Biography
Fran Smith is a soulful folk-pop singer-songwriter based in Leeds, UK. Her impassioned and beguilingly tender vocals have captivated listeners to BBC 6Music, Radio 2 and Radio 4, as well as live audiences across the UK, US and Canada. Smith’s uniquely evocative, sensuous lyrics and ear-worm melodies mark her as a singular British talent who is “really setting the bar for songwriting!” (BBC Introducing). She is described by The Guardian’s Simon Hattenstone as melding “the melancholy of late seventies Fleetwood Mac with the caustic know-how of the Arctic Monkeys”. All of Smith’s self-released songs to date - from Take These Bones to Contours have received national BBC radio play, and she has performed live solo radio sessions alongside artists including Jessie Ware. Smith received the title of ‘BBC Live Music Highlight of the Year’ following a dazzling festival performance in central London’s Hyde Park where she was the most-shared artist on the bill - an incredible achievement for an independent artist on the BBC Introducing stage. Smith has opened shows for some of her biggest musical influences, including Martha Wainwright, Joan As Police Woman, Allison Russell, and award-winning folk singer Karine Polwart, all of whom have praised Smith’s heartfelt, witty songwriting. As further testament to her lyrical prowess, she has shared stages with some of the UK’s finest spoken word performers, including Hollie Poetry and the legendary John Cooper Clarke.