Songsalive! Interview with Elite Member Francesca Lee

1. Where are you from, originally and what brought you to San Francisco

I’m originally from the Bay Area, but as a child and in my teens I moved around a lot. I’ve lived in the Southwest, West Coast, and in Europe. I was living in Liverpool, England for four years and decided to come back to San Francisco last year. San Francisco is one of my most favorite cities because it has so much character. There’s no other city in the US like it and I love it. It’s in a great location because it’s not far from L.A and it’s easy to travel to Portland, Seattle, and up into Canada.

2. What style of music would you say you do?

I’ve always written primarily on the acoustic guitar so naturally people have always considered my music to be folk, but if you really pull apart the songs and really listen, I play a lot of jazz influenced stuff that is represented a lot more in live shows. I also find that my song structure is never traditional folk either , instead it’s more of a crossover style. When I recorded my debut album “Francesca Lee”, I was going for a more pop/alternative feel and since then I’ve grown a lot and am making that transition into what I call Jazz influenced folk. In general, I’ve written all style of music from electronic, to country, to R&B.

3. What do you enjoy best - songwriting or performing and why?

I would have to say I enjoy both equally. I love the creative part of songwriting especially when all my ideas are flowing. Whenever I feel I’m getting writers block, I try taking a walk to clear my mind. I find it also helps when you move to another room. I love performing because I find it puts me in another element. I don’t think about the songs so much as the time I was writing them, instead everything comes together full circle.

4. Who are your musical influences?

So many artists have influenced me but I think my favorites have to be - Sting, Nina Simone, Nick Drake, Sade, Jeff Buckley, Billie Holliday, Laura Nyro, Joni Mitchell, Ricki Lee Jones, Jacques Brel, Bebel Gilberto, Leonard Cohen, Suzanne Vega, and The Cowboy Junkies…. And the list goes on!

5. Describe your favorite song you have written and why is it so special to you?

Off the album I really like the song “Goodbye” – I like how the song starts out with just the acoustic guitar and piano and how it gradually builds up unexcpectedly. Most of all I love the simplicity of the song and the complexity of the meaning. I think this is a song that can mean a lot of things to different people. I wrote it when I lived in Liverpool. At the time I was researching a lot of stories on artists that lives were cut short by tragedy. I wondered what it would had been like to had known them. By putting myself in this sort of fantasy world I was also able to add a lot of what I felt was going on in my life. Somehow I placed two different ideas and was able to create a beautiful song from it. I always play this song in my set.

6. What are your goals for the next 5 years musically speaking?

First and foremost I want to keep myself fresh as an artist. I want to keep improving what I do, stay original, and stand true to my vision. In the next five years I would like to publish my work in Film, TV, and also for other artists to also record my songs. As a performer I want I’d like to stay consistent on making great albums, and I want to be able to reach out to a wider audience through touring on a consistent basis whether that be the US or outside.

7. Tell us about your recordings and what's in store next.

I recorded my self-titled album “ Francesca Lee” in Liverpool, which was released on my independent label “ Blue Iris Records” , I am currently working on an new EP which will be out this summer.

8. Where can we buy your music?

You can buy my new CD at Cdbaby.com

9. What are your views about where the music industry is heading in your community, or on a global level?

I think music has changed a lot over the years. With the internet most artists can easily promote and act as their own publicist now. I also think there are more and more artists now then ever before and new music genres are being made every year. That said, I think it’s a lot more competitive so as an artist you need to really define what makes you different from others.

10. Anything pertinent you'd like to say about Songsalive!

Gilli told me about Songsalive- I think it's a great organization! I'm so glad I joined and I'm looking forward to sharing my music with everyone!