Media
This page contains links highlighting media interest in Vicky’s research and her book ‘You Are The Music’
2023
ASICS Poetry in Motion campaign – Nothing Feels Better. Interviews for BBC Radio York, Northern Visions TV, Source FM, and UK Local TV.
Interview as part of a BBC 6 Music special hosted by Craig Charles talking about the impact of music on the brain and in particular the benefits of listening to new music all our lives.
2022
30 minute talk for The Garden https://onegarden.com/science/why-do-certain-songs-stick
2021
Special article for the In Tune with Grief series for Marie Curie – https://www.mariecurie.org.uk/talkabout/articles/grief-singing-memory-grandma/321208
The magical powers of music to transport, transform and reunite – a blog supporting the Marie Curie National Day of Reflection by Stevie Wolfe – https://www.mariecurie.org.uk/blog/magical-powers-music/312803
This Is Why We Sing with James Sills, a podcast on the transformative power of singing. This episode is with Dr Victoria Williamson – an independent authority, scholar and consultant on the psychology of music. Victoria is particularly interested in the relationship between music and wellbeing and is a regular contributor to radio and television, in addition to her own academic research. She is also the author of ‘You Are The Music: How Music Reveals What It Means To Be Human’ published in 2014. We talk about:
- the scope and reach of music psychology
- the global phenomenon of ‘earworms’
- research into amusia (‘tone deafness’) and it’s implications for singing.
- the difference between congenital amusia and acquired amusia
- the relationship between music and wellbeing
- why the human voice is so powerful
- therapeutic uses of singing in different healthcare settings
- why ‘(Sitting On) The Dock Of The Bay’ is her favourite all-time song
Discussion with Gideon Coe from BBC 6Music for the Marie Curie UK National Day of Reflection on 23rd March 2021, the anniversary of the first UK lockdown. A time to pause, reflect and support one another. Watch our event for free below or you can view the materials from the whole day, hosted at the Marie Curie website.
New for 2021 is the BBC 6 Music series ‘Journeys in Sound’ Join me exploring effects of music #JourneysInSound In this series Nemone combines her roles as 6 Music DJ and integrative psychotherapist to find out how music really affects us
Ep 1 – Cheesecake for the Mind, Ep 2 – Body Movin, Ep 3 – Satisfy My Soul
2020
BBC Radio 4 World at One interview about the link between music and personality (about 40 minutes in)
BBC Radio 1 Life Hacks Podcast on music in lockdown, with Katie Thistleton and Dr Radha Modgil. We discuss the ways in which music can support mental and physical wellbeing.
The Why Factor (BBC World Service and BBC Sounds) episode on the emotional power of music (from 5.28)
Interview on BBC Radio Ulster and BBC Coventry and Warwickshire ‘Science and Stuff’ : earworms
2019 – maternity leave
2018
Guardian piece of PLOS ONE paper exploring music and sleep. The study was also covered by CBS news, the Science Daily website, the Medical Daily, and (my favourite headline) the New York Post
Interview for BBC World Service on the power of music in memory
Interview on BBC Radio 3 Music Matters on the role of music criticism in the modern classical music market (1’52” into show)
2017 – maternity leave
A ‘3 Minute Epiphany’ on the relationship between music and wellbeing for the Mary Anne Hobbs Breakfast Show on BBC 6 Music
Live interview on BBC Radio Mark Forrest show on emotion in music
2016
Interview on Julian Clary’s ‘The Greatest Ever Christmas Ads’ on Channel 5 (December 19th)
Guest on The Curious Case of Rutherford and Fry for BBC Radio 4
Contribution to an article in The Guardian on music for sleep
Live interview for the Mark Forrest Show on BBC Local Radio on musical memory
Consultant for BBC iWonder online series. Why can I remember song lyrics after so long?
Article in The Conversation on how music can help people to deal with insomnia. This article is accompanied by a YouTube video produced by the University of Sheffield’s ‘Think Again’ programme. The piece was reprinted/ reported in Newsweek, The Daily Mail, and The Metro
What the world sounds like to a musical genius Article for The Independent
Was musical memory the secret to Brian Wilson’s genius? Article for The Guardian
BBC Radio 4 documentary ‘Tiny Tinkles’
2015
Radio 3 Why Music? Weekend resident expert, featuring on Why Music? Question Time, Why Music? Round Up and her own 90 minute Music and Memory concert.
Interview for BBC Radio 4 PM programme on Music and Dementia
Interview on BBC Radio 2 Simon Mayo Drivetime Show on music and emotion
Consultant for BBC iWonder online series. Is music good for the brain?
Times newspaper, commentary on social/ emotional function of music
Interview for BBC Radio Scotland on UN international happy music playlist
Interview for BBC Radio 4 programme ‘Giving up Music for Lent’ (16th March)
2014
Interviews on music and Christmas nostalgia across UK radio including BBC Solent, British Forces Radio, Radio Yorkshire, BBC Newcastle, BBC Radio Jersey, SFM Radio, Wire FM, Touch FM, Big City Radio, Sunrise Yorkshire, Spark FM, Cross Counties Radio
Interview for Salem Radio Network (USA) – Dennis Prager show
Interview for ‘All In The Mind’ Radio 4 on earworms (featuring the lovely Claudia Hammond)
Discovery channel consultation on ‘Man vs. Musician’
Interview on Start the Week for BBC Radio 4, also featuring Sir Peter Maxwell Davies
Documentary interview with Bob Howard for BBC World Service ‘The Why Factor’ on sticky music
Interview on earworms for Science Friday
NPR Southern California Public Radio interview on earworms
Interview about ‘You are the Music’ on BBC Radio 3’s In Tune, BBC Radio 4 Today, News Talk Radio (Ireland), BBC Wales and Talk Radio Europe.
Feature interview about earworms for Radio Slovenija, 1st program
BBC Scotland documentary on the social impacts of music making.
2013
Interview with Charlie McCarron for Composer Quest podcast on a variety of music psychology questions (scroll down to podcast 64)
Interview with Brigham Young University Radio (iTunes radio) on Christmas music
BBC West Midlands interview on music in the workplace
Men’s Health US commentary on music for language learning
BPS news commentary on nostalgia in music
Radio 4 music and science with Professor Robert Winston
Radio feature about earworms on German radio, DRadio Wissen
TV feature on Swedish TV on earworms
Live radio interview with Spin Radio (Dublin) on earworms
Interview in the Sunday Telegraph on earworms
Interview for BBC6 Music (Colin Murray’s Soundscape) about music and love/hate
Interview for National Radio New Zealand about earworms (with the lovely Emma Smith). Also, an interview about earworms for the Sunday Telegraph
2012 and earlier
Interview for Diana Hereld, writing for Hypebot.com about music psychology (12.2012)
Article featuring earworm triggers paper published by New Scientist (12.2012)
Live interview on Sky News Sunrise about the World Memory Championships and expert memory (12.2012)
Interviewed for NBC News about Christmas music (11.2012)
Live interview on Radio 5 Live on earworm project (10.2012)
Interview on ITV’s ‘Daybreak’ on memory champions and everyday memory expertise (09.2012)
Contributor to Sunday Times Magazine article on musical variety in pop history (08.2012)
Dedicated program TV science show ‘Superquark!’ about the earworm project (Italy: 08. 2012)
Interviewed for BBC Breakfast News on music in the workplace. Article on the same story in SoundLounge. Live radio interviews were broadcast on BBC Scotland, BBC London, BBC Shropshire, BBC Coventry and Warwickshire, and Clyde1 (19.06.2012).
Interviewed regarding research into sticky jingles. Story and my comments were covered in the Telegraph, the Independent, the Mirror, the Express and the Daily Mail (beginning 13.06.2012).
A montage of recent radio interviews regarding earworms can be heard here, anywhere in the world (Thanks to Henkjan Honing!)
Why do people listen to the same music over and over again? British Psychological Society News (31.05.2012)
Interviewed for an article in the Big Issue (Australia) about music and concentration. Really nice article by Tim Byron (and great artwork). Enjoy! (14.04.2012)
Very enjoyable chat about earworms with Jamie and Louise on BBC Wales morning program (10.04.2012)
Earworms in Spanish: “La ciencia detrás de las canciones pegadizas” (03.04.2012)
Appeared on NPR’s ‘Talk of the Nation’ and listened to some fascinating earworm stories from the US (12.03.2012)
Premiere Network public radio in the USA (The Big D and Bubba show! 27.03.2012)
Interviewed on the BBC 1 Breakfast News sofa about earworms. Similar live interviews on BBC Newcastle, BBC Kent, BBC Coventry and Warwickshire, BBC Belfast, BBC Birmingham and Three Counties Radio (07.03.2012).
Eaworms study covered in the Today Online, The Telegraph, The Daily Mail, and the British Psychological Society News (07.03.2012).
Earworms feature on the BBC online news page (06.03.2012). A follow-up feature on earworm cures from readers fetured on the BBC online magazine (09.03.2012).
Had great fun chatting to Chris Evans about earworms on his BBC Radio 2 Breakfast Show. You can listen again here for a short time (2 hours 10mins in) (29.02.2012)
Interviewed as part of a podcast for The World (US) on earworms (02.02.2012)
Interviewed on the BBC Breakfast sofa about the anniversary of Desert Island Discs and the role of music in memory (26.01.2012)
BBC World Service interview about my first earworm article. The recording starts around 10mins and 45 seconds into the program.
Radio 4’s ‘All in the Mind’ program which you can hear again here (about 21 minutes in)
Featured on BBC Breakfast item about music and driving behaviour. Can be seen here.
Interviewed on the World Today Weekend (BBC World Service) about earworms alongside Robert Fox. Listen here again (49 minutes in)
Interviewed on BBC 5Live Breakfast show on the relationship between music and driving behaviour (01.12.2011). Similar interviews were broadcast on British Forces Radio, BBC Midlands, BBC South West, BBC Solent, BBC Kent, BBC Sheffield and Kingdom FM
British Psychological Society Online Digest covers the first earworm article
Presented the ‘How Musical Are You?’ event at the British Science Festival ‘Senses Night’ in September 2011. View the program for the event here.
Radio 4 program on Tone Deafness in September 2011. You can listen again here (starts at around14 minutes)
Interviewed for the Channel 4 series ‘4Thought’ in July 2011. You can view the video on the Channel 4 website or on YouTube (UK only I am afraid).
Interviewed by Simon Mayo on the BBC 2 Drivetime show in June 2011, concerning why children like to move to music.
6Music promotional film of the project in 2010, which has an embarrassingly high number of hits on YouTube. Here you can find our shared page with BBC 6 Music, where we collect data for the earworms project.
Interviewed about the Earworm project on Radio 4’s ‘Material World’. You can listen again here ( Section starts 07.17).
Interview on music psychology projects with Vin Sharma on SoundCloud
Interviewed for the BBC online on the role of the reward system in music listening. You can read the report here.
Interviewed for Syfy, which promotes new science ideas as part of its Eureka Lab project. You can read the interview here.
Interviewed for an online music industry blog run by soundlounge.co.uk. You can read the interview here and follow the resulting industry advice here.
The earworm project was the subject of a CNN online article, which you can read here. The project was mentioned on BBC Radio 2 Steve Wright show on Mon, 25 Oct 2010.
Lauren Stewart and Vicky co-authored a Times Online Guest blog in July 2010: “Hooked on music: can’t get you out of my head” (behind a pay wall unfortunately)
Took part in the BBC A&M interactive meeting as a guest speaker in 2010, to talk about the earworm project. You can see a summary of the media presented here.
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