AMERICANA singer Kerri Watt has been finding her country voice by recording in Nashville.

The Milngavie-born star visited the home of country music to begin the process of recording her new album which she expects to be released next year.

“Nashville was amazing,” beamed Kerri from her home in Brighton.

She continued: “On any given night you go out and find every bar in the city full of music - and it’s not just any music. You have got the best players in the world. They play for all the big acts, they just go out to a bar on a random night and perform for the fun of it.”

After receiving a good reception for her latest single Old School Love, fans of the 28-year-old will be eager for any new music she has to offer. But she admits she won’t release an album until it feels right.

She said: “I am kind of holding back because I want to wait for the right time and make sure I have the right audience listening before I release an album.

“I have just been in Nashville and I have recorded half an album worth.

“I am going to go back in the new year to record the other half. But I imagine the album is going to be out sometime next year and it will include my latest single Old School Love.”

She added: “Nashville was amazing because I was recording on Music Row which is the main street where all the labels, publishers and recording studios are.

“I said to the producer that there should be a violin on a track I was working on and an hour later someone was in the studio who could play the violin. It is very collaborative and very friendly.

“Of course it is competitive too but I feel that everyone there wants to help each other and be involved in each others projects.”

Kerri, however, does not need much of a helping hand. Prior to her visit to Nashville she had a support slot on Coldplay’s stadium tour in Cardiff.

Singer Chris Martin and guitarist Jonny Buckland even watched Kerri’s set from the side of the stage.

The moment is one which has been a career highlight so far as she explained, “I got to meet Chris and Jonny, and they watched on the first night from the side of the stage.

“They were really complimentary about the performance and we had a big after party upstairs at the venue after.

“It was just cool to be around someone like Chris Martin who I have looked up to as a songwriter since I started.

“He obviously just makes music that everyone in the whole world loves actually. That’s why they are such a huge band so it was a honour to open for them.”

Hanging around with the likes of Chris Martin might just spurn Kerri onto achieving another dream of becoming a songwriter for other artists.

She said: “At the moment I am just writing for myself but in the future I would love to write for other artists. I probably won’t want to be on the road for the rest of my life.”

She will, however, have to put up with life on the road while she establishes herself which isn’t all too bad for Kerri.

She said: “I actually love touring and I get itchy feet if I am in the same place for too long. No two days are the same and I think it is so exciting.”

She will return to her hometown at the end of the month on November 30 to play a headlining show at King Tuts which she admits is a dream come true.

She said: “It is a really intimate tour, I want to get out and really connect with people on a personal level.

“There is a lot of people who interact with me online and say how my songs have helped them through a hard time or make them feel inspired.

“So I just want to meet with people in small venues so I can see them face to face, play some music for them and have a party.

“I will be playing all my existing material and my new stuff which I have been recording in Nashville.”

Kerri has also written a song which is a homage to her hometown of Glasgow, and she hopes to perform to the audience at the King Tuts show.

She said: “I wrote a song called Glasgow which I will probably play at the King Tuts show. It is about as you step of the train at Glasgow central, all your southern blues get washed away. It is just like a breath of fresh air up there. I loved when you phoned me there because I missed the accent so much. There is nothing like Glasgow.”

For tickets to the show, visit www.kerriwatt.com/tour