IT’S every musician’s nightmare to play a gig to only a handful of people.

Yet a show like that gave Glasgow songstress Louise Cairns a surprise boost - as she ended up pals with New York singer Sara Genn.

Now the transatlantic friends are touring around Scotland, 10 years on from first meeting in a deserted New York bar.

“I was living in London at the time and had the notion of wondering how difficult it’d be to get a gig in New York,” recalls Louise, who plays Govanhill Baths on Friday night with Sara.

“It’s actually quite easy to get a gig but it’s a different story trying to get anyone to turn up. I played in this dive of a bar and Sara was there playing too - she was shooting off elsewhere afterwards, so in desperation to get her and her friends to stay, I handed them some CDs. But they left anyway, and I played to the girl behind the bar and my friend, and that was it.

“The next night I was playing somewhere else, and Sara and her friends came in to watch the show. That was the start of a lovely friendship - we’ve gig-swapped over the last 10 years. I’d go back to New York and she’d sort out some venues and spread the word, and likewise I’d do the same when she came here.”

The duo hit it off straight away, and they’ve helped each other out as much as they can over the last decade.

“We were both trying to do the same thing and we had so many interests in common, as well as having the same spirit, and taking risks and being adventurous,” says Louise.

“We bonded really quickly and we’ve been good friends ever since.”

Now they’ve crammed Louise’s electric piano and Sara’s keyboard into a Corsa, hit the road and are playing a few shows around Scotland as part of their Teeny Tiny tour. The tour comes on the heels of Louise’s last EP last year, Home, a selection of her jazzy piano-powered pop, while she released an album, Here Because You’re Not, back in 2010.

Having become a mum since her first album was released, the Mount Florida singer wasn’t sure if she’d be up to writing songs again.

“I knew I’d always do music in some capacity, but you don’t know whether you’ll have anything to say,” she adds.

“That was the thing I struggled with initially, as the things you wrote about in your twenties maybe aren’t as important anymore.

“I think writing something in a different way becomes more difficult when you’re older and you question why you’re doing it - you can’t just be doing it for self-indulgent reasons anymore.”

Now she’s hoping to work up enough funding to making another album in the future. Her gig with Sara on Friday will have an extra meaning for her, though, as she’s a big supporter of Govanhill Baths and the amount of events that are being held at the venue.

“I’ve been quite involved there, as I run a kids choir there and have played gigs there before,” she says.

“It’s such a brilliant space - people are really active in trying to make it a successful community space, and they’re really keen for the Baths to be a success. People will actively go and support things on there, and there’s so many things going on there, from community groups to cookery workshops.

“Everyone there is really passionate about making it a success and using the talent that’s in the community. There’s a lovely vibe there.”

Certainly a better vibe than just playing to bar staff in New York. But Louise reckons that even experiences like that have benefits, even though it can take some mental persuasion at the time.

“You do have moments in your head when you’re thinking ’what am I doing? This is ridiculous,’ but there’s always something good that happens from it,” she says.

“That second gig in New York, I thought I can’t do this, there’s nobody there again, and I very nearly packed it in Then I gave myself a kick up the backside, and thought I can make a fool of myself one more time, and thankfully I did, because I’ve had 10 years of gigs and experiences as a result of doing that.”

Louise Cairns and Sara Genn, Govanhill Baths, Friday, £6, 8pm