Review Fix Exclusive: Francesca Louise Talks ‘Out of Sight, (Out of Mind)’

Review Fix chats with singer/songwriter Francesca Louise, who discusses “Out of Sight (Out of Mind) the first single of upcoming EP “Melancholic Antidote.”

Review Fix: How did you get involved in music?

Francesca Louise: I was playing musical instruments and singing from a young age, as my mother is a professional piano player and my father was a song-writer and drummer during his hay-day. Being surrounded by it day in and out I was either going to rebel against it or absorb it. Let’s just say that I absorbed it and have never looked back!

Review Fix: What’s your creative process like? And what inspires you?

Louise: Writing comes from a stream of thoughts, emotions – whether that be from external events or more personal experiences. I usually pick up the guitar, play a few chords in whatever random tuning I like the feel of and go from there. On occasion that I take to the piano first, I come up with melody and create chord progressions around the melody. 

Writing songs is my way of making sense of what is going on inside my head, or what is going on around me. I find it hard to compartmentalise otherwise, and I sure as hell am not great at expressing myself in other ways. So song-writing and singing is my go to.

Listening to all different types of music via randomly curated playlists ALWAYS leaves me with a spider web of musical ideas. I really love talking to people and listening to their stories and this always leaves me with topics to write about as well.

Review Fix: What does music mean to you?

Louise: Music is my medicine. It has always been what fixes me through difficult periods of my life (and we all have had and will always have those periods in time, let’s be honest!). The healing power of someone picking up and instrument and creating (whether that be myself or someone else) will always amaze me. I will always be in awe of it.

Review Fix: How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard you?

Louise: Mix Carole King’s punchy vocals with Joni Mitchell’s chordal changes, mix it with some generic Pop glitteriness and there you have it! 

Review Fix: How are your live shows different from your studio work?

Louise: My live shows are far more stripped back. I tend to perform solo (vocals and guitar) or with my friends (& band members) who add drums, bass and backing vocals to the mix. I like to talk and create connections, which is a lot harder to do via a playlist on Spotify. In a live context I take full advantage of the audience and get them involved in the process as much as possible (sharing stories, sing-a-longs). It’s such a beautiful privilege for me!

Review Fix: What inspired your latest single?

Louise: It’s a head vs heart kinda tune. I’m not great at expressing myself and putting my heart out there (in the romantic sense) so this song was my way of confession and my way of ‘putting my heart out’ in the most ambiguous way possible. It’s quite a secretive song as the subject of the inspiration behind the song will never be named!

Review Fix: What are your goals for 2020?

Louise: Throughout 2020 (with current events taken into consideration) I want to inspire others to share and create and play and feel and love and live. The current generation needs that inspo now more than ever before. Let’s get through this together, and go from there.

Review Fix: What’s next?

Louise: The second single for the upcoming EP arrives next month which I’m so excited about. And following that, the EP will drop later on in the summer. Between that I will be doing some live streaming from my home for anyone that wants to tune in and watch me play some tunes and talk some rubbish. 

Review Fix: Anything else you’d like to add? 

Louise: I hope that everyone stays safe, healthy and happy during such a testing time. Thanks so much to everyone for the support and love and hopefully I can give you that same support with my music.