Scottish music studio launches Christmas charity single

SOME of the world’s most talented female drummers have joined forces to release a Christmas single to help raise awareness of mental health issues in young people in music.

‘Little Drummer Girl’ is a unique take on the Christmas classic, ‘Little Drummer Boy’, which features 12 drummers from the UK and US. The single was arranged and coordinated by The Echo Lab Music Studios in Perthshire.

Charlotte Bibby, drummer and director at The Echo Lab, says: ‘The inspiration for this project came from my desire to raise awareness of the mental health issues that affect young musicians, while also raising the profile of female musicians – who generally don’t get the recognition or same spotlight as their male counterparts.

‘The loss of Frightened Rabbit front man, Scott Hutchison, was also a huge catalyst for the project. He was a massive inspiration to me and his death really highlighted the fact that more needed to be done to support the mental health of musicians.’

Money raised through sales of the single will be split between two charities; Tiny Changes, a Scottish mental health charity set up in memory of Scott Hutchison; and Action for Children, which works to support and protect young people across the UK.

Among the sponsors of the initiative was Specsavers Audiology in Edinburgh. 

Jonathan Bell, audiology director for Specsavers in Edinburgh, says: ‘We are delighted to support such a fantastic initiative in the lead up to Christmas.

‘The work of both Tiny Changes and Action for Children is a true inspiration – particularly over the festive period. We wish every success for the single and hope the funds raised go a long way towards helping young people in music who are suffering from mental health issues.’

Other sponsors include Natal Drums, Istanbul Mehmet cymbals, Evans Drumheads, Forty-Six Creative Consultancy, Chuck Cumming, Wing Design, Dylan White, and Karl Parsons.

The single, which has just been released, is available on iTunes, Apple Music, Amazon Music and Spotify.

To find out more visit www.theecholab.co.uk.