Vier Jahre, unzählige Emotionen und ein Album voller Geschichten: Freya Ridings im Interview über ihr neues Album.
Mit ihrer unverwechselbaren Stimme und emotionalen Piano-Balladen hat sich Freya Ridings in den vergangenen Jahren als eine der eindrucksvollsten Singer-Songwriterinnen Großbritanniens etabliert. Bekannt wurde sie vor allem durch Songs wie Lost Without You oder Castles, mit denen sie Millionen von Menschen berührte und internationale Aufmerksamkeit erlangte. Ihre Musik bewegt sich zwischen verletzlicher Ehrlichkeit, großen Gefühlen und cineastischen Klangwelten – immer getragen von ihrer markanten Stimme und sehr persönlichen Geschichten.
Im Vorfeld ihres neuen Albums Mother of Pearl spricht Freya Ridings mit dem BLONDE Magazine über die emotionale Entstehung ihres bisher persönlichsten Projekts. Über vier Jahre hinweg schrieb und entwickelte sie Songs über Liebe, Verlust, Familie, Verletzlichkeit und Neuanfänge – Themen, die sich wie ein roter Faden durch Mother of Pearl ziehen. Im Interview erzählt sie von kreativen Prozessen, den Geschichten hinter den Songs und davon, wie es sich anfühlt, ein so intimes Album endlich mit der Welt zu teilen.
BLONDE: Mother of Pearl is such a beautiful and evocative title. What does it symbolize for you, and why did it feel like the right name for this chapter of your music?
FREYA: Thank you so much, I really appreciate that. Mother of Pearl to me is a death and rebirth, which is why I’m in a fetal like position in the album artwork inside of a black shell. I truly felt a depth and a grief while creating this album that felt like very dark water with the fear and peace that comes with it. Ultimately finding the strength again in my songwriting and vulnerability.
BLONDE: Was there a specific moment or experience that sparked the creation of Mother of Pearl?
FREYA: There’s an lyric of a song called Dancing In The Kitchen which opens with ‘Mama said it’s the grit that makes the Pearl’ and that was the moment this album title crystallised for me. It became more honest from that moment forward.
BLONDE: You said you were “crafting this album in the shadows for years.” What did that time away from the spotlight give you creatively?
FREYA: Honestly, a lot of doubt and anxiety, but also a lot of freedom to find the joy in it again. I had to battle creatively with an ex manager which wasn’t easy and honestly put this album back by at least a year. It was in my rebellion that I found my creative spark and freedom again to work with only people who do champion my authentic songwriting.
BLONDE: You described the album as a mix of grief, love, family and true love stories. Was it difficult to turn such personal experiences into songs for the world to hear?
FREYA: Yes, it was in some ways, but in others I feel the songs which I am writing alone at the piano in a stream of consciousness always flow like water. After Lost Without You I’ve received so many beautiful messages about people loosing loved ones and playing my songwriting at their funeral. Their bravery in opening up to me made me want to share even more of my own grief and loss.
BLONDE: The album feels very intimate and reflective, and your music has always been incredibly honest. Was there a moment while writing where a song felt almost too personal to share?
FREYA: Mother of Pearl the title track of the album truly, at one point, felt to raw to even play live, let alone record and release. It’s not even 100% my story to share, so I had to get special permission from someone close to me to put this song on my album. I’m truly glad I did that to respect the person’s memory in that song. It makes me cry almost every-time to sing the final line.
BLONDE: Your songs often feel very cinematic and emotional. When you write, are you thinking more about the story behind the song or the feeling it should leave with listeners?
FREYA: Wow thank you, that’s so kind. Truly I’m only thinking about who my soul is craving to speak to that day. It’s like a ‚telephone to another dimension‘ songwriting. Especially alone at the piano. Almost terrifyingly some days. I can’t wear mascara when I write as I know it’s coming straight off.
BLONDE: Were there any songs on the album that surprised you while writing them – maybe because they went in a different direction than you expected?
FREYA: Wicker Woman became a lot more rocky and bad ass, which I love, because of working with the incredible producer Jenn Decilvio in LA – she’s an amazing creator and her passion for what I thought was a simple folk song really brought a darker more beautiful world to light with swirling electric guitars from the legendary David Lavita who played with Allanis Morriset!
BLONDE: Three singles from the album are already out. Why did you choose these particular songs to introduce the album first?
FREYA: In all honesty I wanted to start with a bang! Something that people wouldn’t expect from me with Wicker Woman – and Wild Horse is a song of reclaiming freedom and a pun on my name Freya Ridings (and an owe to the Celtic horse worshiping gods of old). I Have Always Loved You felt like coming back to my piano ballard roots, which felt like coming home to me.
BLONDE: After spending four years with these songs privately, what does it feel like knowing that soon they’ll “belong” to everyone who listens?
FREYA: It’s SO liberating. Honestly I don’t feel like I can write more until they’re released into the world. It’s like removing a dam from a stream of consciousness that can flow freely once again. It’s an honour to have them being released into the world and especially on a 3rd studio album.
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BLONDE: If listeners could take away one feeling or message after hearing the album, what would you hope it is?
FREYA: You’re stronger than you know. The depth of your grief and feelings makes you the person you are today. You’re a force of nature and they truly don’t know what’s coming.
BLONDE: Are there artists, writers or filmmakers who influence the way you think about storytelling in your music?
FREYA: Joni Mitchel, Carol King, Nina Simone are some of my all time songwriting heroes. I love it when a voice and a truth speak together in unity. It feels so much more like listening to the divine than anything else.
BLONDE: If you could collaborate with any artist – past or present – who would it be and why?
FREYA: Hozier, Tom Odell and Florence & the Machine are some of my all time heroes and it would be a dream to collaborate with any and all of them. And Annie Lenox, she’s an icon!
BLONDE: With Mother of Pearl about to be released, what excites you most about the next chapter of your career?
FREYA: Honestly I have no idea. I’m letting go of expectations and pressure and just am happy to see how the cosmic timing of the universe unfolds. She’s been incredibly kind to me in the past and I still have so much gratitude for this incredible life I’m getting to live. Growing up isolated and bullied I never dreamed this would be my reality but the fans have made this happen and I’m so thankful for that truth.
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