I couldn’t get over how she sang, ‘I can’t liiiiiiiive’ as if it was a life and death situation,” Francis belts out in recollection.Īdding: “I loved the drama. ![]() ‘Hero’ and ‘Without You’ got to be the soundtrack to my 10-year old life. And one of the first albums I listened to was this one. ![]() I spent so many days with him there, after school I sat at the counter listening to music,” Maja Francis happily recalls. “I grew up in a tiny town in southern Sweden called Ängelholm where my dad owned a record store from when I was 1-15. In moments of mindfulness, this can be of vital importance. The albums of our childhood often get forgotten wilfully or otherwise, but there is something uniquely transportive about music and the memories it can conjure. My favourite song on the album is probably ‘River’, I always imagined myself escaping somewhere on that ice… to something bigger, to something better.” Joni Mitchell – ‘Blue’ Mariah Carey – Musicbox I also loved the album cover, she looked so sad and powerful. Just a voice and an instrument, I loved that simplicity. I will always remember how blown away I was that her voice was such a bearing instrument,” she recalls.Īdding: “And how I didn’t need anything more than that. As Maja Francis explains, she is no different: “I found this vinyl at my grandmother Elsie’s apartment when I was around 13. When it turned 50 earlier this year, it offered up a reminder that was barely needed of just how much it has transcended many of our lives. Joni Mitchell’s Blue is undoubtedly one of the greatest albums of all time. Tori also inspires me to take my art seriously, and not be afraid to take up space.” (Credit: Eagle Records / Tori Amos) Joni Mitchell – Blue I can’t count the times I’ve cried to ‘Winter’ or ‘Silent All These Years’. Tori is one with her piano, and her lyrics are pure poetry. She continues this fitting emotive appraisal, adding: “I would say this is my ‘finding my way back to myself’- album. So I put this album on and I remembered what music is to me, and how it can make people feel, and heal.” “I’ve listened to Tori since I was a teenager, and this album has been one of those that has come and gone out of my consciousness since then,” she explains to me.Īdding: “Before writing my debut album I lost my joy for music and kind of lost my own voice in the buzz of fast food charts and autotune… I needed to go back to my roots. Nowhere is this more apparent than her live shows and it was this mix the allured Maja Francis into the oeuvre. (Credit: Milkdrop) Maja Francis’ nine favourite albums: Tori Amos – Live in MontreuxĪs a classically trained musician, Tori Amos is a singer-songwriter who pairs the complexities of tonality with the simpler side of popular music. £8 can answer one potentially life-saving call. If you’re able, and if you can afford to, please consider a small donation to help the CALM cause. Doctor’s Orders sees some of our favourite musicians, actors, authors, comedians and more offer up the most important records, which they deem essential for living well. In support of CALM, we’re asking a selection of our favourite people to share nine records that they would prescribe for anyone they met and the stories behind their importance. Music, it’s safe to say, has always allowed us to connect with one another and ourselves. It could be the moment that the needle drops on your favourite song and provides respite from a chaotic world, or, conversely, it might be the fanatic conversation you have with friends about which guitarist was the greatest. We at Far Out believe in music’s ability to heal. Now lockdown measures have eased, that doesn’t mean that impact of the last eighteen months has ended, and CALM still needs as much help as possible to carry on with its excellent work. The organisation, with the full working title of ‘Campaign Against Living Miserably’, offer a free, confidential and anonymous helpline for those most in need of mental health support. ![]() After all, as she says herself, “Here are some of the albums that I’ve cried / danced / listened / grown / broken down / healed / gotten stronger / escaped / dreamed / gotten inspired to.”Ĭontinuing with our Mental Health Awareness campaign, Far Out Magazine has teamed up with the suicide prevention charity CALM to help connect you with your favourite artists and hear how music has helped them during their darker times and day-to-day lives. Once you discover the nine albums that Maja Francis continually turns to for solace or exultation in her Doctor’s Orders feature, you’ll have a greater understanding of her musical DNA and the comprehensive sound of A Soft Pink Mess.
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