At home and further afield
JONATHAN GEDDES
A Cambuslang singer has been lifting lockdown spirits across the globe by streaming performances from her home.
Fiona McKenna, who uses the stage name Robyn Taylor, has had appreciative viewers from as far afield as South America tune in to listen to her performances.
And Fiona even put on a special show for her closest neighbours from her back garden.
The country music performer was taking part in one of the weekly Thursday night Clap for the NHS events when she started singing Bridge Over Troubled Water.
When her neighbours showed their appreciation, Fiona decided to arrange a performance from her garden.
She explained: “I’d been singing from my house and streaming it online but I hadn’t planned on doing anything from the garden.
“It ended up being a really nice afternoon. The weather was great and my neighbours were all out on blankets with picnics> I got quite emotional when singing.”
The lockdown has meant that Fiona has been unable to perform her usual gigs, so she broadcast them through social media instead.
She explained: “The streaming shows have been really popular – I’ve got people watching in places like Brazil and the Dominican Republic, which is crazy.
“It was very strange at first, because as a singer you are used to having a reaction, having someone or something to bounce off, and that tells you if the show is going well or not.
“Not having that took time to get used, as you only have comments on the stream. But the feedback has been lovely, and I’ve had people telling me how much they’ve enjoyed or it has cheered them up. That’s a really nice thing to hear.”
The shows have helped keep Fiona’s own spirits high, too.
She saidd: “Singing is my outlet and it’s meant a lot that it’s still there even though it’s virtual.
“It has helped me as a singer as well. I started off doing country, but after a few weeks thought I better change it so it wasn’t just the same songs being repeated.
“So I’ve done themed weeks, like the 60s, 70s and 80s, and then other weeks I’ve just taken requests.
“I’ve ended up singing songs I’ve never done before, and that’s meant I’ve given myself a nice wee challenge.
“I did songs like We Don’t Cry Out Loud by Elkie Brooks, a really big production of a song which I never thought about doing before.”
Fiona hopes to perform in front of an audience again soon, but in the meantime she believes that her online gigs can continue to provide some cheer.
She added: “Entertainment can make such a difference to people’s moods.
“There’s a lot of us who have been doing this, and hopefully it’s cheered people up.”
Visit www.facebook.com/www. robyntaylor.co.uk/ to see Fiona in action