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A woman felt burnt out until a ‘shock’ moment convinced her she was on the right path.

Ni Maxine, 27, from north Liverpool, is an award-winning singer-songwriter who has performed at Africa Oye and several jazz festivals across the UK. Speaking to the ECHO, Ni said it was a childhood trip that sparked her interest in a certain genre of music.

Ni said: “I was at a family friend's house and he had an Ella Fitzgerald CD and it had a lyric book in it. It was the Ella Sings the Irving Berlin Song Book. I remember just hearing this music and thinking, oh my God, I've not really heard jazz like this, this kind of traditional jazz before, but this really speaks to me.

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“I really kind of see myself in that space and I didn't know how I would do it. I'm still not quite there yet, but I'm working on it. Just having that book and learning the lyrics and singing along to the CD just made me think, oh yeah, this feels right. I didn't really consider it as an option for myself at that time. If I had to say something, that would be a formative moment.”

Ni describes herself a neo jazz singer, with her music exploring themes of home, identity and belonging. Ni flourished after applying to the LIMF Academy programme. Part of the Liverpool International Music Festival, it provides education and work opportunities for artists and bands aged between 15 and 25.

Ni said: “There was a project that LIMF did with the Merseyside Youth Association called The Noise Project. That was my kind of introduction to approaching music as an artist rather than just as a singer, and it really helped me to kind of explore what it was that I wanted to

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