An Evening with Joan Armatrading
Legendary songwriter Joan Armatrading joins us to explore her extraordinary life in music and share the stories that inspired her new album How Did This Happen And What Does It Now Mean.
From her 1972 debut album Whatever's For Us to last year’s How Did This Happen And What Does It Now Mean, Joan Armatrading has proven herself time and again to be one of the brightest stars in the firmament of British music. Whether writing a symphony for the Southbank Centre in 2023 to taking complete creative control of her records – including not only writing, performing, and producing but even programming and engineering her latest album – she has never once rested on her laurels as one of our greatest singer-songwriters, preferring to innovate and challenge herself to continue creating music of dazzling originality and artistry.
Born in St Kitts, raised in Antigua and Birmingham, Joan left school at 15 to support her family and lost her first job as a typist for taking her guitar in to work to play during tea-breaks. Now the recipient of an Ivor Novello Award, three Grammy nominations, two BRIT nominations awards, and MBE, and a CBE, her work continues to inspire a new generation of famous fans, including Little Simz, Laura Mvula, and Arlo Parks.
She joins us live in conversation to look back on an extraordinary life in music and reflect on where she, and the world, are today: themes that resonate deeply in her new album How Did This Happen And What Does It Now Mean.
Whether you’ve been a passionate fan of Joan’s music for fifty years or only recently discovered her breathtaking oeuvre, this is an unmissable, one-of-a-kind event.
Presented by How To Academy