Frances: The piano-playing singer from UK

SINGAPORE — Some singers were born to perform. Others were born to tell stories that warm the heart.

Frances (pronounced as Francis), a UK singer-songwriter, belongs to the latter mold. Her tracks such as Don’t Worry About Me and Say It Again can attest to it.

Having Frances on one’s playlist promises a different kind of musical experience, where the artist banks on her voice replete with emotions and sincerity. Writers would describe her pipes as husky and style confessional. Also a fixture in Frances’ performances is a piano, complementing her unique vocal texture. Her voice fits the dramatic lyric poetry Frances herself writes. By the way, Frances is one of the artists of Capitol Records, under Universal Music Group.

“My music always starts with piano and voice,” Frances shared with The STAR during an interview a few hours before her first intimate engagement in Asia, held at the AURA Sky Lounge of The National Gallery Singapore. “That’s like what it is and its core. There are some songs that are just that. Like the song I recorded Don’t Worry About Me, (which) is literally piano and vocals. So it is what it is.”

As an artist, however, Frances is aware of possible limits of sticking to just one genre or doing the same style in writing songs.

“What I’m really conscious of is, not everyone loves that,” she said. “Not everyone naturally wants to just hear piano and vocals. There will be people that really want to hear that but like more to hear electronic sounds… But I would want as many people to hear my songs as possible. Actually that means I need to push myself a bit more and experiment with more electronic sounds. So that someone, you know, who is more into that, might hear my voice. They might hear different about me (and go) ‘I actually love that.’ I just wanna kinda get as many people as I can.” Frances has tried electronic sounds in Borrowed Time and just the same, her voice — and her rendition — are captivating.

Frances’ musical journey is made up of getting some classical training in music and learning to play instruments like violin and the piano. She went to the Liverpool Institute for the Performing Arts to learn more about music and nurture the singer-songwriter in her.

“(As) for singing, I remember (I was doing) it when I was eight,” she recalled. “My friend (and I) were kinda singing together. I said, ‘I wanna do some songs of my own now.’ And I think I sang Born to Make You Happy by Britney Spears. And Dad came in and said, ‘You’re quite good at that.’ I remember thinking, ‘What?’ From then on, I always did music at school. It is something that I wanna do naturally.”

Frances’ musical inclination can also be attributed to her parents’ appreciation for music. According to the 23-year-old artist, mom and dad can sing. “They love music and they always play it around the house,” she said. Her musical influences are Maria Mena (a Norwegian artist), Carole King, Coldplay and Radiohead. Having the ample time to thrive musically, Frances has found her voice, so to speak, and her knack for telling stories straight from the heart.

“Yeah, I guess all songwriters are,” she said on singers as storytellers, “which is kinda nice.” Frances added that telling stories through songs is lovely.

In no time, the music world has noticed Frances through such singles as Fire May Save You, Grow and Let It Out, and welcomed her in its stable. She has also toured with James Bay and signed up with the team that manages the career of Sam Smith.

2015 saw Frances scoring a nomination from the BRIT Awards’ Critics’ Choice and making it to the BBC’s Music Sound of 2016. The latter lists down the fast-rising stars of a particular year. Sam and Adele were included in the previous long lists of artists to watch out for.

“It’s amazing. It’s so cool,” reacted Frances on being nominated for awards and the pressure that come with it. “Yeah, which is like really a healthy pressure. It’s really an encouraging thing. It kinda pushes you. That’s like a nice way of encouragement. It does make you work harder. It’s a good (kind of) pressure.”

Asked about the personal stories behind some of her compositions, Frances replied, “Don’t Worry About Me is about (people) close to me, who (are) unwell. I wanted to write a song for them, basically just saying, ‘Not to worry about me.’ It’s my turn to be strong for them. I wrote that very quickly like half an hour. Let It Out, I wrote it for a friend, who was basically having really a hard time with her boyfriend and they weren’t telling it to each other. Obviously, both were unhappy and they couldn’t work it out. They weren’t telling it to each other and it is kinda about that. Borrowed Time was with Harold Lawrence, one half of Disclosure. He experienced something at that time. I think I experienced in the past (when you’re) wondering about something’s going on for so long… we wanted to have the whole song to kinda question  and you never answer it.”

What can fans expect from Frances in the coming months? She said she’s recording an album, which is out before the end of summer, and intends to spread her music “like everywhere.”

“I’d love to spread it (around) as much as possible,” Frances said. “Which is why it’s so cool that I’m here. It’s amazing. In the album, there are few songs that are piano and vocals. I have explored some other things… It’s still always about my voice and the songs.”

Again, the piano and the voice speak of Frances’ comfort zone. They are the very reasons why many have adored her and continue to follow her. Similar to artists of this generation, Frances is open to new musical territories to explore. “Recently, I’ve tried to push myself to play different things. Once you get comfortable, you’ll play the same things. I’ve been trying to play differently and try out new ways, and   try to challenge myself.”

Perhaps, it is a sneak peek on where Frances intends to bring her music — and her budding recording career — in the future. We can’t wait to see it happen.

Frances: My music always starts with piano and voice.I would want as many people to hear my songs as possible.