Sandi pays tribute to LIPA as album hits summit
Scottish singer-songwriter Sandi Thom has paid tribute to the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts where she honed her talents, after her first album debuted at the top of the charts.

Smile.It Confuses People hit the No.1 spot in the UK Album Charts just a week after her song I Wish I Was A Punk Rocker (With Flowers In My Hair) topped the singles chart.

Sandi, 25, studied a music degree at LIPA, co-founded by Sir Paul McCartney, before graduating in 2003. Her success represents the first time a former student has reached the top of the album or singles chart in the UK.

She says her move to the institute, from Banff in the north of Scotland, was an invaluable factor in real-i sing her dreams. "For any aspiring performer, going to study at LIPA would be a great thing for your career," said Sandi.

"Coming from a small community in Scotland into such a creative environment, where there were so many like minded people, and to a city like Liverpool with so much musical heritage, was a real key for me."

Sandi believes the music programmer, not only helped her refine her songwriting and performance skills, but also helped her negotiate the rocky road to pop stardom.

She said: "At LIPA we were always taught to listen to our peers, to analyze what made artists so successful in the past, when learning to write a great song and that's the advice I'd pass on now.

"Pop music is changing, it's going back to the 70s when things were more simplistic. At LIPA I was experimenting with six-minute guitar solos, whereas everything I do now is very simple. It's a natural progression and that environment really helped me experiment and find my sound.

"But, it's not just about your training as a musician. You get a great insight into how the industry works.

"Being an artist is not just about turning up and performing anymore. I became much more media savvy, learned about how to manage my own career and about contracts and publishing deals."

Sandi also met her band at LIPA, Marcus Bonfanti (drums) and Craig Connet (guitar) and they have remained with her ever since.

She added: "We've been playing together for six years now, throughout LIPA and onwards. We have gone through this incredible experience together. "I've made it clear that I only want to play with them, and they've said the same. This No.1 is their success is as much as it is mine."


Sandi's No.1 for LIPA
Sir Paul McCartney has expressed his delight as the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, which he co-founded, celebrates its first UK No.1 single.

Former LIPA student Sandi Thom surged to the top of the charts with her debut single I Wish I Was A Punk Rocker (With Flowers In My Hair) on Sunday.

The Scottish singer-songwriter developed her talents while studying Music at LIPA, before graduating in 2003.

Ex-Beatle Sir Paul, who is lead patron at LIPA, was quick to congratulate Sandi, who signed with RCA/Sony BMG following the success of her web cast filmed in her basement flat in her basement flat in Tooting, London.

He said: "I'm dead chuffed that we've helped Sandi to achieve her dream."

Sandi, from Banff in the North East of Scotland, returned to LIPA last month to headline the Third Degree Music Festival, which showcased the talents of music students, past and present.

LIPA Founding Principal and Chief Executive Mark Featherstone-Witty says that Sandi's success has offered a great boost for staff and students at LIPA.

He said: "This is fantastic news. Aside from Sandi's achievement, the timing for us is amazing - during our tenth year of existence we have a graduate at the top of the charts.

"Our aim is to help all of our students achieve employment, in what are difficult and precarious occupations, so to have a graduate success at this level is not our only focus. But Sandi's success is a great burst of oxygen as we try to make ourselves the premier institute for today's performing arts."

LIPA alumni have written and produced number one hits in the past, but Sandi's achievement represents the first time a performer has reached the coveted No.1 slot.

During her time at LIPA, she became a member of two gospel choirs - singing You'll Never Walk Alone at Anfield in front of 40,000 fans - as well as forming her own band and playing in two more.

Mr Featherstone-Witty added: "While Sandi was here, she was totally committed to her career - which is no less than we would expect from any of our students."

For more information please contact Chris Smith in the LIPA press office on 0151 330 3143 or email c.smith1@lipa.ac.uk

The Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA) was established by Mark Featherstone-Witty and Sir Paul McCartney and celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2006. LIPA is dedicated to providing the best teaching and learning for people who want to pursue a lasting career in the arts and entertainment economy, whether as performers or those who make performance possible.