After making her long-awaited return with a string of vibrant outings last year, renowned artist Marsha Swanson is now back for 2024 to deliver her long-awaited third studio album 'Near Life Experience'.
Featuring the previously shared outings 'Happy Ever After', 'Not You', 'Facing Life' and 'In Parallel', this new seventeen-track collection makes for an incredibly immersive listen. With her rich and soaring vocals layered across a compelling production from start to finish, 'Near Life Experience' sees her return to the fold with vigour and passion throughout.
So with the new album available to stream now, we sat down with her to find out more about her origins and what has been inspiring her lately.
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What was the first instrument you fell in love with?
The human voice. This applied even to speaking voices. They convey so much about a person. As a young child a friend of my Dad’s used to play the guitar and sing to me before I went to bed. I fell in love with his voice and the care that it conveyed. Somehow in my early psyche it got linked with being an instrument of attachment.
What kind of music did you love when you were younger?
Olivia Newton John and Wham were big favourites. I think the common thread was music with strong emotive melodies and singers with powerful but non-ornamented authentic sounding voices.
What was the first album you remember owning?
I think it was Abba The album. I remember dancing around the living room to “Money Money Money”.
What is the one song you wished you could have written yourself?
There are a few songs that have been written to absolute perfection and that I resonate with deeply and would have loved to have claimed as my own!
Life on Mars by David Bowie
Your Song by Elton John
Natural Woman by Carole King
The man with the child in his eyes by Kate Bush
Do you have any habits or rituals you go through when trying to write new music?
More a process than a habit or ritual. I sit at the piano and let my hands randomly wander until I hit on a note or chord that fits my mood. From that starting point it tends to all flow quite naturally. A word will emerge that will tell me what the song is about and then I can riff around that this time finding the chords that fit where the vocal melody is looking to land.
Who are your favourite artists you have found yourself listening to at the moment?
Most recently the music I have listened to has been my daughter’s favourites which she has introduced me to. I was really impressed by “The Deal” by Mitski, “Did you know that there’s a tunnel under ocean boulevard” by Lana Del Ray and “Sorry” by James and the Shame.
If you could open a show for anyone in the world, who would it be?
Carole King. She has endured as being a firm favourite of mine both as a child and as an adult. I loved the music she wrote for “Really Rosie” , a musical with a book and lyrics by Maurice Sendak. It inspired a current music resource that I have been writing for schools which is currently in development but will be published by Karnac Books later in the year. Carole King’s voice has a rare “maternal” quality to it. Her lyrics are nuggets of relatable truths honed to perfection and her melodies are powerful, classy and timeless. It is not a surprise that her songs became standards for numerous artists worldwide.
What do you find is the most rewarding part about being a musician?
Having a forum with which to process emotion and discover what is on your mind subconsciously that also happens to end in a unique creation as a happy by-product!
And what is the most frustrating part?
The lack of any kind of orderly career path. The difficulty with breaking through in a hugely over saturated market and the current infrastructures which make it hard for a musician to earn a living.
And what is the best piece of advice you have received as a musician?
When I had a development deal at Universal Publishing, the A&R lady I was under encouraged me to think laterally about my approach to being in the music industry. It was no longer enough to hope to be broken on music alone. She really helped me tap into my pioneering spirit. On a personal level, she also advised me not to put off having a child until I had reached a level of success that I was satisfied with. She knew that nothing was guaranteed and that other important aspects of life need to continue.
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Marsha Swanson's new album 'Near Life Experience' is available to stream now. Listen to it in the player below.