DESCRIBING HER GENRE AS DREAMY-FOLK WITH A HINT OF RETRO-POP FOR GOOD MEASURE ‘JANE FRANCES’ IS HERE WITH ME TO CHAT ALL ABOUT NEW SINGLE ‘THE BUZZ’ AND YOU CAN READ IT ALL HERE WHILST LISTENING ALONG! GET TO KNOW MORE ABOUT JANE BELOW.

What is your name?
Artist Name – Jane Frances 

What is your genre of music?
Dreamy Folk with a hint of retro pop thrown in for good measure!

Give us a little bio about you.
I’m a singer/songwriter who started my music career doing collaborations and guest vocals with local hip hop, trip hop and jazz/soul bands in my hometown of Edinburgh. In 2014, after a move to Brighton, I taught myself guitar, then wrote and released an EP of stripped back 70s style acoustic folk songs under my given name Jane Gilbert. While on the South Coast I met guitarist and musician Rowan Chapman and at the start of 2022 we began working on new material with bass player and producer Alex Borg and that’s how Jane Frances was born.

What made you go into music?
I’ve been singing since a really young age, my dad would play me records every Saturday night, we would listen to lots of 60/70s artists and dance around the living room, it was mainly rock and roll and soul musicthen after he’d had a few whiskies, we would listen to more traditional Scottish songs on the radio. I have a lovely memory of singing Cat Stevens ‘Father and Son’ one evening, I hid behind the door as I was too shy to sing in front of him. Then I discovered Joni Mitchell when I was 16 through a school friend of mine, it was then that I wanted to get into songwriting.

Who are your influences?
My musical influences are very varied in terms of genre. I love classic songwriters like Joni Mitchell, James Taylor, Cat Stevens, Nick Drake, and Bob Dylan. I also love Vashti Bunyan and the Incredible String Band as well as artists like Velvet Underground and Nico and anything 1960s French Pop! I listen to a lot of trip hoptoo, especially bands like Mazzy Star, Portishead and Massive Attack. I could go on. Ha ha!

Are you a signed?
I’m signed to Stash Recordings, an independent record label based in Worthing.

You released your new single ‘The Buzz’, tell us more about the single and the meaning behind the single.
The Buzz is a fun, upbeat track and is a nod to that 60s French pop sound that oozes psychedelic guitarriffs and churning bass lines. I love artists like ZouZou, Françoise Hardy and Sylvie Vartan so it’s a little ode to them. Living in Brighton for me, was a pretty hedonistic and wild chapter in my life, the track is about moving back to Scotland, leaving the crazy chaos behind and also those tricky personal moments and relationships to something more calm and serene. There’s a determination to the lyrics that channels thenarrative of restarting and not looking back.

Describe the track in two words.
Retro-Pop

What was the writing and recording process like?
So, my co-writers and collaborators are based on the South Coast, in lockdown, I set up a home studio, sowe have been working on music remotely ever since which has proved successful thus far. I was sent the instrumental and I loved it. I’m so used to writing melancholy folk songs that this was a much-needed change, something light hearted and fun.

Who did you work with on the single?
I co-wrote the track with Rowan Chapman and Alex Borg who I mentioned earlier. Musician Mark Jonesalso guests on keys and the track is produced by Alex in his studio.

Will we see a music video for ‘The Buzz’ and if so, what can we expect from the creative process.
Well, we are working on finalizing the video as we speak. It is being filmed in Edinburgh by Cara Fidelo and we have tried to emulate a 60s aesthetic through hair styles, makeup, outfits, and locations, Imanage a vintage store in the city so it’s always a joy to dress up in retro clothes and prance about! We had a lot of fun on the shoot and it’s due out on the same day as the release 24.2.23.

Will we see an album or ep this year and if so, what can we expect from that.
Yes, I am working on an album and have around 12 tracks so far, hoping to release it towards the end of 2023. It’s an eclectic mix of work, it’s got lots of 60/70s dreamy folk elements to it but also has a shoe gazey sound on some of the tracks too. A real miss mash but with heavy focus on ethereal vocals and intricate guitar lines.

Will we see any live shows coming up and if so, where can we get tickets.
We are hoping to do a small, intimate showcase at The Cellar Arts Club in Worthing over the summer but living in 2 different locations has its challenges, at the moment it’s just an absolute joy to be putting music out and I’m sure live shows will be something to look forward to in the future, watch this space!

What else can we expect in early 2023?
I will be doing lots more writing and recording; I have another single coming out in the first half of 2023 and another single release following that in the pipeline as well. Lots of releases and music making basically.

Where do you see yourself now in 5 Years?
Oh gosh, I’m not one to foresee too far down the line, I’d like to have another couple of albums under my belt and would also like to think my voice and the music I make will bring lots of joy to those who listen, anysuccess in the industry would be an added bonus. I would love to tour and take my music on the road.

What quote or saying do you always stick by?
Without sounding like some pretentious, whimsical dreamer, I did read this recently… “Whatkeeps my heart awake is colourful silence”
I’m not a big quote person but just thought this was rather lovely. I think its Claude Monet.

Do you have social media accounts so your fans can follow you?
I mostly use instagram. https://www.instagram.com/janefrancesmusic

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.