Bossy Love

Perhaps best described by The Guardian as “Prince on a trampoline”, in two short years Glasgow-based duo Bossy Love have built an army of fans utterly captivated by their savvy, RnB-inflected pop; where deadly hooks and fearless, anthemic lyrics sit atop propulsive, rich production.

Comprising Scottish producer, songwriter and drummer John Baillie Jr, and Australian vocalist and songwriter Amandah Wilkinson, the enigmatic duo now known as Bossy Love, first crossed paths sharing a bill with The Futureheads in 2008. Wilkinson was performing with the indie-pop outfit Operator Please, who were at the time, according to The Guardian, “the biggest thing to come out of Australia in years.” As the band’s lead vocalist and guitarist, Wilkinson released two albums on Virgin/EMI, complete with top-ten singles and a coveted Aria award (think Aussie Grammys). Wilkinson had also just signed to Sony ATV and was honing her top-lining skills working with some of the world’s biggest pop-producers. Baillie Jr was there as the drummer, co-lead vocalist and producer of the self-dubbed “Fight Pop” sextet, Danananakroyd. Equally successful, with two albums under their belt and their debut described by Pitchfork as “liable to unite moshers and librarians”, Danananakroyd’s music had gone on to feature in HBO’s Girls and on the record-breaking FIFA 2011 video game, whilst they’d also toured the world with Bloc Party, Kaiser Chiefs and Arctic Monkeys.

Of that fateful meeting backstage at Fat Sams in Dundee, Wilkinson explains, “We clicked straight away. We spent three hours in that dressing room, hyperactively talking about the same music.” They kept in touch and several years later, Wilkinson disbanded Operator Please and sent her solo demos to Baillie Jr, now also a free agent. He set to work on them that same day. “The first thing he sent back had me amazed. Without having to say a word, it was everything I'd ever wanted in a song.” Amandah eventually moved to Baillie Jr’s hometown of Glasgow, and Bossy Love was born.

The musical chemistry the duo share is undeniable, and following just a handful of single releases, they’ve already made an indelible mark on the industry. Despite being released without the support of a label, or any kind of marketing campaign, in a move simply unheard of these days, the music broke through regardless and Bossy Love began to receive acclaim from all corners.

On their first single, the Fader declared "You wish you were best friends with Bossy Love. They make the kind of R&B that their name promises; sweet but direct, sexy but firmly in charge," while Clash Magazine recognised "Pop enigma Bossy Love craft an off-piste R&B vision. We're entranced; it's a dexterous, colour-soaked slice of music with startling, matching lucid synths, bubbling electronics, and those intertwining, teasing, emphatically energetic vocals."

At radio, they secured plays from the likes of Lauren Laverne and Huw Stephens, and right across BBC Radio 1 and BBC 6Music, Beats 1, Triple J, Amazing and Kiss FM. At home, Vic Galloway of BBC Radio Scotland professed “Bossy Love are one of the most exciting bands on the planet."

Further endorsement came from streaming monolith Spotify, who rushed to support Bossy Love’s debut work, even adding them to their highly-prized New Music Fridays playlist, complete with 2.8 million followers. With awareness starting to spread outside of the music industry, Bossy Love’s music was playlisted by H&M, Topshop and Red Bull, and featured on Soccer AM and Made In Chelsea. One of their songs soundtracked an ad campaign for a cult Japanese toy brand, while Glasgow International Film Festival commissioned and showcased their debut music video.

It’s on stage, however, that we truly get to witness Bossy Love’s magic. With explosive, searing energy from the very first bar, they command absolute stage presence with the ease, confidence and effortless charm that only comes from years spent honing their skills at the front of the world’s stages. Described by Dummy as “even more stunning live”, The Skinny also noted “it’s a brave band who let Bossy Love open for them.”

Initially starting off as a DJ/MC duo, Bossy Love soon developed a three-piece live show, with the addition of Ollie Cox on keys, homemade talkbox and backing vocals. On stage, Baillie Jr interjects his own phenomenal, frenetic drumming for three-part harmonies with Cox and Wilkinson, and whether singing or rapping, Wilkinson’s vocal prowess is spellbinding. As the front-woman, she merges confessional lyrics with a playful, IDGAF attitude, to command the entire room as the relatable, yet audaciously alpha heroine we all want and need.

With this live show, Bossy Love have supported several exciting and established international artists on tour; including Kelis, Tank & The Bangas, Metronomy and Alma. Following their sold-out, debut headline UK tour, Bossy Love were invited to perform at a host of festivals; including The Edinburgh Fringe, The Great Escape and Glastonbury, where their set was televised by the BBC. Bossy Love were invited back by the BBC to perform on their Quay Sessions this summer, which was subsequently broadcast across their radio and TV channels.

Finally home from tour, last year Bossy Love were awarded funding by the Scottish arts body Creative Scotland to build their studio in Glasgow, and have duly since spent the last few months holed-up, recording new music. Baillie Jr also found time to produce the Kiss & Tell album for fellow Glaswegians, Babe, which was nominated for the respected Scottish Album Of The Year 2018 award.

While putting the finishing touches to their highly-anticipated debut album, Bossy Love are gearing up to release an EP, entitled Whiplash, this Autumn. It’s here we need to remind ourselves that, despite the phenomenal respect they already command, Whiplash will be Bossy Love’s debut EP release. Having already been compared to icons Prince, Quincy Jones and Michael Jackson, one can only imagine what lies in store for these two exceptional talents as they get ready to unleash their new music on the world.

As The Herald said, "They light up the room and the sky and the city... Bossy Love is all you need."