‘The acceptance of letting go.’ - Francesca

It’s easy to forget sometimes when you’re a listener of music that not only do songs act as therapy for the consumer, but therapy for the songwriter too. I mean maybe people don’t forget, it seems pretty obvious when a song spells out doom and gloom. But it’s less obvious when an emotional lyric hides in plain sight, masquerading as a track you can dance to. Singer/songwriter Francesca has struck a real great balance with that in the singles she’s released over the past year.

Francesca is relatively new to the music scene, her first gig having been performed on October 23rd 2019 at Leighton Buzzard’s Black Lion pub with fellow Academy of Contemporary Music graduate George Rose, by now a familiar name around these parts. Francesca worked with George Rose over the course of 2019, including recording vocals for his track ‘Self Care’ and later appearing in his Church Session recording in February 2020, which we reviewed here. Francesca would release her debut single ‘If You Stay’ the following month.

With an introduction of layered vocals, a particular production talent of George Rose’s, Francesca begins If You Stay with “You said it won’t be long ‘til you came on by, you kept me waiting, pacing the floors in the night.” If You Stay tells of the reckless abandon of early relationship attitudes, particularly as a teenager, I smiled as the music drained away and Francesca sings ‘I know you wanna show me a fucking good time.’ The music that follows is forceful and not nearly long enough, driving drums and synth forward, but would reappear on and off - Francesca’s early vocal remains a near-constant throughout. You can picture the hyperactivity of a strobe light through waves of crowd at a live performance when If You Stay truly drops into fifth gear. Though gigs might’ve been off the cards by this point, If You Stay did get played on BBC Introducing Oxfordshire.

‘Poison Boy’ was Francesca’s follow-up single, released in July. Overall, this is a more sedate affair than its predecessor, slowly building up as the track progresses, and perfect as a second single. The more considered approach of Poison Boy allows Francesca’s voice to shine through, which was more difficult to discern in If You Stay. In terms of the story, the fun and excitement of If You Stay has melted away to reveal the more serious side of this relationship - ‘You’re a danger to my mental health, why do you do this to yourself? Your ways will be the death of you.’

Poison Boy also holds the distinction of being Francesca’s first music video, self-directed with the camera and editing handled by Rachel Monteagudo. There are a mixture of outdoor and interior shots, where the natural light of the sun looks amazing through gaps in the trees. What I originally thought was a container of bleach being poured into the bathtub turned out to be…a carton of milk. Mixed with water, fruit and flowers ends up being a really pleasing combination, and much better for the skin too. A behind-the-scenes video released on Facebook shows how Francesca suffered under all of these harsh conditions.

With Francesca’s latest single ‘You’re No Good’, the fairytale is well and truly over. ‘I don’t wanna be your friend, deep down you don’t wanna be mine.’ Though Poison Boy put Francesca’s voice more in the centre, here it’s under a spotlight, vulnerable, but no less bare with George Rose’s vocal production still a huge asset in this single. Couple Francesca’s vocal layers with the strings, and there is a real sense of this is exactly what Francesca should be doing, precisely where she should be. Anyone with the skill to combine instruments both real and imaginary in piano and strings weaved with the warble of synth and tremendous vocal stylings bridging the gap is an artist that should be listened to. Read on to find out more about Francesca’s singles, working on production with George Rose, her influences, and what the future holds.

1. Your new single 'You're No Good' comes from a more gentle place than your previous releases, when did you begin writing this one? 

I started writing it 2 years ago, the feelings I never actually got to vocalise spilled out of me in the form of lyrics in the space of about half an hour – which is how I knew it was special. Once I laid the chords down and began singing it through, I felt extremely vulnerable but also liberated – so I knew I needed to let the world hear it. ‘You’re No Good’ holds a very special place in my heart, as it came from a genuine place of raw emotion that I didn’t know was still lingering at the time of writing it.

2. Lyrically, your three releases so far all surround relationship turmoil, has the inspiration all come from the same place?

Yes, the scenario which inspired each of the tracks stemmed from the same place – but every song explores a different emotion surrounding that scenario. ‘If You Stay’ was inspired by passion and danger, ‘Poison Boy’ was the darkness that came with it and ‘You’re No Good’ is the acceptance of letting go.

3. You've worked with George Rose on the production of your music so far, what's been your favourite moment across these recording sessions?

One of the most profound memories I have of working with George was when we were sent the initial mix of ‘If You Stay’, George instructed me to get into my car, plug my phone in and blast it. I of course obliged… I cannot describe how electric it made me feel, hearing one of the first songs I ever wrote sound like THAT. I called him straight after and said “George, we’ve made f*****g magic here.” That memory always makes me smile.

4. Was 'If You Stay' always the prime candidate for your first single? Or were there other potential tracks that could've taken it's place?

Funnily enough ‘If You Stay’ was one of the first songs I’d ever written period, so I was initially tentative about putting it out for fear that it wasn’t “good enough” to use as a debut. But the fact was I absolutely loved it and felt so proud of it that I simply didn’t care – and I’m so glad I took that stance. It’s still to this day one of my favourite tracks I’ve ever worked on!

5. You directed your own music video for 'Poison Boy' last summer, what was it like putting that together with the restrictions in place?

Whilst slightly wine-giddy and sun-drunk during lockdown, I was sent one of the first demos for Poison Boy and spent the whole day listening to it on repeat. I eventually found myself in a Pinterest rabbit hole while listening to it – and before I knew it I had dreamt up an entire video concept in one afternoon. I had a vision for every single shot, and scribbled all of my (slightly mental) ideas down. I then pitched it to my sister-in-law who was staying with us at the time and just so happens to be a videographer, and she agreed to help me bring my visions to life. We filmed half of it in the woods by my apartment in Oxford, and the other half in my bedroom/bathroom. Considering the limited resources we had to work with and no travelling, I’m proud to say we ended up with something really special. It was definitely challenging, but I loved every second. The smell of stale milk still haunts me, though…

6. Is there another self-directed video coming for 'You're No Good'?

I would absolutely love to put out another video, but sadly with the current lockdown in the UK I wouldn’t be able to execute things the way I would want. Perhaps one day, though… A girl can dream.

7. Growing up, what artists inspired you to pursue a career in music?

When I was a kid, I was completely obsessed with performing. Whether it was a fully choreographed dance show to S-Club 7, or a full lip-sync performance of Kylie Minogue – there was always some kind of show taking place in my living room. I grew up listening to all kinds of stuff, from 50 Cent and Eminem (courtesy of my pre-pubescent brothers) to the Bee Gees and Michael Jackson. However, it was in my teens that I discovered my “hunger” – when Lady Gaga stepped on the scene. I vividly remember watching a video of her playing ‘Poker Face’ on the piano with her FEET, and was enamoured from that point on - she has been one of my biggest inspirations ever since.

8. Sometimes people grow out of the music they used to listen to. Is there an artist you previously enjoyed that you wouldn't listen to now?

I would probably say that although My Chemical Romance once held a very special place in 12 year-old Francesca’s heart, I no longer uh… Vibe with that kind of music anymore. (The Black Parade still lowkey slaps though.)

9. Do the tracks you've released so far form a part of something bigger? Is there an EP coming in 2021?

One of my main goals for this year is to put out a body of work for sure, but what form that takes is yet to be decided. Watch this space!

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Follow Francesca on Facebook @franmarsalamusic, on Instagram @francescamarsala and on Twitter @f_marsala.