Freja Frances first started writing songs at the age of nine with dreams of starting a rock band and becoming the next big thing. However, due to her ability to prolifically write high calibre music at such a young age, Freja decided she didn’t need a band behind her and ended up with a collection of heartfelt songs which she now has at her disposal. Since the release of her debut EP Ghosts, Freja has received praise from various publications including For Folk’s Sake, Gigslutz and The Girls Are, to name a few. She has also performed at Sofar Sounds London and has been commissioned to write a song for Bossa Studios’ upcoming game ‘Worlds Adrift’, which launches later this year.
With this latest release, it feels as though Freja has started to find her niche as a musician as her songwriting ability continues to go from strength to strength. Catch Freja’s next live show: October 30th – The Spice Of Life – London
Porcelain Doll / Breathe is out on 4th November 2016 via ShimmerSun Music.
In this interview spotlight, we chat with Freja about influences, the new project, and more.
Q&A, links, and a stream of Porcelain Doll can be found below.
Let’s dive a little deeper into You, the artist and your music. What attracted you to this genre(s) or style(s)?
Mainly because piano is the only instrument I can play and it lends itself very well to slow sad songs, so I just kind of went with that! I think it works well with the kind of lyrics I write, I love to write songs that are poetic and emotional so that fits together well with the melancholy piano sound.
How long have you been creating and sharing your music with the public?
I released my first EP ‘Ghosts’ last November but I’ve been playing gigs for a few years and writing music since I was a kid.
Who or what influences your playing and/or writing? Also, what motivates you to keep going?
I’m influenced mostly by lyrics and imagery, I listen to a variety of genres, I’m drawn to anything with emotional lyrics. I’m motivated to keep going just because I love writing music, it’s such a good feeling to finish a song that I’ve been working on for a while and know that it’s something I’m really happy with.
Were you trying to accomplish anything specific on this new project? Creatively or otherwise?
This was my first time working with session musicians, everything I’ve done previously has just been piano and vocals, this time I wanted a fuller sound to the songs so I brought in other instruments which gave an amazing result.
What was the last song you listened to?
Somehow by Miles Goodall, I met him in August when we both played at the Ventnor Fringe Festival and I’ve been listening to that song on repeat since then!
Which do you prefer? Vinyl? CDs? MP3s?
CDs – I like to own a physical copy of an album, I do love vinyl but CDs are a bit more convenient!
How about this one…. Do you prefer Spotify? Apple Music? Bandcamp? Or something else? Why?
I don’t really use any of those but I like that bandcamp is free but also allows you to buy the music and make a donation to the artist.
Other than the digital era overwhelming us with access to an abundance of music, what are one or two of the biggest challenges you face when trying to attract listeners to your music?
One great way to get my music heard is through being commissioned to write a song, but because my songs are so personal to me I am picky about what I allow them to be used on. While this can limit my audience reach it means that I am only working on projects that I am really passionate about.
Do you gig, tour or perform? Do you ever live stream? Where can music lovers see you live?
Yeah, I usually play gigs around London, my next one is at the Troubadour on 20thSeptember. I always keep my facebook updated with my upcoming gigs so follow me on there if you want to see me play. I’ve never live streamed but I’d like to at some point in the future.
Where is the best place to connect with you online? Discover more of your music?
I use Facebook more than anything else but I also have Twitter and Instagram and you can listen to my music on Soundcloud.
Any last thoughts? Shout outs? Words of wisdom?
I’d like to give a shout out to Bea Watts and Ge Hatton for making the lovely cover art for my upcoming release!
