Vikki Appleton Fielden, award winning folk singer-songwriter, is a "Yorkshire Yankee".
Having moved from MoTown to the Steel City in 1999, after many years of being deeply involved in the Detroit area's lively folk community, she embedded herself in Sheffield's renowned folk scene, leading and performing at singing sessions at the likes of The Sheffield Folk Sessions Festival, pubs and folk clubs throughout the area and beyond.
She offers an unusual, often humorous perspective on traditional classics, for example her parody, "Don't Know the Words for My Favorite Things" – about the differences between US and UK English – which featured on Michael Rosen's popular BBC Radio 4 programme "Word of Mouth".
Winner of the John Birmingham Cup songwriting competition in 2013 and receiving Honourable Mention in the 2020 Birmingham Cup, Vikki is about to release "Interesting Times," which explores the idea that there is more than one malevolent infection causing problems in today's turbulent times.
In May 2021, she released "Get Your Vaccination" (a parody of the 1962 pop hit "Do the Locomotion"), which has been shared by Sheffield Teaching Hospitals, Sheffield Community Contact Tracers, and Steuben County Health in New York State, amongst others.
Evidence of her long background in music, Vikki’s cassette SingaRounds, released in the '90s, provided fans with a way to learn lovely but less well-known rounds by introducing a B-side that you can practice singing 'against', and proved popular enough to require a second run.
Nowadays, Vikki runs a community ‘sing’ for mental health charity Sheffield Flourish, and firmly believes that singing is for everyone, not just "good" singers.
"I know too many people who have been told as children they should not sing – by parents or teachers – and I find that incredibly sad. Singing is one of life's great pleasures, and it's good for your mental and physical health as well. What more could you want?" she says.
Following up on the momentum gained by her parody “Get Your Vaccination” (May 2021), Vikki is releasing her debut single “Interesting Times” on 31st Aug 2021, with more singles planned for release over this year and the next, and is looking forward to taking the stage once more.
"If you've heard Vikki Appleton Fielden singing from the floor, you'll already know
she's a fine singer and songwriter. What you won't know is the depth and breadth of her repertoire
and her ability to put together an engaging and entertaining evening. I booked her at 'Singing Together'
in Doncaster and, on 3 weeks notice, she put together a set of "songs I don't normally get to sing"
and gave us a brilliant evening. Choruses, topical, ballads, and comic songs, from both sides of the Atlantic,
much of which you wouldn't hear from anyone else. I really can't recommend her highly enough."
– Piers Cawley, Singing Together, Doncaster
"Vikki Appleton Fielden gave us a brilliant evening at Swindon Folksingers Club last night.
"Her repertoire included traditional and current songs from both sides of the Atlantic – some hilarious,
some poignant, some very thought provoking, some topical, and some that were a combination of each!
Lots of choruses and belters to join in on too. She is a gifted wordsmith and treated us to her own songs as well,
which were a delight to hear. Thank you, Vikki, for a really entertaining evening!"
– Bryony Garmont, Swindon Folksingers Club