“To be as HOXXXY as possible” – Interview with Princess Freesia / soulbowl.pl
She has an incredible talent and unique nature. Being a creative freethinker, who is extremely passionate, she appreciates freedom and is committed to the ideals. She records damn good music, admired by fans of 80s sound, which borders on funk and soul and is influenced by disco. The Lapdancer LP album could easily possess many souls. Still underrated. Please excuse this pompous introduction but with undisguised pride I am happy to announce that we were able to interview this woman, whose music can drive my dark thoughts away in the blink of an eye, increase the pulse rate and fill the air with sincere lust. Take a moment to understand what it means to be “stellarsonic” and feel “hoxxxy”.
You are a native Australian. How did it happen that majority of your time is spent in London? Do traveling and discovering new places play an important role in your life?
My creative network has been concentrated in London since 2006 through working with the darling and talented Soulpersona, and as the years went by and nothing much was happening in Australia for me (although I am currently stuck here in limbo waiting for my Latvian Passport so that I can get back to the UK where I belong, haha), I decided to make my initial move and live and work more intensively with SoulP in his place just outside of London. We're a great team and I have absolutely fallen head over heels with London and the UK (or "UKingdom" as I refer to it as!) so it seemed like the logical next step in my career. I am also an avid traveler and love international jetsetting, so it's something that I can relish in journeying back to the UK after my short respite here in Oz... I always love stopping over in either Seoul or South Korea, there's a buzz of excitement in the airports and I feel very much alive in making these cross-country connections!
When did you feel that singing is an irreplaceable part of you? Do you remember your first public performance? Hahaha , I recall being coaxed into joining the school choirs at a young age because someone had recognised that I had a "sweet voice", but I was a very shy reluctant performer initially! Taking up drama classes when I was 8 soon helped me to develop into a more willing "purr-former", and after being in the high school choirs and musicals, I realised in the first year out of school when trying to figure out where I wanted to go from here that I could use my creativity in more meaningful ways. I began to write a lot of poetry and was collaborating with someone musically in penning lyrics and melodies in addition to creating electronic compositions at home using basic programming software, and it was these interests that encouraged me audition for The Bachelor Of Popular Music Degree on the Gold Coast in Australia. I got in and did 3 years intensive recording, writing, and a smattering of singing lessons (I've never been the strongest contender for lessons as I resent being told what to do and how to do it, haha! I like unrestricted creativity) and developing myself as a musician and as a music LISTENER and appreciator, and ended up staying on for an extra year in Honours in which I wrote a thesis on the Rare Groove Subculture, haha! I can't remember my first public performance per se, however I do recall my first performance of ORIGINAL material when I was about 17 - my face flushed red, I couldn't look at anyone and had to close my eyes and hold my hands together for fear of losing the plot, haha! I've come a LONG way since then, thankfully
It is clear that you are inspired by music from the 70'/80'. I must admit you are able to perfectly recreate the feeling and groove of those records. Where is it coming from?
Oh yes, I rarely if ever listen to modern music! And bless you, what a kind fellow you are, oh shucks me brucks! Haha, well I guess for me, the sound of the 70s/80s production and the ENERGY of the music from these eras is very organic from head to toe, even the electronic elements; it was very true and pure and undiluted and comparing it to the majority of music today, it feels distinctly removed from much of the vacuous junk that you're hearing these days. I even like the rock and country and metal music back then because there WAS less pretense and it really WAS about the music! Admittedly, I myself have become more commercially-minded perhaps as a result of being in the industry for some time and am currently gauging new things to try as I expand my creative purpose, but I would NEVER write a song to fulfill an income dream, that's just bad form and it can often rip the soul right out it when it's done purely for monetary motivations. My frustration with modern music is that it seems like almost everyone sounds like they're trying too hard these days and it bothers me when I can't FEEL what someone is trying to achieve through a piece of music, a lyric, a melody needs to make me FEEL something more than myself. I know that sounds utterly pretentious, but I really like for music to grab me by the throat and show me what I have been missing, haha
So for me as a songwriter, I am constantly digging through the virtual crates for newfound OLD "inspiration stations", new discoveries from the past that infuse me with the energy of those eras and then I draw from what gives me goosebumps (that's actually Digisoul's motto, "if it gives you goosebumps, then that's what makes the Digisoul cut", haha!) and fashion my own sort of "Freesian" tribute to the sound.
Can you name few musicians, who majorly influenced you and your musical taste? Which one of them is able to make you shiver and whose music is making you unable to stay in one place?
Well, apart from finding musical heaven with my "Partner In Chime" Mister Soulpersona as he forever changed the way I worked in the most HOXXXY ways (and HIS music DOES makes me shiver!), I have been an avid Leon Ware fan ever since I heard my first glimpse of his stellarsonic style in the tune "Club Sashay"; I have since met him and performed backing vocals for one of his London shows and I believe that has been a career highlight for me thus far, but also performing alongside Roy Ayers too who is another of my most respected peers. Both men have wicked senses of humour, are very playful and Leon's sensuality is... OHHHHHH! Leon weaves sensual pleasures into everything he creates, and his work with Minnie Riperton, Melissa Morgan and Michael Wycoff alongside his own outstanding albums just elongates the HOXXXY feelings in me And Jocelyn Brown is like my big sis, and I regularly perform with her and am currently penning tunes with and for her for both mine and SoulP's forthcoming eighties-inspired "SOULPERFREESIA" album, as well as the album that her and SoulP have been working on over the past two years. She inspires me on numerous levels, and also gives me Southern Californian cooking lessons at times, haha! I also love the Digisoul Family in people like Nick Van Gelder, Carl Hudson, Andy Tolman, Katie Leone, Terry Lewis, Punk Pappa, etc - all bring their talents to the table and serve up the most scrumptious soulfuls you ever did pepper- peep! Sorry, I realise that my language is rather confusing, I have a deep passion for "wordsmithing" so I tend to invent words and phrases and many don't know what the hell I'm on about half the time, haha! I'm excitable when I'm talking about my passions and my people, my soul tribe, do forgive me for my wordy indulgences
To summarise though, my gratitude at being surrounded by these marvellous people (whether it be in the flesh when I am in the UK or via our online connection) overflows into the work we do together, and in the deep bonds of friendship formed also. We are a Soul Family, and no matter where we are in the world, we support each other, 100%. These sorts of bonds are sacred. There's magic and healing to be found in these bonds
I forgot to mention that Isaac Hayes is one of my BIGGEST influences too, haha!
You created a term "stellasonic sound”. Can you please shortly describe the definition of this style?
Hahaha, yes, another of my "enlightening wordsmiths" if you will, I'm a bloody mad woman aren't I just! Stellarsonic essentially means a sound that evokes feelings bigger than yourself, a sound that transports you and evolves you, that makes you tingle and tickle in pleasurable ways... for instance, to me, Leon Ware's "Rockin' You Eternally" is but one example of a "stellarsonic" tune. It would be my choice for the "First Song" at my wedding if I ever get married!
Your cooperation with Soulpersona goes perfectly. It is clear that you understand each other smoothly which then bears fruits of the extraordinary tracks. Is that because of the specific alchemistry between You two?
Oh you are very kind, thank you so dearly! It's always so rewarding to hear when people get something out of mine and SoulP's collaborative efforts. We love working together, and we're extremely intuitive and tuned into each other musically; even though we tend to argue over mixes, hahaha We can take each other's fire though and turn it into a metamorphosing phoenix that can then possess the power to rise both of us out of the ashes of the difficulties that can surround being a musician/creative a lot of the time (i.e. lack of funding our dream with real cash, etc) and birth a beautiful song baby that often touches us both. Without meaning to sound arrogant (haha, too late!), I really feel that our music is very special to us both, to the ways in which our lives have developed and progressed both as people and as professionals in this oft fickle industry that turns out music to the masses with mind manipulating messages to exercise control over people in nasty, self-motivated greedy ways. That kind of music is the type that me and SoulP like to battle against with music that comes more from the heart rather than the wallet, haha. We are both very passionate and committed individuals who share a dual vision of making good music with purpose and poise and in bringing the right elements together that can hopefully inspire others to be bold and make music from the heart also. I'd also refer to it as "Light" music, as I feel that energy surrounding me whenever I am in the process of bringing a new song to Light
Lapdancer LP was your and Soulpersona's common production. For Rainbow Ride only you were responsible. How did you experienced being a [sole] producer?
I have always been a sole producer of my own material (more or less), though I haven't developed it as intensely as I have being a sole singer or "soul" singer rather, haha My passion for programming electronic music sounds counter-intuitive to my passion expressed for the retro music I enjoy (or "retroriffic" as I refer to it as!) being that it perhaps has that modern twist to it utilising modern production styles and techniques, but in terms of songwriting, I always feel the deepest connection to the 70s/80s and shall always have that as my main source of strength when it comes to pulling a great song out. I am not half the producer nor engineer that Soulpersona is and I freely and humbly admit this, but I constantly strive to better myself as an "all-rounder" and will continue to develop my skills and become a better producer as my projects take flight. I have learnt much from studying under Soulpersona in sitting in on his music making sessions alone, and with wide listening of my preferred genres of music, I also drink in the wisdom of not only songwriting technique but also production values and although again I am nowhere near a Quincy Jones or a Leon Ware, I will hope to aspire for greater technical achievements in the foreseeable future, haha! Well, a girl can dream can't she
What’s your future music plans?
In short - to be as HOXXXY as possible in all that I create. And to aspire to gift you the stellarsonic retroriffic goosebumps. I want to please you, haha!
What does Princess Freesia dream about most often? Reveal to us one of your dreams.
Hmmmm, that's an interesting question, never has another been asked in an interview before, so thank you for your questing insight into the Freesian Fields, haha! Well... I can't recall a regular theme to be honest, though perhaps the most memorable and prominent dreams I can recall have involved flying, exploring old and new worlds, becoming pure energy with no body and being instructed by aliens/angels to develop potential psychic abilities, reading the akashic records backwards... you know, all that normal sort of stuff I am a spiritual person, though I don't practice anything in particular - I just feel what I feel and be as loving and real as possible. I guess this intention often manifests itself in my dreamscape