The Hi folks and welcome to another edition of So De Jerker on songwriting, Your Fort Knightley sojourn into the land of tune smitery.

Joining us for episode 43 is a velvet voiced singer-songwriter who first came to national prominence in 2010,

promptly securing yourself a top 10 album, a top 20 single,

a couple of Brit Award nominations, legions of fans and Bear Bacharach on Speed Dial.

It's the immensely talented rumor.

We've been big admirers of rumor since her emergence three years ago.

Both of her incredibly expressive and affecting voice, which has earned entirely warranted comparisons

with that of Karen Carpenter and immature

sophisticated songwriting. Her music really hawks back to those classic

70s singer-songwriter albums by the legs of Carol King and Carly Simon

doesn't it? Yeah that same sort of relaxed vibe, effortless melodicism,

really well served by a restrained kind of spacious production

and lovely arrangements.

It's a shame more records aren't made that way really in this era where

everything is louder and every space is filled. No don't get me started on that.

Rumor was born Sarah Joyce in Islamabad Pakistan in 1979 where she spent the first 10 years of her life in an

expak community before relocating to England. She left school at 16, briefly attending an

art college in Devon before making her first forays into music as the singer in a London based indie band called the Honda.

When her mother fell ill, she moved to the new forest in the south of England to be close to her,

where she also began writing songs.

When her mother passed away in 2003, our guest moved back to London, took the stage name of

rumor, inspired by a late mother's favourite author at Rumor Garden, and set out on the long

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