Introducing Interview: Freja Frances

Since the release of her debut EP Ghosts in 2015, singer-songwriter Freja Frances has received praise from various publications including For Folk’s Sake and Impose Magazine, and has charmed crowds at Sofar Sounds London, as well as supporting Dodgy at Knutsford Music Festival last summer. And now, with poignant new single ‘Papercuts’, she continues to grace our ears with her smooth, ethereal soundscapes and emotive lyrical storytelling.

We caught up with Freja to find out more…

Hi Freja Frances, welcome to Get In Her Ears! Can you tell us a bit about yourself? How did you initially start creating music?
I’ve had an interest in music from a very young age. I started writing poems and lyrics as a kid, and after a few years of piano lessons I started to incorporate that into my songs too. I definitely put the focus on lyrics when writing, I usually start with a word or phrase and then work the melody and piano around that.

Your new single ‘Papercuts’ is out now – can you tell us what it’s all about? 
I wrote ‘Papercuts’ a few years back, it was at a time when I was a lot more introverted and insecure – it’s a song about pushing people away and being aware of this but unsure how to stop doing it. The Alice In Wonderland theme emphasises the distance I felt between myself and the people around me, and my inability to feel fully present in their world.

 

You’ve been compared to the likes of Birdy and Gabrielle Aplin, but who would you say are your main musical influences?
I actually don’t tend to listen to the sort of music that I write. At the time of writing ‘Papercuts’ I was listening to a lot of alternative, rock and grunge kind of stuff – I’ve always been influenced by the music I listen to lyrically more than musically. Recently, I’ve been more into indie bands: Sundara Karma, Cherry Glazerr and Bad Sounds are some of my favourites right now, so again not really the sort of stuff I write. Having said that, Birdy’s ‘Skinny Love’ is one of my favourite songs.

How is your local music scene? Do you go to see lots of live music?
I’ve recently moved down to Brighton which has a great music scene. I already know a few bands and artists in the area who I am excited to go and see, and there are some lovely venues. I’ve played at The Bedford in Hove a couple of times, it has a great atmosphere. I used to live in London which is also great for live music, although slightly more spread out – I was living in the suburbs and my area unfortunately had no venues at all! But thankfully I was a short train journey away from the centre where there is a lot more going on!

And what can fans expect from your live shows?
My shows are very stripped down and intimate, just piano and vocals. I have a huge amount of unreleased material, so you’ll always be hearing new songs, along with old favourites.

As we’re a new music focused site, are there any new/upcoming bands or artists you’d recommend we check out?
I absolutely love Gareth Esson! I first discovered him when we played on the same night Upstairs at The Ritzy in Brixton. His music is acoustic soul, he is a wonderful lyricist and he has such a great stage presence. Definitely check out his song ‘Almost Something’ – it’s beautiful and heart-breaking!

And how do you feel the music industry is for new bands at the moment – would you say it’s difficult to get noticed?
Absolutely! In some ways it’s great that it is so easy to self-release, but of course this means that it can be difficult to be noticed because of the quantity of music available. The fact that it is far more common to stream music than buy it nowadays also makes it hard to self-sustain, so many musicians have to look for different ways to make a profit; some people do this through frequent touring, but I’m looking to get into the route of writing music on commission. I was lucky enough to be given the opportunity to write for Bossa Studios’ recent game ‘Worlds Adrift’ which was a great experience, and I am hoping to be able to work on more projects similar to this in future.

Finally, what does the rest of 2018 have in store for Freja Frances?
I’m going to start working on a new EP and will have the first single from it out by the end of the year. I’ll also continue to play gigs around London and Brighton with some festivals elsewhere in the UK over summer so keep an eye on my Facebook events!

Huge thanks to Freja for answering our questions! 

‘Papercuts’ is out now via ShimmerSun Music.

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Introducing Interview: Liv Austen

Following the release of two EPs and support from the likes of BBC Radio 2 and Pop Dust, Norwegian born singer-songwriter Liv Austen has now shared an uplifting new single.

An anthem for anyone who’s made mistakes in love, ‘Don’t Regret A Single One’ is an utterly infectious and wonderfully charming slice of glistening country-pop.

We caught up with Liv to find out more…

Hi Liv, welcome to Get In Her Ears! Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
Thank you! I’m a singer-songwriter living in London. I am originally from Norway, but moved to the UK seven years ago and fell in love with it – and I now call it my home! I started writing songs as a teenager and released my first EP independently in 2014. The songs I released at the time were quite country inspired, as that was what I was in to at the time, but now my music reflects both country and a lot of other influences I have musically.

How did you initially start creating music?
I went to school in Brussels; we had an amazing music program at my school, but I think I was the one who was the most serious about it. I often stayed behind after school in this amazing room in a little “tower” in my school (it was a really old, cool building that looked like a castle!) and play piano and sing. Suddenly the songs just started coming to me. I realised that I had these phrases in me, both lyrically and melodically, that perfectly described how I was feeling – much more so than I could just by speaking to someone, and it had to come out (Inside Wants Out is the most relatable album title for me, ever!). So I just kept writing, and the songs kept coming. And I haven’t stopped since.

Your new single ‘Don’t Regret A Single One’ is out now – can you tell us what it’s all about? Are there any themes running throughout the song?
‘Don’t Regret A Single One’ is about my past love interests. I had to kiss a few frogs and fall flat on my face several times to learn about myself, and I wanted to celebrate the (many!) mistakes I have made in love, and emphasise to others how that is a positive thing. It is a bit of a defiant anthem too – the chorus is quite strong and unapologetic, and as I say in the song: “if I stayed with my high school sweetheart, I wouldn’t be who I am today”. I needed to make those mistakes to be the person I now am. And I won’t apologise for not being a perfect, flawless girl who got it right the first time, and I will not be ashamed of having had several partners in my life. That’s essentially what the song is about.

You’ve been compared to the likes of Carrie Underwood and Little Big Town, but who would you say are your main musical influences?
Those are very flattering comparisons, I have to say! I am a huge fan of both Carrie and LBT. Carrie was my gateway drug into country music, so she will always have a special place in my heart. I love some of the more pop-leaning country too, there are some absolutely fabulous songwriters and artists doing it at the moment: Kelsea Ballerini, Maren Morris and Sam Hunt for example. As a songwriter I always come back to Alicia Keys, she had a huge influence on me from a very young age and my love for songwriting definitely comes in large part from her. Shania Twain is another big influence for me.

How is your local music scene? Do you go to see lots of live music?
I feel like I’m always at gigs! A few years ago, when country was still small but growing here in the UK, I would be so excited whenever an American artist I loved would come over and gig here, and I’d go to everything – now that country is back big time, there are not enough hours in the day to catch all of the gigs, but I try to focus more on UK acts now. There are so many unbelievably great homegrown acts, and I love being able to call myself their colleague.

And what can fans expect from your live shows?
Just that; a show. My fans know that I am a songwriter and that I can do acoustic solo gigs with my guitar or a whole evening with just me on the piano; but that’s not really my main aim as an artist, I want to put on a show. When I have my whole band with me I rarely play an instrument, I love just getting up there with the microphone and connect directly with the audience. We want to have fun and help create that collective “high” that fans and audiences can experience at live gigs, because it leaves you feeling so great about life!

As we’re a new music focused site, are there any new/upcoming bands or artists you’d recommend we check out?
I will seem totally biased in this because I am mentioning people I know, but I wouldn’t bring them up if I didn’t think they were great. If you are in to contemporary country/pop I would recommend you check out Lisa Wright and Clara Bond, Robbie Cavanagh is brilliant too if you like a more Americana type sound.

And how do you feel the music industry is for new bands at the moment – would you say it’s difficult to get noticed?
It does take a lot of constant work for sure, and it is a full time job whether you have time for that or not, but the great thing is that people do love good music and will be your loyal fans if you keep them happy by doing live gigs and connecting with them on a regular basis!

Finally, what does the rest of 2018 have in store for Liv Austen?
I am very excited to be playing Country2Country at the O2 in March (9-11.03), the UK’s biggest country music festival, and I am excited to see how far Don’t Regret a Single One can go. I am working on an album that I am very proud of, and if all goes well that will come out later in the year!

Huge thanks to Liv for answering our questions! 

‘Don’t Regret A Single One’ is out now.

 

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Introducing Interview: Skylar Fri

Now living in London, Danish artist Skylar Fri has already received acclaim from the likes of Clash and The Line Of Best Fit, and now looks set to continue charming listeners with her new single.

A celestial slice of twinkling electro-pop, ‘Goldrush’ is an effervescent sonic delight. So, we caught up with Skylar Fri to find out more…

Hi Skylar Fri, welcome to Get In Her Ears! Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
Hi! Sure! I’m a Danish artist and songwriter living in London. I make dreamy alt-pop in a small container studio in Docklands with my friend Jimmy.

How did you initially start creating music?
I’ve been writing music for a long time but my main writing/production partner, Jimmy, I met because my drummer wanted him to play bass with us. I was super reluctant at first because I had someone else for that role in the band already but luckily Jimmy persevered and we’ve since ended up writing and producing a ton of stuff together, including music for film and TV.

Your new single ‘Gold Rush’ is out very soon – can you tell us what it’s all about?
I’m a little obsessed with the way that people’s behaviour can be totally fluid according to differing scenarios, including my own. ‘Gold Rush’ is about a moment of temptation, a moment of thinking money is the answer to your entire happiness and it’s about facing sides of or traits in ourselves and our personalities that we don’t always know or want to know that we have. In psychology it’s the war between the actual self and the ideal self.


You’ve been compared to the likes of FKA Twigs and Broods, but who would you say are your main musical influences?
Stevie Nicks, Prince, Kate Bush and Donna Lewis are my four faves!

How is your local music scene? Do you go to see lots of live music?
I live in London and there’s always so much amazing music going on. I love it! Copenhagen is great too, you can always catch a great band or artist playing!

And what can fans expect from your live shows?
A dreamy vibe!

As we’re a new music focused site, are there any new/upcoming bands or artists you’d recommend we check out?
I think she’s been around for a while but I like Danish artist Lydmor, and I’m a fan of her latest single!

And how do you feel the music industry is for new bands at the moment – would you say it’s difficult to get noticed?
It’s definitely not easy! Best doing it for the love of it. That’s the best motive to have when making music in 2018.

Finally, what does the rest of 2018 have in store for Skylar Fri?
I’ll be writing new material and playing shows, but who knows where life will take me!

Huge thanks to Skylar Fri for answering our questions! 

‘Goldrush’ is out now via AntiFragile Music.

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Introducing Interview: The Violet Kind

Having met in Edinburgh back in 2015, The Violet Kind have received acclaim from the likes of PRS Magazine, The National and Tenement TV. Now, tackling heavy subject matter with their poignant new concept EP OXTR, we caught up with the Katya from the band to find out more.

Hi The Violet Kind, welcome to Get In Her Ears! Can you tell us a bit about the band?
Hey! Thanks for the kind welcome! We are The Violet Kind, and we love creating music which is melodically pretty but also stylistically clever and carefully crafted. We love bringing all our different influences together to develop a sound which is unique!

How did you initially all get together and start creating music?
Katya started out performing acoustically as part of a trio and played at a festival run by Hard Rock Cafe in Edinburgh. The drummer brought in Liam to play bass after this and within a few weeks, The Violet Kind started playing gigs! A year later, Kyle joined us and we played the o2 ABC in Glasgow which was a really fun show to start off with!

Your new EP OXTR is out very soon – can you tell us what it’s all about? Are there any themes running throughout the EP?
OXTR is a concept EP so there are heaps of themes running throughout it; some which are intentionally obvious and others which add to the depth of how it was written – much like the idea of a speakeasy bar, I wanted to keep some ideas hidden. The overall theme is sexual violence. Understandably, this was a difficult subject matter to write about but I feel like more than ever, people want to have this conversation; to stand up and say enough is enough. OXTR is about giving a voice back to the survivor. The EP is split in to two halves; the first concentrates on the villain whilst the second is focused on the hero. Influenced by film music, there is a motif present in every song. In ‘Speakeasy’, a long descending motif represents the perpetrator. A section of this riff appears in ‘Good Behaviour’ to highlight the damage that is done to a survivor when people blame her. This song is re-harmonized, and an ascending motif then represents those who believe and support survivors; organisations such as Rape Crisis Scotland and Women’s Aid. This riff is reformed rhythmically to create the final song, ‘Science’, which acts as a song of self-care. Hopefully, by learning about the way the female brain reacts to trauma, one can find some sort of relief from the pain of the experience. Throughout the EP there are lyrical ideas which are repeated and reformed, as well as the same rhythm which is repeated in every song – sometimes on guitar, on vocal lines or on the bass and drums. We wanted to make a really strong coherent piece and we’re really pleased with how it turned out.

You’ve been compared to the likes of Paramore and Sløtface, but who would you say are your main musical influences?
You have no idea how pleased I am to be compared to Paramore! They’ve definitely been a massive influence on my musical career and I think having the likes of Hayley Williams appear on music television when I was a teenager made me realise that the music industry wasn’t just a place for guys – that women could do it too. I do also love the likes of Death Cab for Cutie, Now Now, and also Alt J and Foals. I love pretty sounding melodies against a backdrop of a strong rhythm section, and I feel like that’s the sound we go for as The Violet Kind!


How is your local music scene? Do you go to see lots of live music?
It’s great! I’ve just moved from Edinburgh to Glasgow! Unfortunately, Edinburgh has seen a lot of it’s venues close down even within the past year so it’s really nice to be part of the music scene in a really vibrant, artistic city! I’m lucky enough to work in a music venue so I get to see a lot of great bands coming through the doors and have the chance to meet lots of musicians! I think it is so vital to support each other.

And what can fans expect from your live shows?
We love connecting with each other on stage and with our audience – people always tell us how much we obviously love to play together. I think our shows are captivating, honest and emotional! Those moments where people will be talking and then, all of a sudden everyone is just standing there in silence listening to you – that’s really special.

As we’re a new music focused site, are there any new/upcoming bands or artists you’d recommend we check out?
I can’t stop raving about Eliza Shaddad! We got to support her when she toured her EP, Run, and it was just the most fun gig ever! She’s just been in the studio so I’m really looking forward to hearing what she’s been up to! Threads by Now Now too – they’re also releasing new music so I’m excited for that too!

And how do you feel the music industry is for new bands at the moment – would you say it’s difficult to get noticed?
I think there are lots of opportunities at the moment but also think you have to be active about getting out there, meeting musicians and playing lots of gigs. There seems to be a real rise in supporting women in music; I felt really honoured to be invited to attend an event called Girls I Rate at PRS in London last year which was run by Carla-Marie Williams in association with Island Records. I think the music industry can see that they need to open more doors for women and it was really encouraging to see so many female artists doing so many different, great things! It can feel difficult to get noticed sometimes but I believe it’s important to stay true to your voice, develop your craft, make goals and then work towards them – then eventually, people do notice you!

Finally, what does the rest of 2018 have in store for The Violet Kind?
We’re really excited for 2018! We’ve made a music video which will be out next month and we’re recording a live session in an old converted church! We’re in the studio too so there will be lots of new music and we can’t wait to share it with you! Keep in touch with us on social media for tour dates, which will be announced very soon!

Thanks for your time, Get in Her Ears! What you’re doing is really cool!

Huge thanks to The Violet Kind for answering our questions! 

OXTR, the upcoming EP from The Violet Kind, is out 16th March via Kindness Records.

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