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'Pint sized poetess with valley quaking voice. Her songs have a raw vibrancy that suit her earthy voice and emotionally mature lyrics' - Q magazine

Amy is about to release her next album, "Bump!" It was recorded at Room With A View studios in Dorset, at the end of her "Bump on the Road Tour", when she was nearly eight months pregnant! Hence the title! It features her band, (Aled Richards on drums and Bobby Kewley on bass), along with special guest artists, Robbie McIntosh, Steve Smith and Paul Beavis and was produced by Amy and Steve Smith.

Amy has four previous releases; The Famous Hour, (2002), Woj, (2004), No Sudden Moves, (2006) and Tougher than Love, (2007), by an all female, three part vocal harmony group called Hummingbird, in which Amy was involved and which toured extensively during 2006-7.

Amy started writing songs at the age of nine on the family piano. When she was 11, her parents bought her a junk shop guitar. She discovered a passion for the instrument and taught herself to play along to Tracy Chapman's debut album. While still at school, she gigged around Bristol's numerous music venues and caught the performing bug. At 14, she signed her first record deal with her band, 'Two Of A Mind' and released her first single at the age of 16.

At 19, after a year working in a record shop trying to decide what to do with her life, Amy moved to Wales to study at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama where she trained as an actor. She busked on the streets of Cardiff, to pay her way through college. At that time, the Welsh music scene launched some of the huge 'indie' bands that emerged from the city during the late nineties; The Manics, The Phonics, Catatonia and The Super Furries, etc. Their success was potent, the optimism, infectious and Cardiff became a hugely dynamic music city.

Amy started performing at open mic sessions in Cardiff's Toucan Club, developing a local fan base and gaining both experience and critical recognition. She received huge encouragement from some of the big players in the city at the time, among them producer, Greg Haver, who recorded her debut mini-album, The Famous Hour.

After graduating, Amy decided to commit to music. She took a factory job, putting little boxes into big boxes, in order to give her enough time and a bit of money to pursue her ambition. She signed with a small independent Cardiff label, 'FF Vinyl', who were doing A&R work for the BBC at the time, seeking out local acts for the, Radio 2 'Music Live 2001' week in Cardiff. She got a slot on the Janice Long Late Night Session and was heralded as one of the week's highlights. The set was broadcast in its entirety that night.

'FF', released The Famous Hour and it ended up on the desk of the people launching 'BBC 6Music'. They loved it and immediately asked Amy to perform at their launch night. Also on the bill that night were The Stereophonics, Embrace, Pete Yorn and Lenny Kravitz.

Rumours soon started flying, with speculation in the Welsh press that Amy was about to succeed Cerys Matthews, fronting Catatonia. None of this speculation was true but Aled Richards, Catatonia's drummer, was soon to join Amy's band.

Later that year, Amy appeared at the Cambridge Folk Festival, took Brittany's Interceltic Festival by storm ('The Voice of her generation - a star is born' - Ouest-France), and was voted, Best Female Solo Artist at the 2002, Welsh Music Awards, beating Charlotte Church. Prestigious support spots flooded in, including opening for Van Morrison, Damien Rice, two tours with Eric Bibb and ultimately, the entire Jeff Beck, UK tour, in 2004, which saw Amy play The Albert Hall on two occasions.

Some weird and wonderful opportunities also came in, including touring Australia as a Welsh Assembly Government, cultural ambassador, during the 2003, Rugby World Cup. This tour included gigs varying from entertaining the Welsh and New South Wales Prime Ministers at an inter-governmental reception at Government House, to singing on a rock in the middle of the Seal Pool at the Sydney Aquarium! Also while in Australia, Amy clinched a licensing deal for her second album Woj and now enjoys a respectable Aussie following.

2003 also saw Amy take the Best Female Solo title at the Welsh Music Awards, for the second year running, this time ahead of Cerys Matthews.

Amy has continued touring ever since, singing the length and breadth of the UK and playing at many of the UK's prestigeous festivals including Cropredy, Hay on Wye Literary Festival, Larmer Tree Festival and Glastonbury. She has also toured in Asia, Russia, Europe and the States.

Amy has also written for and with other artists including Henry Priestman, Craig Gannon, Marti Pellow, Chris Difford, Guy Batson, Amy Nuttel, Jade Gallagher and Lucinda Belle. A number of other artists will be releasing songs by Amy during 2008.

"Bump!" is available to buy on-line from Amy's website, www.amywadge.com