“I don't recognise myself without them on”

When did you start wearing glasses and what prompted you to go for a sight test?

I think I started wearing glasses when I was about seven. The first pair I had were those awful NHS octagonal frames and I look back now and question: ‘what was I thinking?’ I come from a line of glasses wearers so I think my mum had probably just thought she should take me for an eye test because she has terrible vision as well.

How many pairs of spectacles and sunglasses do you own?

I have one pair of glasses that I fall in love with and then hold on to for as long as humanly possible. I just find ones that I love and are comfy. So I've got one pair of glasses and a spare pair next to the bed because I'm very short-sighted, so if I can't find where I've left my glasses, I know that I've got one pair that I can wear to find my glasses with, and one pair of sunglasses and that's it.

I think they're more of a fashion statement than when I was growing up

Can you describe your current pair?

To describe the shape, it's a little bit raised on the top of the eye. I really love that they've got a see-through acetate with black patterns on. I wear quite bold clothes on stage so the fact that they're see-through and black means they pair with any colour.

Because I've always worn glasses, they're part of my everyday outfits so it's important for me that they sit well on my face and they're comfortable. It’s also important that they don't have those little nose pads. I find those really uncomfortable.

Would you have a style icon of glasses wearers or someone you looked up to growing up as a glasses wearer?

I don't think so actually. It's interesting that when you see people represented in the media, you don't often see glasses. The number of people that wear glasses, compared to the number of people represented in mainstream media, isn't totally equal. When I was growing up there wasn't anybody who I thought: ‘they are so cool, I love their glasses.’ It was always: ‘Oh, they don't wear glasses, and I have to wear glasses.’

But there are some great glasses wearers, and actually, some old-school composers had great glasses, and it was part of their staple look.

Do you think you might now be in a position where young glasses wearers can look up to you themselves?

I hope so. I do get quite a lot of messages asking who makes my frames and where they're from. I also think there are so many different types of frames available now, and people even wear clear glass in their frames to make it seem like they're wearing glasses, so I think they're more of a fashion statement than when I was growing up. That might just be my perception, but I think they're getting cooler.

Do you wear contact lenses?

I tried contact lenses, but I didn't find them hugely comfortable. And because I've worn glasses for so long, I don't recognise myself without them on and nobody recognises me without my glasses on because I wear quite bold frames. I always feel a bit bare without them.

I play often in a group with other people or with an orchestra, and I wouldn't be able to see the other musicians and their facial expressions and body language without my glasses

How important is eyewear to reflecting your personality?

It’s quite an important part of my identity and look, especially on stage. It’s important for my confidence levels as well. I can't see without my glasses for one point, but even with contacts, I feel slightly bare and less confident.

I don't even think about it and whenever I have worn contact lenses, I still do that action of pushing up the glasses. They are such a part of who I am that I don't even question it.

I'm so grateful to opticians and people who have made it possible to be able to see the world properly because it makes such a difference. I feel really lucky to have had good opticians. You hear of people who just thought that they weren’t able to do particular things, or couldn’t do things at school, but actually they just couldn't see properly. I am always grateful for being given good vision through my glasses.

What does it mean for you to have that good vision in your work?

I play a lot of written music, so I wouldn't actually be able to see the notes that I'm playing without my glasses. I also play often in a group with other people or with an orchestra, and I wouldn't be able to see the other musicians and their facial expressions and body language without my glasses. I really am quite short-sighted. I just wouldn't be able to do the work that I do without them in the same way. Reading people and expressions is something I find fascinating. Without glasses, I wouldn't be able to see them – I don't even know who someone is without my glasses on, so they're vital.

What are your top three tips for selecting the right pair of frames?

1. Try the frames on in the opticians, but also, if you can, try them outside. Often when you're in the shop, there's a particular kind of lighting and you think that they're really comfortable and that you can see well and then you go outside. I've had this before; I've got a pair of glasses, and then I've taken them outside and thought, ‘what on earth have I bought these for: I can't see properly, they don't suit my face’
2. Make sure that they're comfortable aesthetically and fit your face shape well, but also that you can see well out of them and that they're comfortable on your face. You wear them every day, so you need to like them
3. Always ask the optician if they can help them to fit your face better, because in my experience they're always really willing to help you find the ones that fit properly.

Could you tell us about the Virtual Scratch Orchestra, and how this has been bringing people together through the pandemic?

Early in the first lockdown I set up the Virtual Scratch Orchestra. I didn't think it would be hugely popular, I expected maybe 50 people to want to take part. I was feeling really sorry for all musicians, but especially the young musicians who weren't getting the opportunity to play with other people. Because for me, they were some of the best music-making experiences – making friends through music and playing as part of a bigger group – and they weren't able to do that because everybody was at home. So I wanted to try and create something that people could be a part of.

It's such a brilliant project to be a part of and to have set up because you can just see the power of music, how it can bring people together and bring them some joy

Then hundreds of people joined. We had just under 1000 people join within the first couple of weeks, and then we made videos of all of these people from right around the world, nearly 20 countries taking part, and making music together. It was so heart-warming. It's such a brilliant project to be a part of and to have set up because you can just see the power of music, how it can bring people together and bring them some joy. It was very special.

I think the Christmas video was especially fun. We did Sleigh Ride. We tried to choose the pieces to reflect what was happening in the world. So we started with Where are we now by David Bowie, which was beautiful and reflective. Then Let it be when we were just understanding the world and how it had changed. Then there was just a burst of fun and joy at Christmas. When everything was kind of uncertain, just seeing people smile and enjoying making music – that was probably my favourite one.

What did it mean to you to receive an MBE for Services to Music in 2021?

It was completely unexpected and a total surprise but so humbling to be recognised, and for something that I love and feel so passionate about.