FOCUS "YOUR OWN WORDS" Interview to Marcia

INTERVIEW:

Hi Marcia, Welcome to AFX. Do any of your songs based on personal experiences? Tell us a bit of yourself and the project.

Hey! Thanks for having me AFX! :) Yes, all of my songs are based on personal experiences. I like my songs to tell a story, I take inspiration from things I've felt and gone through and written about specific situations and events in my life. I'm an r&b artist originally from Scotland - I moved to London a few years ago to explore my passion for music. My latest single 'Me and You', I originally wrote as a love song about having that special person you can always go back to, but when I listened back to it I realised it's actually another song about toxic relationships. It's about always going back to that person NO MATTER WHAT... when some people should really be kept in your past. The visuals for 'Me and You' took me on an unexpected, last minute trip to Paris. This was a really surreal moment for me as one day I was working in a coffee shop and the next, I was shooting a music video in Paris!! I think the visuals add a whole new dimension to the track and give more of a glimpse into the story. I realllly enjoyed working on this project.

Describe your creative process when you write music. Do you write with a specific audience in mind?

I begin writing my songs with a small idea, a phrase, or a word, or even a melody I randomly create that gets stuck in my head. I usually create a big, messy mind map of that idea and link it to real things that have happened to me and then try and get everything together in an order that makes sense, and then somehow I turn that into a song. I don't write with a specific audience in mind. I write music that makes sense to me, I like to really tell a story by having some personal experiences in there, but at the same time I like to make the music relatable so other people can enjoy it too and feel a connection with it.

Is there a particular place where you feel most creative?

I feel most creative when I have time to just be still for a while and my mind has space to come up with things. If I'm working too much, I definitely don't create as much as I could, I think a lot of creatives find themselves in this situation, especially in this economy. It's like you need the money to bring the creations to life but also the time you spend making this money is taking away from the time you could be creating. It's funny because I actually get a lot of song ideas when I'm doing something like baking or if I'm working out, not sure why that is but they just pop into my head.

What's the best advice you've ever received about pursuing a career in music?

One time a lecturer said don't ever doubt yourself, you need to think "why not me", if opportunities are coming your way it's because you deserve them, don't ever think you're not worthy.

''The creation of 'Me and You' really took me on a journey - literally to Paris - but also I think it's taught me to dig a bit deeper and has shown me that things aren't always as they first seem.'' Marcia

How well do you know the music industry and its current trends?

I know it well, you need to really keep yourself in the loop when it comes to the music industry as it has vastly changed in the last 10-15 years and it will keep evolving, it has to. It's actually good that it is has, I think there are more opportunities than ever, especially for independent artists.

What has been the best performance of your career so far?

This is a tricky one, I really enjoyed performing with Ivel Records Club at The Troubadour. I also really enjoyed singing at the LDNRBS event at Peckham Audio recently. I think the best is definitely yet to come though, I'm still getting used to performing my own songs, it feels very different to singing covers.

Are you working on any new music or planning anything exciting that we can look forward to?

I'm currently working on my next project which should be coming out next year, that's all I can say about that for now! I'm also planning some live acoustic version videos of my songs.

Catch 'Me and You' on Spotify: 

MARCIA