Exclusive Interview with Fancine Honey

How would you classify your music?

My music is a blend, I call it Americana of the North!  It is a mix of blues, country, soft rock, folk and french Canadian music.

Who are some of your top 5 musical influences?

My influences are the strongest from the 80s. There was always country playing in the house and my parents loved live music and hosted kitchen parties so I heard a lot of French Canadian traditional music, Country and Irish music.  I studied classical piano and loved rock and pop music from the 80s.  It is hard to pick 5 influences.  I listened to  the Rolling Stones, the Judds, Bruce Springsteen, Heart, and John Denver a LOT.  I think they and others are all heard in my music which is why I am not just one type of songwriter.  I write all kinds of music.

What do you want fans to take from your music?

I share my life struggles and pain in my music in an effort to help others realize that you are not alone.  If you are going through something, odds are someone else has been through it too.  I think that is so important in life to know that when times are hard, you will get through it.  I made it through and hope that by sharing that they will feel strength.  Life is hard sometimes and I hope my music helps them get through life.  That is the gift of music!

How’s the music scene in your locale?

I am in a situation where I split my time between Leamington and Ottawa with 3-4 trip to Nashville thrown in. I feel as though I am split between these 3 places.  I play writer’s rounds when I can in those areas. I don’t get to spend much time out listening to a lot of music because I seem to always be on the road or in between travelling.  I have a large presence online which works great for me and I feel really connected to my fans online.  I co-ordinate a songwriting group in Leamington and we have a wonderful collection of singers and songwriters from all walks of life.  It is a wonderful mixing pot for so many different genres of music.  

What is the best concert you have been to? What do you like most about playing live?

Bruce Springsteen’s Devils and Dust Tour was just fantastic to see, I love him with the E Street band and I was in AWE of watching him play a 3 hr show on his own.  The sound he made on his own with his harmonica, singing and a foot board….it made me cry!  I made me want to learn to do THAT!!!  The shared one time only experience of a live show is what I experienced that night and is what I love the most about playing live.  Meeting people and sharing stories with them and then to hear their stories and feel their love back is an amazing gift.  It is the connection! Giving and receiving love.

Is there a song on your latest CD release here that stands out as your personal favorite, and why?  

 I am connected to every song deeply within the album, as each one represents a step in the journey I’ve taken in life but if I had to pick one, I’d pick Space because it is the most reflective of where I am right now. Transitioning from working 

in the government full-time to focusing fully on my passion for music, has shown me that I am a workaholic.  Life is always going to be crazy busy and we all need to carve out time to relax and de-stress.  I am finding ways to build that into my daily life instead of thinking that I can take a vacation for 2 weeks and then get back at it.  So today, my answer is “Space” because it speaks to me where I am now, even though I wrote it 4 years ago!  It changes and I still love playing each and every song on this album.  I think it is really special! 

How have you evolved as an artist over the last year?

It took me 4 years to finally found my sound with this last album, and the recordings of the album were magical when they were done.  Live off the floor with the band for 4 days was magical and to have Beth Nielsen Chapman come into the studio and sing on one of the tracks was a dream!  Over the last year, I have been tweaking my songs and moving to a bit more of an edgier and bluesy sound.  I have re-discovered the piano which is my first instrument and I am working on fine tuning.  I discovered in the past year, how much I love making the videos for my songs.  When I write a song, it is a small movie that plays in my head and being able to express that visually as well as sonically, is something that I realize I love!  So instead of touring, I am focusing on the visual parts of the stories I am telling and sharing those with the world.  I love it!

If you could meet, play a gig, co-write a song, have dinner, have a drink with any band or artist (dead or alive) who would it be?  

That is easy,  Bruce Springsteen, although Mick Jagger is a close second.  They are both great songwriters and artists.  Bruce is the one I’d like to sit down with the most, because I love that his songs all tell stories, create landscapes and characters and are filled with every day life and people struggles.  My dream is to be a female Bruce!

What’s next for you?  

New music!  I have six songs already recorded and am headed back to Nashville come September for more!  I have some new videos in the works and this new music is a bit edgier and sexy.  I have been giving myself the freedom to create and not force it into a genre.  I’m loving what is coming out so far!  

URL: https://francinehoney.com/

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/FrancineHoneySongs/

End of Interview