The Wychwood Festival gets underway next Friday, and Cheltenham-based musician Jazzy Heath is looking forward to following up her debut appearance at last year’s event when she takes to the stage on the opening night of the 2018 festival.

It’s a busy time for the University of Gloucestershire student, who is coming to the end of her third and final year studying popular music. Jazzy, who hails from the Isle of Wight, has performed at a number of prestigious music festivals – including being part of Fatboy Slim’s backing choir at Bestival – says the opportunity to play at Wychwood again offers a great chance for her to increase her profile. She said: “This will be my second time playing Wychwood. Last year I played the Wychwood FM stage and the bandstand, I’m so excited to be back again this year. This time I’ll be joined by some incredibly talented musicians who will be playing my songs with me.

“We have been working so hard in preparation for the festival season. I’m currently working on my first album, so we will be playing some new songs from that as well as some of my older songs.”

Jazzy, who has played at several UK festivals as well as memorable gigs in Germany, Spain, Greece and the Czech Republic, will be playing a 30-minute set at this year’s Wychwood Festival. Her style of music can best be described as a mixture of pop and dance, heavily influenced by Adam Young’s band Owl City and American superstar Demi Lovato. Continued Jazzy: “I’m a pop lover. I live for listening and writing pop music. My last EP ‘Awake’ was more dance driven, and my album definitely has elements of that along with 80s vibes, but fundamentally it is very much a pop record.

“I’ve loved Owl City/Adam Young since I was about 12 years old. I find his lyrics and musical atmosphere, especially his earlier stuff, so dreamlike and euphoric. I love the innocence in his music and I find it very nostalgic.

“I’m a huge lover of Demi Lovato too. She inspires me because I relate to her so much as a person as well as her having an insane vocal range. She is a big mental health advocate and has gone through some of the same things as me. I really respect how she uses her talent to speak out about her own struggles and to inspire others, that’s what I aim to do.”

When it comes to life after university, Jazzy says her aim is to secure employment in the music industry. She said: “Music has always been my number one passion and what I’ve wanted to do with my life, other than eventually having an animal sanctuary! I’ve always thought that as long as I have music I am happy. After graduating from the University of Gloucestershire I’ll be moving down to London which I’m really excited about. It feels right, being in a city the size of London is the best way to meet people and start a career in the music industry. I’m so excited because I’ve never lived in a city before. As someone who comes from a tiny little island at the bottom of England, this feels like a massive jump but I’m ready to take some risks for what I love.”

Andrew Lansley, Senior Lecturer in Music & Audio at the University of Gloucestershire, says the opportunity to perform in front of a big crowd is a huge benefit to his students. “We have worked with Wychwood Festival for almost a decade now and it is amazing to be able to offer our students the opportunity to perform for their audience, which of course is a fantastic experience for them,” said Andrew.