Mara Liddle: Bringing a Shine to Stoke-on-Trent

Words: Darci Jackson

Photos: Izzi Glover

Mara Liddle’s digital world is one that you want to be a part of. It’s carefree, full of life, and pure dance-pop energy. She describes it as a ‘digital diary,’ influenced by ‘life online,’ and her ‘personal experiences with life.’

The Stoke-on-Trent singer songwriter has already bounced into 2026, with a catalogue of 100 songs being kept under wraps.

"I challenged myself to write 100 songs, and I ended up writing 100 songs in three months. I didn't set that time limit on myself. I got a bit carried away. There were some days where I was writing five songs a day."

Her brand new single, Rivers, is one of the 100, and marks a turning point for Liddle in terms of her music.

"When you're writing that many songs a day, you're just writing about whatever's on your mind. At the time that I was writing that, I was feeling not good enough for my boyfriend.

"I wrote that song about how I was feeling with that and comparing myself to everyone around me. There's a bit of acoustic guitar on it as well. It's not my usual fun, dancey one. It’s a bit more vulnerable, a bit more open. It feels like a bit of a risk but I really like it and I hope everyone else does as well."

Liddle tells us how she first started learning guitar in lockdown, before realising it was something she could pursue, and that she had something to say. But it’s by no means her first experience with music.

"Music has always been something that I've been surrounded by. My dad is one of those people who can play any instrument that he picks up. We always had CDs on in the car. We'd always sing along together. When I was at school, I was in the choir. I was in the orchestra and I played the cornet."

Liddle talks openly about her hometown, describing it as a place of community, and support.

"I love it and I feel like when people say that it's not a nice place to be, I mean, I wouldn't say I get offended because I can see why they would say that, but I feel like it's my home. It's such a nice, creative space.

"There's so much culture to explore. We have a monkey forest and loads of pottery and pot banks. There's so much art, so much music, so much creativity. It's just such a lovely and thriving place."

We might be biased here at Dizzy Magazine, but we could not agree more!

The Stoke-on-Trent music scene is an eclectic one, a multitude of genres all showcasing themselves within the city. And with a tight-knit community and grassroots venues pulling together to show their support, it’s definitely one that feels welcoming and open to just about everything.

"Everyone knows each other. Everyone supports each other. There's venues like the Artisan Tap that make it so easy for artists to get their first gig. It's so easy to just get into the music scene," explains Liddle.

With such a positive space to grow, and with dance-pop music currently taking over the globe, we’re confident that Mara Liddle’s name will soon be up there in bright, neon lights. She talks about following in the footsteps of the likes of Charli xcx and PinkPantheress.

"It feels like you're always striving to have that culturally shifting moment. You just have to try and capture the zeitgeist but you have to try and stay true to yourself at the same time. It feels like they're big shoes to fill and to aspire towards."

Liddle’s music feels like of a culture reset, as though we’ve been transported back to growing up in the 2010s with school discos, loom bands and the London Olympics.

"I’m such a nostalgic person. I guess that was the era that I really got into music. I want to try and capture that vibe, that nostalgia, that emotion in my music."

And if a time capsule was opened in 500 years containing three things Mara Liddle coded?

"A Nintendo DS Lite. The pink one. A crochet hook, because I love crocheting, I don't know if that's even anything that comes through in my music. I just love it. Do you remember those little voice-activated diaries? Me and my sister both had them, but because we have quite similar speaking voices, we could open each other’s and just read each other’s diaries. I don’t think they were that good!"

Mara Liddle is a staple in the Stoke music scene, her fun, electro-pop tunes making you feel completely alive. And as she sits prettily atop a mountain of music, we’re eagerly awaiting what’s coming next.

"I've got an EP coming out. I don't know if I'm even supposed to be saying that yet, but it's coming out in a couple of months. I've got [Rivers] and then another [single] after that, and then it'll be the EP, so that's exciting. Hopefully some more of these 100 tunes will be getting heard. Maybe I’ll write another 100, who knows?"