After emerging with viral hit Lost Without You, Freya Ridings has released two solo albums characterised by poignant lyrics and her powerful voice. Newly signed to BMG, she returns having “reclaimed a bit of rebellion”…
INTERVIEW: Colleen Harris
PHOTO: Bartek Szmigulski
What would you say has been the biggest difference between the process for making the new album and your previous two?
“Working with Jennifer Decilveo, who is one of my favourite female producers on the planet. Working with incredible women was the thing that I wanted to do for this record. Before, I felt so alone in the process a lot of the time; you get put in a room with men double your age. I really wanted these songs to be about my maternal ancestry, my Celtic heritage and to go deeper into the trauma that ripples down silently throughout your maternal line, without anyone speaking about it. Making it a female-centred album in every way was my goal. It’s my mum’s story, my story, my grandma’s story; there’s so many of us in there.”
Why did you want Wicker Woman to be the first taste of the record?
“I think something possessed me when I was writing that song. It was just a voice note on my phone for a long time, but when I went in with Jenn in LA, we did it in a couple of days. It was just such a whirlwind. It felt so truly empowering, after many, many moons of not feeling like that. We also worked with the amazing Sam De Jong, who has done a lot with Gracie Abrams, and Adam Yaron, who co-wrote the incredible Alex Warren song Ordinary. He recorded a song called Mother Of Pearl with me, and it’s like lightning in a bottle. I really wanted to not just do sessions for the sake of it, I want it to be like a friendship, with mutual respect and energy that goes into the music. You can be more vulnerable and authentic around friends than you can around someone you’re supposed to be seriously working with.”
You’re signed to BMG now, how is your relationship with the label evolving?
“It’s beautiful. I went from being with my first indie label [Good Soldier] for seven years, and it did genuinely feel like the biggest break-up of my life. Part of going to LA was to find my love for doing this again and remind myself what an honour it is, and to take the pressure off. Then I came back from LA, was meeting some labels, and I really, really clicked with BMG. I think in their soul they champion the artist first, and I really needed that, because I’m not really a major label girl in my heart. They’re like an ‘indie major’ – they let you do a lot of the creative and dreaming yourself. I just absolutely love them as a team. I think I rise when I have a great team.”
Looking back on your whole career, what have you learned about the business so far?
“So much of my first album was written when no one cared and I think there were depths that I was able to go to because I knew no one was watching – that then connected me with so many people. The second album, I won’t lie, I did feel the pressure. I felt a lot of fear, and I think that went into the music. I still regret not shutting out more of the people who made me feel scared, and going back to my roots of what I love about this job, which is sitting down at a piano, shutting my eyes and telling a real story that comes from a deep place in my soul – and letting that be enough. There’s a bit of rebellion I’ve reclaimed through making this album, which I’m excited for people to feel.”
How do you feel about the industry you’re coming back to?
“People like Sam Fender and Olivia Dean, I’m just in awe of their artistry and the fact they haven’t given it up. I’ve come back to feeling really strong in who I am as an artist, and just not apologising for the niche person that I am. It’s easy to be like, ‘Oh, I want to be like everyone else,’ but I actually don’t. That’s the beauty of it. I love the levels of bravery and difference that are coming out at the moment. Artists like CMAT or Wolf Alice, they’re great, bold songwriters in their hearts, and that’s what connects them.”
