Carly Thomas hasn’t quite figured out how to sit still. Inspiration has come with many departures and turning points, but during a difficult 2020 of staying put and digging into some “songs that got away”, this blossoming artist has arrived.

Throughout her celebrated career, the award-winning singer/songwriter has been turning her most beautiful– and most difficult– moments into evocative songs about love, pain, loss and hope, providing a soundtrack for the human experience.

Behind The Ficus is Carly’s third full-length album, following 2003’s Distance and 2009’s Up This High. She released her acclaimed Explode EP in 2014, as well as acoustic arrangements of her most popular songs on 2017’s Versions.

Behind The Ficus is rich in imagery of Parisian train stations, Toronto rooftops, coastal vistas, and gritty middle America highways. It is those distinctly different backdrops that bring a varied, yet cohesive, feel to the record. Along the way she guides the listener, thoughtfully through her stories of love, growth, impermanence and in finding home in unexpected places. Proving time and again that the darkest moments can provide the brightest revelations.

While Behind The Ficus pays homage to Carly’s indie rock roots (September, Carolina) and draws from the rich history of American folk music (Impossible Bottle, Stay With Me, Empty Room), the album also branches into exciting new musical territory. Production began in early 2020 alongside producer Kyle Ashbourne (London, ON), infusing lush soundscapes and a dark pop vibe into songs including Train Station, Can I Be The Fire, Front Row, and others. Together, they represent not only a brave and very personal collection, but the expression of a self-assured artist with a clear musical vision.

The collection of songs is a lyrical evolution for Carly as well. While she has always been known as an evocative and insightful writer, her new songs offer both an intense vulnerability and immediate resonance. They reveal an evolved and seasoned artist who has come to grips with what she wants to say. As she sings on Carolina, “I’ve been afraid to light up, and I don’t want to live that way.”

Behind The Ficus is Carly laid emotionally bare. Poignant, poetic and even whimsical, the album is both a confession and an encouragement to listeners to face and reveal their own truth.
All 11 songs are delivered in Carly’s strong, clear voice – which is always thick with emotion. During the opening line of her first single “Stay With Me”, we hear a clear and disarming cadence creating an instant connection to the minimalist Americana ballad.

Having cut her teeth initially in the folk clubs of Manhattan as a teenager, Carly has since performed extensively around Canada, the United States, and Europe, charming audiences with her charismatic stage presence and quirky storytelling. She spent her childhood and adolescence being constantly uprooted to locales all over the the globe. This nomadic upbringing groomed Carly for a certain comfort, adaptability and passion for the road. It’s also given her a sense of perspective and a sense of wanderlust which she uses to good advantage in her art. Whether she is playing to 20 people in a coffee house or to thousands with her full band on a festival stage, she has way of captivating and connecting authentically, taking us on a beautiful musical journey.

As the world re-opens to live music, Carly Thomas is poised for the next level. Behind The Ficus is a statement of her firm intent: it’s time to be even more vulnerable, even more hopeful, even more real.

It’s time to dive in.

FIND CARLY
BandCamp | Instagram | Facebook | Apple | Spotify | Amazon Music

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Carly Thomas is making the best of her social distance dilemma. The Canadian-based songwriter was prepping for some California events when the world changed dramatically, and she found herself self-quarantining in the Bay Area with friends. Pouring out hilarious “Quarantunes” on a daily basis, Carly is often joined by Susan “The Doctor” singing songs from artists that have influenced her, popular requests from fans all over the world, and many outtakes and giggles from “Mrs. Doctor” behind the camera. Their songs are heartfelt and sincere, and their comedy, dare we say, is contagious. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll be at the very least entertained. Do yourself a favor and follow Carly on instagram and facebook to add some light to your day.

Find Carly on Facebook and YouTube.

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Frankie Simone offers a vision of pop music as a conduit for collective enlightenment, self-empowerment and awakening. Pop rarely transcends the constraints of dominant culture — but Simone’s incantations of radical self-love aren’t just transcendent, they’re transformative. Frankie Simone’s music exists, she says, “to celebrate every type of human.”

It’s a message Simone has worked hard to communicate, through youth outreach programs and community work—and in various musical projects over the years. And in 2014, she had a breakthrough: She put together a collaborative, experimental music project with her wife —dancer and performance artist Che Che Luna—and crowdfunded a west coast tour that began in their then-hometown of Santa Cruz, California and wrapped up in Portland, Oregon. Simone and Luna fell in love with the city, and decided to move there.

Portland, one of the least diverse cities in America, may not seem like the likeliest home for an emerging queer, Puerto Rican pop star. But after overcoming the initial shock of the city’s constant rain, she found friends and allies in the city’s deep-rooted artistic community. And on many levels, Simone is a quintessential Portlander: she reads tarot cards, she carries crystals in her pocket.

Her vision is confident and fearless—especially for an artist just getting started on her musical journey—and she’s eager to share the credit with Luna. Sharing the stage, they create something both powerful and vulnerable, soulful and radical. “We are each other’s biggest fans,” Simone says. “We champion each other and we push each other. We have big dreams, and together we truly know we’re unstoppable.”

Simone is a High Priestess of Pop: the stage is her pulpit, and her message of love and acceptance is universal.

The post Meet self-empowered lesbian pop star Frankie Simone first appeared on Lesbian.com.

London based singer-songwriter Sofia B is set to be the next big thing. The 24 year old is hitting the music scene hard with her soulful lyrics and catchy melodies. She’s also a queer heartthrob, known for her music as well as her friendships with androgynous model ‘It’ girls like Harmony Boucher and Lillie Rage. But don’t let her good looks and bravado fool you, there’s more to Sofia B than that. Sofia has bravely come out about her battle with chronic illness – her passion to bring awareness to Crohn’s disease is palpable and infectious. I sat down with Sofia B to talk about heartbreak, family, models, date nights, embarrassing moments and more.

What was your creative process for your latest EP, “In the City”? 

It all started when I was living and working in NYC and had gone through a pretty horrendous breakup. For me it always starts with a lyric, story or emotion and then I start improvising over chords until I find something that sticks. Some of the songs I wrote to and from work, mostly writing lyrics on my phone and then recording videos of myself, so I wouldn’t forget what I came up with!

Who was the inspiration for your first single from the EP, “Ice Cold Love”

My last girlfriend was the inspiration for “Ice Cold Love.” She is actually a native New Yorker and I moved to NYC after graduating from Berklee College of Music, partially to be with her but also to pursue my career. We broke up only a few months after I had moved and then I had to face the brutal NYC winter all on my own, which is where the song came from!

Tell me more about your second single from the EP, “Soldiers.” What inspired it?

My best friend and fellow Crohn’s buddy, Avery Nejam aka The Candid Observer, was checking in on me one day at work while I was still in NYC. I told her hard I was finding it to cope with the severe cold and my Crohn’s, so she flat out convinced me to book a flight to New Orleans and just take a mental health trip together. It genuinely was one of the most incredible trips of my life, we went everywhere, tried everything, met some amazing Thai girls who were working at the beignet place, ‘Cafe Du Monde,” and they ended up following us everywhere and becoming life-long friends! Anyways, only me and Avery knew how sick we were or how hard it is for us to fight this disease, which is where the idea of being soldiers comes from, as well as the fact that we both happen to be half Lebanese!

Very few musicians and entertainers are open about chronic illness. Why did you decide to ‘come out’ about your Crohn’s disease? How do you think your journey can help others? 

If I’m really honest with myself, I think it’s because of Avery. I could try and explain the extent of her struggles but honestly to this day I still find it hard to comprehend the severity of her situation. We were diagnosed around the same time in Boston, where we met. The only difference was that she had been dairy, gluten and just about everything intolerant and had never smoked or drank. Me on the other hand, I’d been smoking cigarettes for a while, drinking casually and McDonald’s and I were certainly no strangers!

Yet, this made no difference, she ended up losing her colon and I ended up with three blood clots in my spleen (which they saved) and eventually remission for my Crohn’s. Avery is an inspiration, she fights religiously for her life yet she still makes time to check in on me. I hope that my journey and my songs will allow other Crohn’s sufferers to feel like I’m here for them and have made time for them.

How does your Lebanese and Venezuelan background influence your music?

My Father is Lebanese, and he is where I like to think I get my musical skills from, because he is the best guitarist I know. He is actually playing on “Ice Cold Love,” which was recorded in Beirut where he lives. I decided to bring the record to him, because I didn’t want to lose out on the opportunity of recording with my Dad. My Mother, who is Venezuelan, is a jeweler and isn’t exactly musically inclined, but she has been my number one supporter my whole life. Whether she was taking me to singing, ballet, violin or maths (I was truly rubbish!) lessons, she always made sure to make me feel like I could do anything I set my mind to. I suppose what I’m trying to say is that I think my Venezuelan side is where I get my drive and motivation from!

What is the overall message that you want your fans to take away from “In the City”? 

Heartbreak and city life have never been good company, this record pretty much captures my healing process, which, yes I did actually manage to do. It’s really easy to think that you’ll never recover from a breakup or heartache when you’re living in a busy city or have a hectic job or just generally have a lot going on. But that’s the amazing thing about us creatures, we heal until we die.

Your music has been compared to Tegan & Sara, Ellie Goulding and Ingrid Michelson. Who are your music idols? 

Fleetwood Mac, The Weepies, Eliot Sumner, Beyoncé and I mean Justin Bieber’s alriggghhhhhhhhttttt

You’re rumored to be friends with models Lillie Rage and Harmony Boucher. What do musicians and models do for fun? 

I’ve never been a model before really, especially because I’m quite short, but my idea of fun is a night out of dancing with friends, recording or writing a new song, cooking a meal for someone and attending concerts, fashion shows, galleries and all of that fun stuff! But if I’m very honest, I’m quite a homebody especially with my Crohn’s Disease, so a lot of the time, a night in watching ‘House’ really is like heaven for me!

What was your most embarrassing “on stage” moment? How did you recover? 

The first time I ever performed a song I had written was when I was 18 and was due for my Berklee College of Music audition in a few weeks. Like a total nimbus, I decided to go to an open mic night in London and drink a beer right before I went on… Anyways, I started to play the first few chords and next thing I know I had forgotten my lyrics… I ran off stage grabbed my phone looked up the first line and went right back up and I finished the song. I was sweating and all red after, but a bunch of people came up to me after and said how much they loved my song, especially because it was written about my music teacher at the time.

What does your perfect date night look like? 

The perfect date nights are the ones that are spontaneous, when you decide to just say hey, lets do something! There really isn’t anything much more romantic than walking around (weather permitting!) with the person you love with them as your only destination in mind.

Need more Sofia B? Follow her on Instagram @officialsofiab or visit her website to check out upcoming shows, merch and of course music!

The post Interview with Singer/Songwriter Sofia B first appeared on Lesbian.com.

In 2003, Jennifer Knapp had a successful career as a contemporary Christian singer-songwriter. She had sold over a million albums. She had a Grammy nomination and several Dove Awards. However, she was not enjoying her success the way one would expect. She was exhausted, going through what she described as a “crisis of confidence.” She walked away from music and virtually disappeared.

Four years ago, Knapp returned with an announcement that would test the loyalty of her fans and provoke many conservative Christians. She was a lesbian. She released an album called “Letting Go” and began her comeback.

In October 2014, Knapp released a new album called “Set Me Free,” as well as a memoir, titled “Facing the Music: Discovering Real Life, Real Love, and Real Faith.” Both works are honest and emotional and continue to spread what initially gained her fame — her message of love and faith.

Jennifer Knapp took some time to talk about why she left music, her journey back, and how her faith still plays a part in her career.

In 2002, you walked away from a successful career as a contemporary Christian artist. What were the factors that made you leave it behind? Did your sexuality play a part in that?

In general, I left my Christian music career exhausted. I was going through such a crisis of personal confidence to such a point that I simply didn’t have it in me to continue wrestling my private needs while living such a public life. I had so many issues weighing me down: crisis of faith and questions about whether or not I even wanted to be a Christian “on display”. I had a host of philosophical doubts about my role in the industry and many questions about what, if any of my own faith experience I was willing to share in public. Looking back, I’d have to say that my sexuality had a part to play in it,sure, but it was more of a symptom of need rather than a catalyst. It was, however a huge wake up call that I needed to start taking my mental and physical well-being a lot more seriously, and so, I did.

In 2010, you came out and also released a new record “Letting Go.” What was the reaction of your fans after you came out?

I’ve experienced the entire, perhaps predictable spectrum. There were fans absolutely celebrating with me, the joy of returning to music after having come back from such a dark place, all the way to having CDs sent back and hate mail. There were Christians who went out of their way to be supportive, while others angrily insist I could never claim my Christianity again. Good or bad, though, my coming out has definitely been a significant factor for many of the fans I’ve lost and kept since coming back.

What is your relationship with your earlier, more faith based records, “Kansas,” “Lay It Down,” and “The Way I Am”?

There are a handful of songs I still play live, but I’m pretty selective about when and where they get played. There are some personal, faith-based reasons why I won’t play some and there are some I just don’t enjoy playing. In the end, I suppose like any artist performing their own stuff, you keep playing what speaks to you and leave out what doesn’t fit.

In what ways has your music evolved since these earlier releases?

I’d like to think that, in general, that my overall skills have matured. I like more of what I write these days, lyrically, melodically, structurally — yet I don’t know that I’ve experienced a great sonic shift either. I think if there’s been any major evolution, it’s been one more of confidence and philosophy. I’m not a 20-year-old kid any more. I don’t feel that once nagging pressure to have to out-sing or out-write the last song in order to keep moving forward.

What is the song you are most connected to on your new album?

It’s hard to pick really, because just about every song has a moment that is so deeply personal. Today, it might be “Neosho” and tomorrow “What Might Have Been.” It’s more likely that one or two over the course of time might slip out of use, but for now, any one of them could be my heart’s cry for the day.

You have a book, “Facing the Music: My Story”, that just came out. What were your reasons for writing a memoir?

Mostly, I just wanted to take a moment to ask myself “how did I get here?” Especially after coming out, it was a question asked of me so many times, it seemed like the timing was right to sit down and reflect. From growing up in a small country town, to being a Christian pin-up girl, to coming out and questioning everything my faith community had ever taught me, I really wanted to go back and trace the path of what felt like was a fight for survival.

Based on your history as a Contemporary Christian musician, I am sure people tell you that homosexuality is a sin. What is your response?

It’s not like I have a standard response, but the place I usually try to get to is one that moves away from any Biblical debate and moves toward the testimony of what it’s like to suffer under that teaching. So much has been said to defend one theological position or another, but what we’ve really missed out on are the everyday people, families, LGBTs and their allies that have been caught in the crossfire. I think we need to move away from our tendencies to talk about our varying beliefs as Christians (of which there are many) but rather, get back to the business of defining our faith by how we love our neighbor. There’s really not much to debate now that the lines have been drawn, either you do or you don’t think LGBT love is a sin. The belief you hold doesn’t make you a Christian, it just let’s people know what kind of Christian you are.

You have stuck to your faith. What are people’s reactions this this?

Whether the response is from people in the church, those who have left the church or don’t care about religion, the kinds of reactions I get almost always depend on the backstory of the person making their commentary about my experience. For some LGBTs who have spent their lives serving and worshiping in full view of the pulpit, it makes sense that they’d be happy that I call myself a Christian. On the other hand, I’ve heard plenty from those who have been hurt, discriminated against or cast out, who question why I would stay. There will always be people who insist they know the best path for you or that they know what you need. It’s not that that can’t be an act of true enthusiasm and love, but in the end, each of us have to be responsible and honor our own conscience and experience. It’s in that way that claiming my faith and being honest that I’ve kept it has been very similar to coming out as a lesbian. Not everyone gets it. I don’t always have the words that will convince anyone that I’m legit, but there’s what I know and what I’ve got. It’s all any of us have, our experience. Our story. The real challenge is giving each other a wide enough path to travel it and for each of us to learn how to move ahead without destroying everything in our path.

Does your faith still play a large role in your music?

It has a role to play in my life personally, so I suppose there’s a trickle down into my music in some ways. I hope that what shows up in my music is a reflection of what’s going on in my life, yet, just like when you meet me on the street, or we sit down to have a coffee, I would rather the impact of faith in my life actually shows up more in my actions—to the benefit and joy of my neighbor — rather than it be a message of words. Compassion, love, forgiveness,a sense of something deeper than what I can see — I’d like to think are some of the themes that are woven through all my expressions in some way, but it would be a mistake to confuse that with any interest in writing music for the sake of promoting religion.

If you could take back one lyric from a song you wrote, what would it be?

Really, there’s only one song that concerns me and that’s “The Way I Am”. The lyrics in the chorus being: “It’s better off this way to be deaf, dumb and lame than to be the way I am/it’s better off this way to be groping for the flame than to be the way I am”. They are my words but a take on the Bible when Jesus said “if your eye causes you to stumble pluck it out.”

A lot of LGBT folks living in the church world have used that song almost like a talisman of religious shame. It’s too easily confused for a song that encourages reparative therapy or self harm. That’s exactly what I was trying to point out to the church, that not every metaphor in the Bible was meant to be literal, and in doing so, it causes more harm than good. Yet in trying to make my point, some couldn’t avoid the shaming tactics I was meaning to criticize in the first place.

I want the songs that I write to inspire confidence, a sense of self-worth and hope…this song failed that for way too many, I think.

Who are your influences?

Well, I hope in all of the years I’ve been amazed and listening their powers have rubbed off…the likes of Tracy Chapman, Natalie Merchant, Cowboy Junkies, Patty Griffin, Jonatha Brooke, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Amy Ray and Emily Saliers, U2, Dave Matthews and the list goes on. Their poetry is what inspires me most. They write music that echoes in your heart for a lifetime. They never seem to write music just for the sake of selling records or themselves. There are no B sides, they are always cutting to the marrow.

What else is in store for the rest of 2014 and into 2015?

The balance of 2014 is skipping around in support of “Set Me Free” and “Facing the Music”. One day I’m singing, next I’m doing book readings, then after that speaking to the LGBT faith conversation. This fall I’m doing a little bit of everything. The plan getting into Spring 2015 is putting a nice tour together in support of the album.

For more information about Jennifer Knapp, visit her website, jenniferknapp.com.

Heather Smith is the creator and producer of Rubyfruit Radio, a podcast featuring the best in female artists.

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In Denton, a small college town situated north of Dallas on the Texas prairie, you can find artists of all genres honing their craft. It is here that Sarah Jaffe has been perfecting her sound. Her first full length album, the critically acclaimed “Suburban Nature” (2010), announced the singer-songwriter’s arrival onto the folk-pop scene with many critics lauding her as the next big thing.

Since that release, Jaffe began to transition from folksy balladeer to an artist with a more electro-pop sound. Her latest release, “Don’t Disconnect,” finds Jaffe furthering this electronic sound and adding to it hip-hop influences. She is an artist who is constantly growing both musically and lyrically and it shows with her new album.

Jaffe took some time to talk about the evolution of her sound and how she pushes boundaries.

Your style has been evolving into more of an electro pop sound. What has influenced this?

I think it’s just been more of a natural progression. More so than you might think. I don’t think I make music with the intention of sounding different. I think my intent is to grow a little bit more as a writer and musician with each record. Sometimes that growth comes with different instrumentation.

Do you feel like you’ve taken any big risks with “Don’t Disconnect”?

Not really. I made a record I am really proud of with a group of musicians I adore. Feels risk free.

Is there a theme that runs through the new record, “Don’t Disconnect”?

Not a conscious theme, no. But I definitely think there’s a common thread that could kind of tie them together. All except for a couple were written around the same time.

Have you pushed boundaries and experimented more with this album than previous albums?

I think I always experiment with moving outside my own comfort zone in the studio. Whether that be playing an instrument I am not used to playing or ..whatever really. I think being in the studio is where you push your own boundaries a bit.

Does the music you listen to now have any impact on the music you’re creating?

Sure it does!

Do you find that your music tends to be autobiographical or do you strive for a universal theme?

Probably a bit of both. People enjoy relating to one another. It’s like the small joy you get from reading your horoscope. When someone else reveals the truth about your life. That’s one of the joys about songwriting. Is you kind of reveal some truth about yourself and then someone comes along and says “that song is totally me.” So it may be autobiographical but I think I hold out hope that it will relate to somebody.

If you could collaborate with anyone, who would it be?

Beyonce?

What’s one of your best live experiences?

Recently, I played to my hometown of Dallas at the Majestic Theatre. And it was hands down my favorite. The theatre is beautiful, the crowd was wonderful, and I think we all just felt good.

What’s in store for the rest of 2014?

Touring and playing songs from the new record!

For more information about Sarah Jaffe, visit her website.

Heather Smith is the creator and producer of Rubyfruit Radio, a podcast featuring the best in female artists.

The post Musician Sarah Jaffe pushes boundaries with ‘Don’t Disconnect’ first appeared on Lesbian.com.