Australian singer-songwriter Priya Francis carves out her own sound in the alternative indie R&B zone. Drawing influence from the likes of Kehlani, H.E.R, Jon Bellion and Lauryn Hill, she first arrived on the scene with her breakout debut EP, Tribal, and went on to release a string of singles such as “Same Wine” and “Tell Me”.
Over the years, she’s built up an extensive list of collaborations and featured alongside other Melbourne artists such as Yuto., Billy Reeves, Nitecaller and Georgia Dabbous. Commenting on her sound, she offers, “I think my sound has come a long way from when I first started releasing music. I’ve really leaned into my R&B influences a lot more and blended it with some of the pop and alt-R&B sounds I’ve come to love as I’ve gotten older.”
Continuing, “My parents listened to a really wide range of music while growing up, so I learned how to sing and develop my voice around artists like Alicia Keys and Stevie Wonder, then combining it with songwriting styles and expressions I heard in people like Norah Jones and Lauryn Hill.”
Now the Melbourne-based artist returns with a pensive new single titled “Swimming”, a delicate and soulful track about the strive to find your own independence. Building on years of self-growth, collaboration and development as a musician and writer, her latest music reflects the results of her sonic journey.
“Swimming” focuses on the realisation that it’s time to make your own mistakes, with the song taking the perspective of Priya asking to be left alone. Writing the track showed her that she was addressing her own concerns of always having someone there to look over her shoulder.
Produced by Jarrod Hambleton with input from Coben McDonald, “Swimming” offers a modern R&B cut of shimmering beauty, driven by steady drum beats and dreamy guitar riffs that lay a foundation for Priya’s ethereal vocals.
On the track, she reveals, “As I’ve gotten older I’ve also become a bit more confident writing about my actual feelings rather than what I think I should be writing about. Being in lockdown, having to really put effort into relationships and connections, it’s been a time in my life where I get to experience and hear all of my feelings and thoughts at full volume.”
Listen to Swimming below
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