Interview with Verna Francis


Q: Your album Down To Earth has a great funky sound with horns. Please tell me where you're coming from musically and who has influenced you and your style of singing?

Verna Francis: My influences are varied. My parents are Jamaican and as a child I used to hear reggae music at home along with classic soul like Percy Sledge, Marvin Gaye. In the 70s it was the Jackson 5, Shalamar, The Commodores, Earth Wind & Fire and disco music. In the 80s I wanted to BE Whitney Houston! My favourite singers include Luther Vandross, Anita Baker and more recently Lauryn Hill, India.Arie, Jill Scott, Alicia Keys, Usher, John Legend.

Q: You also appeared in various stage plays and musicals. What do you like about the theatre?

Verna Francis: I like theatre because it's live and anything can happen depending on the audience and sometimes you might have to improvise on the spot in order to cover up a mistake. It is nice to play another character and have the chance to behave in ways you probably might not in person. "Baddies" are the best characters to play, although sometimes people can't divorce the actor from the character and they sometimes think you are like the character you are playing.

Q: And what do you like about singing in the studio?

Verna Francis: In the studio there is no pressure to perform or look or act in a certain way, I can just be myself. In the studio if I make a mistake or do something that I am not happy with, then we have the chance to do it again. On the stage it's not like that.

Q: On what will you focus more now that your debut album was released? Your singing career as Verna Francis the soul/dance singer or your stage career?

Verna Francis: Right now I am concentrating on Verna Francis the soul/dance singer, the theatre work is on hold for now because it is so demanding doing 8 shows a week, there is often no time for anything else. I am looking forward to promoting the album with live shows and a band.

Q: What do you think of the success of Earth Is The Place which became a global dance hit?

Verna Francis: I was really pleased that the track that I did with Nathan was so successful. It is a good platform for me because people are already familiar with my name because of that track. We have reworked it for my album and Nathan plays flute on the track for me. The old version was great and this new one is fresh and funky.

Q: Please tell me how you've teamed up with Felix Hopkins and what was it like working with him and Scott Baylis on the Down To Earth album.

Verna Francis: I have known Scott for over 10 years now. We worked together in a band called Soul Intention. I met Felix when I went to his studio to lay the vocals for Earth is the Place. They are both cool guys and we had a great time making the album. There were days when the ideas came easily and days when we struggled a bit, but through it all we had a good laugh. I am really pleased with the final product. It is my first album and my first writing project and I am proud of it. This is only the beginning!

Q: What Kind Of World offers some food for thought. Please tell me the motivation for co-writing and singing this song.

Verna Francis: I am a country girl at heart. I love nature. I was thinking of the area that I grew up in. As a child I used to climb trees, go fishing in the river, pick blackberries and apples. I visited there recently and all the fields and open spaces that I used to play in as a child had houses, superstores and factories on them. It just felt as though all the open spaces were disappearing. I know we can't change the world, but if we look after our small corner of it, then we can make the world a better place in which to live.

Q: Will you promote your debut with live performances? Maybe outside the UK as well?

Verna Francis: Of course! I love to travel, so hopefully we can arrange dates outside the UK.

For more infos visit chillifunk.com and read my review of Down To Earth.