October 2022 Featured Artist
Eclectic Music Artist Blends Genres Creating a Unique Sound
An Interview with Grammy-Nominated Singer-Songwriter & Musician
Becca Stevens
Photo Credit: Yoel Levy
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Grammy-nominated, Brooklyn-based and North Carolina-bred Becca Stevens has established an outstanding career blending an effortless vocal talent with exquisite compositions that draw inspiration from pop, jazz, indie-rock, and Appalachian folk music. Her most recent album, WONDERBLOOM (GroundUP ’20), which she produced and engineered with Nic Hard, displays Becca’s skill of layering profound and discerning lyrics with funky and dance-ready beats in a record that Jazz Magazine described as “sophisticated and sensual pop” and The Mail on Sunday said is “Glamorous…semi-electric pop Prince might approve of.” The track “Slow Burn” from WONDERBLOOM was nominated for a Grammy for Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals in 2020.
Becca continues to stretch the boundaries of convention with songs that weave together her classical and Appalachian folk music upbringing and her love of the rich rhythms and harmonies of jazz and world music, enhanced by her skill on multiple string instruments. Along with her solo output, Becca is a highly respected collaborator who has worked with the likes of David Crosby as an active member of his Lighthouse Band, Jacob Collier, Michael League (Snarky Puppy), Brad Mehldau, Esperanza Spalding, Chris Thile, Laura Mvula, José James, Antonio Sánchez, Cory Wong, Vince Mendoza, Metropole Orkest, Timo Andres, and Attacca Quartet, among many. Becca defies labeling and continues to challenge the notion of what a singer-songwriter should be. Instead, she dictates to the rest of us what we should (and should not) expect from artistry such as hers. |
Myrna Beth Haskell, executive editor, saw Becca perform at The Falcon in Marlboro, New York on July 3rd and later asked the artist to share a bit about her journey in the music industry, her interest in blending music genres, and her songwriting process.
What were your earliest musical influences?
I was in a family band called the Tune Mammals. We toured around the East Coast in a minivan performing my dad’s quirky, original Appalachian folk tunes. My father is also a classical composer, and we would attend – even perform in – his works for orchestra/chamber ensemble etc. We performed in his original musicals as well as local musical theater productions. And there was always great classical, folk, and world music playing in the house and lots of musicians coming through for rehearsals. It was a very rich musical upbringing.
What instruments do you play?
I play guitar, ukulele, charango, and voice.
Your style has been described as an eclectic mix of classical, Appalachian folk, jazz, and world music. What do you appreciate about the mixing of styles?
I like the space it gives me to move freely in my writing.
What were your earliest musical influences?
I was in a family band called the Tune Mammals. We toured around the East Coast in a minivan performing my dad’s quirky, original Appalachian folk tunes. My father is also a classical composer, and we would attend – even perform in – his works for orchestra/chamber ensemble etc. We performed in his original musicals as well as local musical theater productions. And there was always great classical, folk, and world music playing in the house and lots of musicians coming through for rehearsals. It was a very rich musical upbringing.
What instruments do you play?
I play guitar, ukulele, charango, and voice.
Your style has been described as an eclectic mix of classical, Appalachian folk, jazz, and world music. What do you appreciate about the mixing of styles?
I like the space it gives me to move freely in my writing.
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Above: Becca Performs "Heather's Letters to Her Mother" (Recorded Live for World Cafe)
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At The Falcon you were accompanied by The Secret Trio,* a group you discovered at the GroundUP Music Festival a few years back. This was an out-of-the-box collaboration that worked incredibly well. What attracted you to their music?
When I first heard them, it sounded like intricate music and stories from another world being told in a completely authentic and original way. That’s the kind of music that really moves me. Also, the sounds of their unique instruments and how they blend together took my breath away.
*The Secret Trio includes musicians rooted in Turkish, Balkan Roma (Gypsy), and Armenian music. The trio features Ara Dinkjian (oudist), Ismail Lumanovski, (clarinetist), and Tamer Pinarbasi (kanunist).
When I first heard them, it sounded like intricate music and stories from another world being told in a completely authentic and original way. That’s the kind of music that really moves me. Also, the sounds of their unique instruments and how they blend together took my breath away.
*The Secret Trio includes musicians rooted in Turkish, Balkan Roma (Gypsy), and Armenian music. The trio features Ara Dinkjian (oudist), Ismail Lumanovski, (clarinetist), and Tamer Pinarbasi (kanunist).
Is there a special energy that comes from working with other artists? Any upcoming collaborations you’d like to share?
There is definitely a special energy that comes from collaborating – in the same way that there’s an exciting energy that comes from spending time with other people.
Regarding upcoming collaborations, there’s always lots of little things happening on that front (writing collaborations, one-off performances, etc). As far as recordings, the Lighthouse Band (a band I’m part of with David Crosby) recorded last fall, and that album will be coming out soon.
There is definitely a special energy that comes from collaborating – in the same way that there’s an exciting energy that comes from spending time with other people.
Regarding upcoming collaborations, there’s always lots of little things happening on that front (writing collaborations, one-off performances, etc). As far as recordings, the Lighthouse Band (a band I’m part of with David Crosby) recorded last fall, and that album will be coming out soon.
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Let’s talk about WONDERBLOOM (GroundUP ’20). How is this album different from previous albums? Is there a common thread? I feel that there’s always a through line in my record making, even when one appears wildly different from the next. (I suppose the common thread/through line is… me.) WONDERBLOOM differs from albums prior in its collaborations and its production approach. It’s a ‘multilayered cake,’ intricately and patiently woven in the studio alongside my co-producer/co-engineer Nic Hard. Along the way, we had lots of ideas of people who would fit into those layers. By far, WONDERBLOOM featured the most collaborators I’ve ever invited onto one of my records. |
Click Album Cover for Purchase Options
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I appreciate the vibe in the “Never Mine” music video. The effects accentuate the mood, melody, and concept of dreaming of something unattainable. What inspired the unusual, artistic aspects of a music video – lighting, special effects, etc.?
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"Never Mine" (Official Music Video, GroundUP Music)
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This specific music video was planned at the very last minute. I was in Spain to make the video for ‘Halfway’ with Jep Jorba, and we planned an extra day to try and come up with something for ‘Never Mine.’ We were taking random footage around the small town of Els Prats de Rei and started to get tired, so we took a lunch break at the local pub. It was there that Jep had the idea of the concept for ‘Never Mine’ – filming complete takes/no edits to music slowed a third of the speed so, when it was sped back up, everything around me would have the effect of seeming sped up.
We went back to the house and regrouped and finished the video in a matter of hours. It was very ambitious! We had to get it in two or three (complete) takes because we were using the natural light of the setting sun. We had sent a text out to locals who stopped in on their way home from work to ‘dress the shot’ by sitting at the bar and chatting. The music sounded like it was in slow motion for them. They must have thought it was strange! |
Do you go into an album having a concept in mind, or are your albums a collection of music that inspired you over a short period of time in your life?
Both! It depends on the record, and to varying degrees. Regina, for example, definitely started with a strong concept; whereas WONDERBLOOM and Perfect Animal developed through the course of writing and recording the music. The record I’m working on now is somewhere in between.
Both! It depends on the record, and to varying degrees. Regina, for example, definitely started with a strong concept; whereas WONDERBLOOM and Perfect Animal developed through the course of writing and recording the music. The record I’m working on now is somewhere in between.
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As to your songwriting process, do you write poetry before thinking about melody?
No, not necessarily. Different things come first with different songs. Do you adapt others’ poetry to music. Yes! I do this a lot, and I love to do this. (‘Tillery,’ ‘105,’ ‘Queen Mab,’ ‘Response to Criticism,’ ‘I Am No Artist,’ ‘True Minds,’ ‘For You The Night is Still,’ various tracks on Becca Stevens & The Secret Trio, etc.) |
"Deeply informed by jazz but unbounded by idiomatic boundaries, singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Becca Stevens is an x-factor artist who always seems to take music in unexpected directions, whether leading a project or collaborating on someone else’s vision." ~ Andrew Gilbert (JazzTimes) |
Do you keep journals or subscribe to stream of consciousness note-taking at all?
Almost every morning. And I have an exercise I like to do with students and on my own where I patchwork together bits from stream of consciousness journaling to find my way into a lyric idea.
Most memorable performance?
This is a tie between a candle lit cathedral in Denmark and a performance in complete pitch darkness in Germany.
Who is your favorite female performing artist (past or present)?
Björk.
Any future plans you’d like to share?
Diving deeper and deeper into my love affair with writing music...'til the day I die.
Where do you find sanctuary?
The outdoors, journaling, hot tea, and holding my baby daughter.
Almost every morning. And I have an exercise I like to do with students and on my own where I patchwork together bits from stream of consciousness journaling to find my way into a lyric idea.
Most memorable performance?
This is a tie between a candle lit cathedral in Denmark and a performance in complete pitch darkness in Germany.
Who is your favorite female performing artist (past or present)?
Björk.
Any future plans you’d like to share?
Diving deeper and deeper into my love affair with writing music...'til the day I die.
Where do you find sanctuary?
The outdoors, journaling, hot tea, and holding my baby daughter.
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Photo Credit: David Goddard
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UPCOMING PERFORMANCES:
October 6, 2022 The Martha Bassett Show Elkin, NC October 8, 2022 Cornelius Arts Center Cornelius, NC October 12, 2022 The Sultan Room Brooklyn, NY Find more TOUR DATES. |
