From the time she was a young girl, Felicity had her eyes set on becoming an musical artist. And now at 19, the Australia-born, Cape Town-raised singer is quickly moving up the ranks and on her way to becoming a household name. With the release of her single, "Pilot With a Fear of Heights," she's been garnering buzz wherever she goes.
Myspace had the chance to talk this up-and-coming artist. Hop to the next page to find out more about Felicity.
Hometown: I definitely consider Cape Town despite being born in Australia just because I was raised in Cape Town. And I love it so much. It's just so incredible.
Homebase: West New York, N.J. though I spend a lot of time in New York.
What's your first musical memory?
I was in my bedroom in the house we were living in Australia [and] listening to Celine Dion in my sister's bedroom.
Favorite Celine Dion song?
Oh! It's like choosing your favorite child. [Laughs] "I Drove All Night" is so vocally incredible. It's a little cheesy, but it never hurt anybody.
Since you call Cape Town your hometown, how do you feel it influenced your approach to music?
I always knew it was going to be music, but that's where I really started to develop and become a singer. It influenced my music because back then, there was no Spotify; so we were exposed to music through radio. I was really into local artists there. They're not even known to America at all and are just popular within South Africa. I was just influenced by their sounds like the marimba. I'm always trying to work the marimba in somehow. I haven't gotten there yet, but one day, we will find a way to work marimba in. Cello and marimba!
As far as all of that goes, we just have different terminology and different ways of saying things. That definitely affects the way I write because I'm huge on taking apart something that's said and reorganizing it so it says something else -- something complex or simpler. So it's definitely influenced me because South Africans do have a lot of slang and crazy ways of saying things.
Vocally, who are your influences?
I was raised almost solely on Celine, John Denver and Tracy Chapman. They were the three artists my standards at home. I was singing Celine Dion so much. So her voice is what I aspire to sonically. But Tracy Chapman's tone is just so raw and so emotional. She doesn't even have to have a big vocal range. She just makes you feel it. Then John Denver because he uses violins, and I love violins. Lyrically, it's kind of a mix-up.
You went to high school in Denver then you moved to New York. Why did you feel you needed to move to the Big Apple?
I just feel like the best of the best of everything, almost internationally, even though it's a huge generalization is in New York in regard to everything. And I think surrounding yourself with the culture and the work ethic, which I think is very prominent in New York, is really important. Denver's great if you want to relax, but there's no hustle. In New York, it's prominent, and I wanted to surround myself with that. And the artistry here is so authentic.
New York is a big city, but you're no stranger to living in big cities since you moved around as a kid. Do you feel it had an impact on your sound?
Definitely. I think it allows me to have a slant on situations I want to write about. I dated this douche. He wasn't very nice. It was my senior year. I'm a songwriter. So obviously he's going to have a song written about him pronto. So I wrote it about him, and I'm really big on not being cliche. So being back to have those worldly views allowed me to separate myself from the situation and write from that point of view. And that's what "Pilot With a Fear of Heights" is all about. I probably wouldn't have written it if I did have any experiences from different places. Lyrically, I try to make it a little different. I just try to pull that into my music.
What's "Burnt Sugar" about?
It's about the same guy. [Laughs.] It's never too soon. It's weird. A lot of my songs aren't about love or relationships, but those two actually are. It was basically what burnt sugar is. It's something that was once so sweet and addictive. Then it's burned to the ground, and it's so gross that you don't want to go near it. That's exactly what happened with him. And that's what the song is about. One minute you're spending every minute with the guy. and you can't forage anything from it.
Going from your first single, "Poison," last February to where you now, how do you feel you've evolved?
I think I was very lucky that my parents exposed me to artists with a lot of depth so early one. Like John Denver, my favorite song is "Annie's Song." I love when people compare love or honestly anything that's outside of them. I think [the lyrics] are kind of beautiful the way he takes things apart and puts it on a global scale. And I kind of like that and incorporate that into my writing.
You've been compared to Sia and Florence Welch. How does that feel?
It's pretty amazing. I'm honored that people put me in the same vicinity. But it's really nice. At the same time, it's great to see what I've become. It's also great to be compared to see these artists, and I can kind of identify myself and separate a little bit to become an individual artist and make a name for myself in the industry.
Dream collaboration?
I'd love to get into the studio with Jon Bellion. I think he's great as a current artist. And if we're doing a dead or alive thing, Prince.
For more profiles on up-and-coming artists, visit our Artist of the Day page.
from Myspace - Editorial http://ift.tt/2lkxJmy
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