns adversity (romantic, physical or emotional) into a point of strength.
Whether discussing broken hearts in ‘Mama Said’, a ‘20s’ crisis, or a life-changing injury, Bow Anderson believes that everything happens for a reason. She has already sold out her first ever headline dates (including a show at London’s Courtyard Theatre and 2 sold-out Edinburgh shows) as well as scooping the Best Pop Act prize at the prestigious Scottish Music Awards. Having picked up additional early support across Vevo Ones to Watch, Radio 1, and gone viral on Spotify’s Viral Charts off the back of just one EP – ‘New Wave’ – Bow Anderson is currently working on much more music to follow this year. Pulling all these strings and tying them together is Bow herself, Scotland’s next great export and pop shot through with sporting spirit.
