Celebrating Joan Armatrading: Five Decades of Uncompromising Excellence
In 2025, we celebrate a monumental milestone in music history: 53 years since the debut album from Joan Armatrading comes the release of her 21st studio album, How Did This Happen? For over five decades, Joan has defied expectations, navigating the turbulent waters of an ever-changing music industry while staying true to her original vision.
A Career Built on Unwavering Authenticity
From the beginning, Joan Armatrading charted a course that many aspired to but few achieved—sustaining longevity and success without compromising her integrity. Trends and fashion have come and gone, but Joan's music has always been her own, untouched by external pressures or industry demands. This consistency has been a hallmark of her artistry, setting her apart from countless musicians who were lured off course by commercialism or fleeting fads.
How Did This Happen?—A Defiance of Time and Expectation
Listening to How Did This Happen?, one thing is immediately clear: Joan Armatrading has not just endured; she’s thriving. The album is a vibrant, eclectic collection of sounds and styles that showcases the sharpness of her mind and the depth of her observational storytelling.
At an age when many artists begin grappling with decline—whether physically, mentally, or creatively—Joan stands as a striking exception. Her voice remains powerful, her lyrics incisive, and her music brimming with a vitality that many younger artists would envy. Her continued commitment to writing, recording, producing, and engineering every track on her albums is a testament to her tireless work ethic and unmatched talent.
A Legacy Cemented
Joan Armatrading’s 53-year journey has secured her a place among the greatest singer-songwriters to emerge from these shores. Her impact on music cannot be overstated, as she continues to inspire generations of listeners and creators. With How Did This Happen?, she not only adds another gem to her legendary discography but also proves that creativity and passion can transcend the limits of time.
Joan Armatrading is, and will remain, essential listening—an artist whose work deserves to be celebrated not just for its longevity but for its unwavering excellence.
On the next edition of the show you can hear the full interview with Joan in the meantime
here are some of the highlights from the feature.
Tim Caple
So here we are then in 2025. Now this is 53 years on from your debut album and you've managed to do what very few artists have done, which is sustain this success and longevity without any deviation.
from the way you wanted to do things. No interference, no bowing to fashions or trends. How did you actually make this work solely on your terms?
Joan
Yeah, I'm not really sure apart from just being who I am. And because that's all I know, that's all I can do. So if somebody said, as they said to me, for instance, change your name, well, this is the name. So I'm not going to do that. They said because I love writing and that's why I think I'm here. That's why I think I was born.
And they said, well, you should sing cover songs. Well, I'm a writer, so it's not, I'm not here to sing cover songs. Don't get me wrong. Love songs from other people and other people are incredibly clever. And I think, my goodness, when I listen to some of the songs, think how clever are you to have written that and to be singing that. But that's not what I was born to do. What I was born to do was write songs. So very easy for me to just stick to the thing that I know I was here to do.
I'm just a kind of focused sort of person and I'm not particularly easily swayed if I think it's not for me. If I think it's for me, you know, it's not that I'm not perfect. won't just go and do things for the sake of being, you know, awkward or being who I think I am. That's not it. But I'm...
quite confident about my talents and I think you have to be. think anybody who's creative and is kind of good at what they do, they have to know they're good at it and they have to know what it is they want. Whether you're talking about... It doesn't matter who you're talking about, if they have some success, they have to know what it is they're doing and just kind of stick to it. So I've never really had any...
asked about should I be doing this, should I be doing that, should I be listening to this, should I be listening to that. You know, I've been quite confident about where I think I should be. Whether other people think it's right, that's a whole different thing. Might be lots of people who think, well Joan, maybe you should listen to more people, but no, I'm quite happy. As you say, I've managed to maintain a career for a long time on just being who I am.
Tim Caple
So we're celebrating album 21 and there's almost a defiance of nature here because you're sounding and looking incredible. The music on the album is this eclectic mix of sounds and styles and there's no dimming in the sharpness of your mind to create these songs and stories from observation. And you make it look, dare I say, easy.
Joan
I do find it quite easy actually, I've got to say. I've never struggled to write a song really. I mean I might write a bad song, in my eyes it's a bad song, but what I do is I'll always finish whatever song I start I'll finish it and if I think it's bad then nobody gets to hear it. So it's not that I'm
writing things that I think myself is perfect all the time or that's really good everybody's got to hear that. That's not the case but I know that I want to do this and I'm alive for this sake. you're here you should have some joy in being here you know so that helps to motivate me just being here is a motivation.
And then when you're here you meet new people, hear new things, you see interesting things, so that keeps you motivated and makes you want to write about it. So there's a lot of things to make me be up still.
Tim Caple
When you create these things from observation, social observation, are you always observing? When you go out and you go shopping on a Saturday afternoon or you go out for dinner, are you always observing the room and what's going on around you for potential song inspiration?
Joan
Ha Ha
Joan
think the answer to that might be yes, however, not always consciously. So when it comes time to write, it's amazing some of the things that will come into your head that, you know, something might say, okay, now it's time to write and I'm going to write about this. But some of the words and some of the actions that happened during the song might come from something that you've seen ages ago that you didn't realise you were taking in.
and it all fits into that song. And again, again, it's not just me that does that. It's all people who are creative have to be present. You have to be observant and be mindful of what's around you because those are the things that's giving you that, the power to make those words. So yeah, I'm definitely on all the time, but as I say, not
necessarily always consciously. And obviously, it's not everything that you see is going to make you think, let me write a song about that. Whatever that thing is that makes you think, yes, let me write a song about it. It has its own special thing and you can't, you can't really legislate for it. You can't say, okay, on Tuesday at two o'clock when I go down the high streets, I'm going to see the thing that makes me feel... It doesn't work like that. It's something that you actually...
Tim Caple
Yeah.
Joan
I have no idea how and why it works.
Tim Caple
Let's not forget here at a time when many artists would be beginning to embrace struggle, be it physically or mentally, you're doing more than ever in terms of writing, performing, producing, engineering. It seems that that old cliche, age is just a number has relevance because its something else you aren't allowing to dictate what you do
Joan
Yeah, well, I mean, I've been from day one to my first album was in 1972. And from from that album to this album, I've always been incredibly involved in the production. So I've always written the songs. I've always arranged the songs. Even the days when you had a producer credit, really, I should have been having a producer credit along with them, because I was always involved in all of that. It's never the producer saying, you know, this is how it goes.
So it's not, for me, there's no great big leap from 1972 to 2024, 25, because this is what I've always been doing. And I was so lucky that my first producer was Gus Dudgeon. And Gus, who produced Elton John at the time, who Elton John at the time was the Taylor Swift of the day. He was selling everything, know, everything that was being sold was Elton John. And Gus was his producer and Gus...
recognized that I knew what I wanted and knew what I was doing and just allowed that to happen. And then I was again incredibly lucky to have Glyn Johns as my third producer.
Tim Caple
Led Zeppelin and the Beatles, yeah.
Absolutely you name a big art act and Glyn has worked with them. And again, Glyn recognized that. So I've always been able to be very involved in everything that I've been working on.
Joan
Those two guys are mega in my eyes, you know, who they are and their talents. And of course, all the musicians that I've worked with have been incredible musicians. They're really talented people. But it's my job to know what I want, you know, because there'll always be somebody who knows how it should go, always. It'll be the engineer or the producer or the bass player, the drummer. It'll be somebody.
Joan
And as the songwriter, I feel it's my job to know.
You are the poster for the obvious benefits of clean living. You've never drunk, you've never smoked.
Joan
Right.
Tim Caple
You don't do coffee, tea or meat. And every strand of your life, seems, is geared towards you achieving musically that again is some life commitment to go through and manage to sidestep all of those things that are very prevalent in the music industry. So again, this is a sign of an incredible strength of character.
Joan
Yeah, you see, I don't see it like that. I just see it as me being me because this is all I know. So if I started out being one way and ended up this way, then I would say, yeah, that's great. an achievement. But because I've always only been like this, doesn't, it's just that, you know, if I, if I used to smoke or if I used to drink or if I used to do drugs or if I used to, don't know, whatever you want.
and I'd then stopped and become something else, then yeah, wow, how incredible, but no, this is it.
Tim Caple
Does it make you smile when you see some of these guys that have lived utter lives of debauchery suddenly at the age of 76 finding out cleanliness is fabulous for the body?
Joan
Yeah, it's quite interesting, but it's nice that they've come to it. But the thing is, they obviously enjoyed themselves at the time, so that's nice for them.
Tim Caple
Back to the album, it's interesting as well to see and feel a slightly more rock-infused album here, which includes two great instrumental tracks, firstly, Back and Forth, which is this reminder of what a great blues player you are, and maybe a nod to some who missed it to go out and check out Into the Blues, the album you did back in 2007
Joan
Yeah.
.
Tim Caple
That came out of nowhere. You're sort of, you know, ambling along, listening to this sort of chilled rock feel, and then this comes at you. So where did the inspiration for that come from?
Joan
back and forth. I just woke up that morning and I felt like playing the guitar. didn't feel, it wasn't a question of thinking about writing, I just really wanted to play and I just went into the studio and recorded what I was playing. So it was just a stream of consciousness really, I just played and that's the result. So it's just
really simple, I just wanted to play. well, now what? Yeah, because I thought, I can't just have one. I can't just have one instrumental on it. I better put two. So I did that. And because I was kind of in the just playing mode.
Tim Caple
And then now what? The other instrumental track ramps it up even more, doesn't it? Because you're shredding into the intro of this.
Joan
they kind of followed each other. But yeah, they just came out of just wanting to play. And I hadn't planned on putting an instrumental on the album, actually. I didn't even think, I hadn't planned on it at all. It's just that when I did it, thought, is, excuse me, it sounds really good. I think it deserves to be on the album. And...
Yeah, and it's nice actually, it's been good because it's reminded people that I'm a really good guitarist as well, so I've enjoyed that part of it.
Tim Caple
I I know you don't like talking about who specific influences were or who you were a big fan of as a kid you were 19 before you bought your first album. Muddy Waters holds a bit of a place for you you're a big fan of that album, Electric Mud.
Joan
Yeah.
Joan
Love Muddy Waters. Yeah. Yeah, that was great. I lost that album in...
In New York, I lost a whole load of lyrics. I had a book of lyrics and I had my Muddy Waters album and left them in a taxi. Went on the radio trying to get both of those back but couldn't. And then I think it was something like 20, I can't remember what it 2012, 2014, something like that. I finally managed to buy back.
Muddy Waters Electric Mud album and I got it in Jack White's record shop because he has a record shop in which other city that is in America and I just happened to cross, I didn't realise it was his shop, I just happened to cross this shop and he had a copy of that in there so I got it so I'm really happy about that.
Join us on the next edition of the show on the 23rd of this month where you can here the interview in full Joan's album "How Did This Happen And What Does It Mean" is out now.
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