How Twinnie Went From 'Hollyoaks' To Rising Star Via Nashville, The Home Of Her Favourite Genre

For Bustle UK's music issue, Noisemakers, we wanted to spotlight the new talent you're destined to find on your playlist in the next 12 months, as well as the industry heavy hitters you know and love. Bustle UK's social media editor (and all-round music super-fan) Charlie Mock scoured the scene to find the finest up-and-coming artists to take on the Bustle Booth. Read on to find out how former Hollyoaks actress Twinnie left her mark.

From playing a character in one of the most recognisable families in British soaps to securing a music recording contract and releasing her first EP, there is one thing for sure: Twinnie is taking over screen and stage. The screen part of that equation began in November 2014, when the singer — full name Twinnie-Lee Moore — joined Hollyoaks as the inimitable Porsche McQueen. Little did fans known then that she was harbouring a secret passion.

"[Music's] always been my job, even when I was younger," she tells Bustle. "I’ve been on stage since I was 4, so I can’t remember a time music hasn’t been a part of my daily routine."

The music she's alluding to is nothing like the dance-pop bangers you might imagine Porsche McQueen listening to. Twinnie is a country singer through and through, telling Rolling Stone that she's been visiting Nashville since 2011 to help hone her craft. She released her first single, "Cool," on Soundcloud in 2015. The record helped her build a fan following, and in 2017 she signed with BMG. That said, the road wasn't always easy.

"How much time do you have?" she jokes when asked about the challenges she's encountered along the way. "I was an independent artist so I did everything myself before finding the right team, so that was definitely one of the biggest challenges."

With feel-good beats and clever, witty lyrics, Twinnie's pop-adjacent country music inevitably follows in the wake of Nashville's most successful export, Taylor Swift. Twinnie is open about her admiration of Swift's music — she's one of the artists Twinnie would most love to collaborate with, alongside Billy Joel, John Mayer, Chance the Rapper, Keith Urban, Mark Ronson, and Plested — and recently worked with Nathan Chapman, the producer behind many of Swift's blockbuster albums.

"I love artists for different reasons, but some of my faves are Bruno Mars, Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Judy Garland, and Bette Milder," she says. "Random mix, but they all share one thing in common: They know how to put on a show. ... To me, music, especially playing live, it’s not just about standing there and singing; it’s leaving the audience feeling like they’ve been entertained."

In early 2019, she released her new EP, "Better When I'm Drunk." The song went to No. 1 on the iTunes Country chart, and Twinnie recently joined Cassadee Pope and Logan Brill on the Next Women of Country tour across the UK. "I’m excited to play more shows," she says of the year ahead. "I’m excited about making more music and getting my debut album out there."

For more on Twinnie, check out her answers to the Bustle Booth, below.