SCARLETT FAGAN: CONSCIOUS. AWAKENED. ARISING
Some singers learn how to use their voice. Scarlett Fagan had to learn how not to be afraid of hers.
Long before sold-out rooms and records of her own, the London-born, Devon-raised singer was the shy kid absorbing Etta James, Amy Winehouse, Motown, soul and reggae, discovering in those records that the most powerful voices weren't necessarily the prettiest or safest—they were the ones willing to tell the truth.
Eventually, Bristol gave her somewhere to tell hers.
As frontwoman for The Hawkmen, Fagan cut her teeth inside the band's collision of rockabilly, Northern Soul and R&B, appearing on Craig Charles’ Funk & Soul Club compilations and reaching listeners well beyond the UK. But stepping away from a band meant there was nowhere left to hide. Her 2022 solo debut, Conscious, turned that vulnerability into music—ten songs drawn from struggle, insecurity, relationships and self-discovery. The woman who once battled severe stage fright then walked into Camden’s Green Note and sold it out. Subsequent shows followed suit.
Now Conscious has given way to something else: awakening.
“Awaken” b/w “Arise” pairs Fagan with Endemic Emerald, the UK-born, NYC-based producer whose underground Hip-Hop pedigree runs through Duck Down and work with artists from the Wu-Tang and Boot Camp worlds to Roc Marciano, Tragedy Khadafi, Planet Asia, Ruste Juxx and Sean Price. He comes from beats, breaks and crates. She comes from singers, songs and stages.
The meeting point is soul.
And there is something wonderfully full-circle about it. Hip-Hop spent generations reaching backward into soul records for drums, voices, textures and feeling. Now a Hip-Hop producer steeped in that tradition is helping create new soul music worthy of being discovered on wax itself.
“Awaken” moves through horns, organ and break-beat grit as Fagan confronts insecurity and steps toward confidence. “Arise,” its more meditative counterpart, places her sultry vocal range against Endemic’s melodic production in a song about resilience, perseverance and continuing forward when staying down would be easier.
Together, the songs inaugurate Unique Soul Records, Endemic’s new retro-soul imprint, with Fagan as its first artist and the opening voice in a planned series of 7-inch releases connecting singers from the UK and United States. It is intentionally old-school in presentation without pretending the calendar stopped decades ago: the format looks backward; the stories belong to right now.
That distinction matters because Scarlett Fagan isn't playing dress-up in somebody else's soul era.
She has lived enough of her own story to sing one.
From the frightened young performer who struggled to let people hear her to The Hawkmen, Conscious, sold-out stages and now the first record carrying the Unique Soul name, every chapter has required her to become a little less afraid of taking up space.
So perhaps “Awaken” and “Arise” aren't merely song titles.
They are instructions Scarlett Fagan has been giving herself all along.
Q. Scarlett, before Conscious, The Hawkmen, the sold-out shows, and now Awaken b/w Arise, take us back to the beginning. Growing up between London and Devon with your parents’ soul, Motown, and reggae records around you, what first made you realize that singing could become more than something you simply loved?
I think I realized singing meant more to me than anything else when I was in school. I was super shy about it and really struggled to sing in front of people, but whenever I did, I received so much amazing feedback that it helped me realize that maybe I had something worth working on. There was also one occasion when I was quite young where I performed at an open mic at a small festival, and there was a talent scout in the audience who told my mum, “She’s got it.” I was too young at the time for it to go any further, and it was small moments like that that gave me enough confidence to take my singing more seriously.
Q. Etta James and Amy Winehouse are among the voices that helped shape your musical vocabulary. What did you learn from singers like them about vulnerability, phrasing, and making somebody actually feel the story rather than simply hear the notes?
Something that immediately struck me with soul/jazz singers like Amy Winehouse and Etta James was what sounded to me like a “controlled rawness” in their vocals. I find that aspect in all the old soul songs. You can feel their emotions simply through the tones of their voices, and the lyrics are just a delivery system for that. Even as a kid, I recognized that even just singing in that way is being vulnerable. But then, when Amy Winehouse brought out Back to Black, her voice, as well as her lyrics, was so deeply honest and emotional that I was like, if I’m ever gonna write my own songs, I want it to be this honest and exposing, no matter how scary that is.
Q. You’ve spoken about dealing with severe stage fright in your early twenties, yet you eventually became the frontwoman for The Hawkmen. What finally got you through that fear, and how much of the performer we see today was forged by having to fight for your confidence first?
Being the lead singer for The Hawkmen was really helpful for me getting over the stage fright because we were performing quite regularly in all sorts of venues and in front of all sorts of audiences. So the more I did that, the less nervous I became. I think that a quality I have always had is that despite the nerves or the physical feeling of not wanting to put myself in that vulnerable position, I will make myself do it anyway because I know that not doing it is a worse feeling to live with.
If you see me singing in one of my more intimate shows in London, you’ll hear very honest stories about where my songs come from. You’ll hear and see real vulnerability from me. That’s something I’ve had to fight myself to become comfortable with because I knew that’s the kind of artist I wanted to be. I might not be able to sit and have a vulnerable conversation with someone, but I can be vulnerable onstage in front of strangers with my music.
Q. The Hawkmen brought together rockabilly, Northern Soul, and R&B, landed on Craig Charles’ Funk & Soul Club compilations, and introduced your voice to listeners well beyond Bristol. What did those years teach you about fronting a band, finding your own identity, and eventually knowing when it was time to step out alone?
When I joined the band in my early 20s, I was completely clueless, to be honest. I thought I had an identity, but it began to adapt very quickly after joining the band because I wanted to experiment and fit the band aesthetic. Playing around with image and style is all part of the fun, and eventually I found my place and my style.
I learned so much during my time with The Hawkmen and had so much fun touring, recording, and filming music videos. I got to embrace the diva within—especially in music videos—and I think the audience enjoyed that. By the time I decided to leave, I had just released my debut solo album, Conscious, and I simply felt that it was time for change. I was ready to dedicate all my time to my own music and wanted to get more into intimate, vulnerable performances.
Q. Your 2022 solo debut, Conscious, dealt openly with relationships, insecurity, temptation, self-worth, and personal struggle across songs like “Booze & Coffee,” “Sugar,” “Security,” “Used,” and the title track. Looking back, how much did making that album help you understand the woman behind the voice?
Writing those songs was like therapy to me. I learned a lot about myself and my thought processes and how my life experiences have shaped me. Prior to writing those songs, it felt like I was just bumbling along, not really understanding my choices or my life. But after writing them, recording them, and performing them, I understood so much, and it gave me the opportunity to work on things that had been hidden in my subconscious for way too long.
Q. Your first solo show at Green Note in Camden sold out, and subsequent appearances followed suit. For somebody who once battled stage fright, what did standing in a packed room of people who had specifically come to hear Scarlett Fagan mean to you?
The first sold-out Green Note show I had after my album was released was a complete shock to the system. I had been preparing for only a few people to show up, but when I found out it was sold out, I couldn’t believe it. It’s a small venue, but it still meant so much to me. Some of the audience were moved to tears, which, weirdly, is exactly what I wanted—good tears, not bad, of course.
Being able to connect with my audience in that way had been a dream for a long time. Every time I see new faces in the audience, people who have paid to see me perform my songs, I am so grateful I can’t really put it into words.
Q. “Awaken” and “Arise” almost feel like two chapters of the same personal evolution—one moving from insecurity toward confidence, the other centered on resilience and perseverance. What was happening within you when these songs took shape, and how closely do they reflect where you are in life today?
“Awaken” and “Arise” are two of a few songs I wrote for the project with Endemic. The thought in my mind at the time was that each song was like a spiritual mantra—a series of thoughts and feelings, but also confident statements that should be repeated until you believe them.
When I write, I like to include details about the past, present, and future, and I’m careful about words I use for the future because I think there’s power in the words we speak. When I wrote “Arise” and “Awaken,” I was actually a bit lost, but I didn’t want to be, so I wrote those songs with positivity in mind. I feel like I’m permanently in a phase of awakening and rising, so those songs coming out now feels like a great reminder of how far I’ve come.
Q. Endemic, your résumé comes from a very different musical corner—Duck Down, Wu-Tang and Boot Camp affiliates, Roc Marciano, Sean Price, Tragedy Khadafi, Planet Asia, and underground Hip-Hop. What did you hear in Scarlett’s voice that made you think, this is the singer I want introducing Unique Soul Records?
Endemic: I heard her music initially on her Conscious album and was really impressed with the ’70s soul influence while also bringing her own style. But it was when I saw her perform in Camden that I realized how talented she was and thought she was the perfect opener for Unique Soul. She also reminded me of myself back in the day, as I had such a strong ’90s Hip-Hop influence, stuck to my guns, and didn’t follow the trends.
Q. Scarlett, when Endemic brought that Hip-Hop producer’s ear for drums, breaks, horns, organs, and samples into your soul world, what did his production pull out of you that you hadn’t necessarily explored on your previous records?
When I started working on the songs for Endemic, I understood that the lyrics and the pace of the lyrics were going to be the focus for me. I also understood that I wanted to add depth by experimenting with my vocals, adding breathy high notes but at a quicker pace than usual. This was a different approach to my previous writing projects simply because it was a different beat and structure.
Q. Endemic, Hip-Hop itself was built from generations of soul, funk, and jazz records being rediscovered on turntables. With Unique Soul Records, are you in some ways taking that journey full circle—using everything Hip-Hop taught your ear to create new soul records that somebody might eventually sample years from now?
Endemic: Yeah, that’s a pretty good summary, bro. Everything comes in cycles that future generations pick back up on. I’m looking at putting my own stamp on the retro soul sound. Whereas they have all live instrumentation in the music, I’ll be keeping some form of the Hip-Hop production element mixed in with that. If producers can create their own music with some of ours, all the better.
Q. Scarlett, there’s something beautifully deliberate about releasing Awaken b/w Arise as a physical 7-inch in a streaming world. As someone raised around actual records, what does seeing your name and music pressed onto vinyl mean—and do you think younger listeners are rediscovering something previous generations understood about truly owning music?
Seeing my name pressed on vinyl is always a special experience. It feels more authentic than digital releases, and when people buy the vinyl, you feel that they’re investing in you. I think there will always be a movement in younger generations where they embrace vinyl and even tapes. Everything being digital all the time gets boring, and it lacks depth, so yeah, I think younger generations will naturally be drawn to the real stuff.
There’s a huge Northern Soul vinyl revival happening with young people in the UK—especially Bristol—at the moment. They’ve got the records and they’re learning the dances. I love to see it.
Q. You’re also the first artist out on Unique Soul Records, with more singers and releases planned behind you. Does being the label’s opening statement add another layer of significance to this record, and what do you hope Scarlett Fagan brings to the identity of the imprint from day one?
Yeah, I’m really grateful to be the first release on Unique Soul Records. I hope to bring the kind of vintage soul vocals that I used to obsess over as a kid. Endemic has extensive knowledge about vintage and super-rare soul music, so I would hope that I can bring that vibe to the project and to Unique Soul Records.
Q. Scarlett, bring it all the way home: from the young woman battling stage fright to The Hawkmen, Conscious, sold-out rooms, and now Awaken and Arise, you’ve essentially lived the journey those two new song titles describe. What have you finally awakened to about yourself—and, as you arise into this next chapter, what are you no longer afraid of?
I’m finally learning to embrace my strengths without hesitation or fear. In the UK, we’ve historically had a bit of a culture of “not rising above your station,” and it’s insidious, especially in working-class families. I think I’m finally ready to embrace the diva in me. She’s not perfect, but she doesn’t have to be. I’ve got a lot more to do in this life, and I don’t think I’ve even scratched the surface yet.
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