South Shields singer releases fundraising single to raise cash to help Customs House

Jen Stevens, 34, was inspired to pen Ghost Light after being made redundant from her part-time job as a technician and assistant in cuts this week at The Customs House in South Shields.

For inspiration, Jen, from South Shields, turned to what she knows best – mixing music with theatre to write the song’s lyrics.

They tell of the ghost light, traditionally left on a stage when a theatre is unoccupied, and how its image can be a beacon of hope for music and art creatives affected by the pandemic.

The tune, which she describes as a piano-based pop-folk, is available to download, and 50 per cent of sales will go to The Customs House.

Jen said: “Every theatre leaves on a ghost light, so that people will come back. It’s romantic, but the image of the light being left on is also quite sad.

“The song is written from the point of view of a theatre as being a sad old girl. It’s a cry on behalf of all creatives who are affected by what is happening.

“It’s written not just about The Customs House, but about everyone in the industry. If anyone will listen, we are all here, waiting to be found.

“Ghost Light is quite melancholic but it is also a song of hope, it is uplifting.

“Without a doubt, The Customs House in a period of turmoil, we all knew these cuts were coming.

“But I do hope I can get back one day. The Customs House is very much a family.”

Job uncertainty allowed Jen, who began playing the piano aged four and writing songs at 12, to concentrate on her voice coaching talents.

She opened a new recording studio within a creative arts venue at Prospect House on Simonside Industrial Estate in February – a move put on hold by lockdown.

Jen, who has released one solo album and four with her band Jen Stevens and the Hiccups, is back open for business, specialising in voice coaching and piano teaching.

Ghost Light can be downloaded at jenstevens.bandcamp.com

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