#INTERVIEW Fiona Bevan releases “Talk to Strangers” in Canada

Singer-songwriter Fiona Bevan is already an established artist in her hometown England, but now she is making her way internationally to Canada, where she released her full-length debut album, “Talk to Strangers” on June 23. Bevan’s reputation was firmly established in 2012  for “Little Things” which she co-wrote with her good friend Ed Sheeran for One Direction which topped the charts worldwide. Now Bevan’s first single “The Machine” has become a BBC favourite and is being heard worldwide.

Prior to Bevan’s exclusive HMV Underground performance on June 23, we had the chance to speak to the talented singer-songwriter about her new album “Talk to Strangers”

This being your first time in Toronto, did you get to do anything fun and exciting yet?
Well it’s all been pretty exciting. I’m right next to the CN Tower, I feel like I’m right in the middle of the city, it’s so cool. And I also went to the Much Music Video Awards last night, that was really fun. It was really good with a good vibe. It’s all been really cool so far, I haven’t had time to wander. I love the feel of the city yet, I always like to have a little wander and soak up the vibe and atmosphere.

You said you were at the MMVAs last night, which Ed Sheeran was also at. You both worked on “Little Things” which is now a worldwide hit, can you describe the process?
When we wrote “Little Things” Ed and I were thinking let’s write a song for Ed’s album. It was actually a bit later, he came around and we wrote this song in the afternoon and it’s a song about all the imperfections about a person that makes you love them, and makes them who they are and what makes them special. It was a song that meant a lot to both of us and there was real little details about the people we love so it was a really special song. Then we only recorded it on his phone, we didn’t even have a microphone, we wrote down the lyrics and recorded it on his phone and then he went off, and at some point had his phone stolen and we lost the recording of the song. It was a bit too late for his album anyways, but then a year later I started thinking what about that song we wrote, we should do something with it. Then I found the lyrics and I emailed it to him, and he was on his tour bus. But he managed to demo it up on his iPad and he was playing at the Olympic opening ceremony where One Direction was playing at it as well. So they were all hanging out and became really good friends and they love that song. It happened in such an organic way, he pitched the song to them and they loved it. So it ended up getting on their album, so they recorded it in the end of August. By November, it was number one. It was crazy amazing thing for it. It’s incredible.

You been songwriting since you were 15. Would you say the creative process has changed over the years?
A little bit yeah. The creative process has definitely changed because when I first started writing songs, I kind of didn’t know what songs were. I didn’t grow up on pop music, I grew up on classical and jazz. I really kind of got fascinated by pop music because it was so fresh to me and as far as writing songs, I definitely  haven’t heard that many contemporary songs. So I think now my process is a little less mysterious because I heard so much music now and I know song structure and things like that, and the precedents of what people want in pop music. There’s still an element of mystery for sure, no one can really tell you how to write a song. There’s always an element of where ideas come from and the spark of inspiration is still very much a process that I’m endlessly fascinated by that really.I had to find that inspiration every single day. It’s fascinating, I feel like I’ve got the job that I’ve always wanted.

You been doing press all morning, and your album drops June 23. You say your album has a lot of references to film and literature. Can you tell us a little bit more about that?
I wrote the songs over a couple of years really.  The film and literature references is because I love books and movies so much. I love amazing titles, sometimes I’ll steal title from something else, or steal story line. For example, in the exorcist the story line is actually stolen from “Rebecca” by Daphne Du Maurier. The sound of the record is very kind of organic, it’s very kind of analog actually, we didn’t use very much digital equipments.  It was mostly analog, what was really cool was that it was equipment from the 60s or the 70s. We didn’t use a digital click tracker or anything like that, we literally just played like musicians do during a gig. We’re trying to capture that live feeling, that magical thing when musicians play live together. and I’m so lucky to have worked with the amazing producer Shawn lee. Between the two of us, we just played all the instruments, he’s an amazing percussionist, guitarist and I play guitar, piano, ukulele, double bass, violin and I’m singing. Whenever I’m singing I was also playing like guitar and we just kept it as organic as we could. We also used some strange effects like in the last track which is called “Last Days of Decadence”. We had a lot of fun making that record.

Your video for “The Machine” What was the inspiration behind that?
When I wrote the song it was about being stuck inside something. So many people have told me that their interpretation of that song is about a job, relationship, the government, the current state of affairs… It’s actually about what you want it to be about really. The film maker actually put their own twist on it and focused on the societal meaning of it. I also wrote some of these songs right after the riot happened in London. The frustration and energy and not knowing what to do there. It became a love song, but I guess “The Machine” is more about a song about being stuck. It some ways it feels like a very contemporary album to me because all those elements are in there. It’s real.

When it comes to a performance, what is most important? The music, the lyrics or atmosphere?That’s a really good question actually. Well I think funny enough, despite the fact I’m a lyricist as well as a composer, I kind of don’t listen to lyrics so much. So to me the music and atmosphere is super important. But sometimes lyrics are so good so they just come and whack you down the face. I think when lyrics are amazing you can’t help but hear them. But I love going to gigs as an audience member because I don’t really get to do that very much. I’m usually playing myself, so it’s real treat to see people at work and see people work their music. The atmosphere of the night is a mysterious thing and everyone creates that in their own way, so I find it fascinating really. I love how an artist interacts with their audience, it makes them happy and gives them love. I love that process.

How do you go The Xtra Mile?
That’s a good question. I go The Xtra Mile  I think by living this crazy life. I love it so much. Partly why I started doing music when I was so young was because I wanted an exciting life and I wanted adventure. I’m from a really small town and I couldn’t see how I was going to have an exciting life and adventures unless it was through music. I couldn’t see any other roots for myself and I know I’m on the right root even now after all the time. The Xtra Mile every single day, I mean I’ve come thousands of mile to come here to Toronto and I think music does take you on the most crazy and wonderful adventures.  I’m probably going The Xtra Mile by living a crazy life.

You have numerous shows coming up in the UK. Anything else for Toronto?
With any luck, I’ll be back in the fall to do some more touring. I really want to tour all over Canada, I’ve got a lot of family in Vancouver. I really want to come and have more adventures, I really want everyone to hear the album and I want everyone to kind of let me know what their favourite song is, or if it means something to them. That’s my favourite thing to hear. When a song becomes a part of your life, when someone tells you they walked up the isle to one of my songs, or they listen to it every day or something like that. It literally makes my day. I love that. Hopefully I’ll be back in the fall.

Listen to Fiona Bevan’s single for “Rebel Without a Cause” below!

Talk To Strangers was released June 23 by Convexe Entertainment/Universal Music Canada.