Meet Fiona Silver: The Soul/Rock Tinged Chanteuse
The Knockturnal: You have a new EP coming 2/14! Please tell me all about it!
Fiona Silver: I’m so excited about this! The EP is called “Hostage of Love” so it felt right to release it on Valentine’s Day. It is a collection of songs I wrote about love, lust, heartbreak and the difficulties of being a romantic like me haha. It’s fun and pop-y, but it’s also filled with a lot of heart and Soul, and gets a little darker on side B.
The Knockturnal: Your current single is great! Talk to me about Hot Tears. And then talk to me about Dark Blue!
Fiona Silver: Hot Tears is a banger, I’m not gonna lie. It’s one of my favorite songs to play live because it just has so much drive. I play guitar on Hot Tears too, and it feels like a really good mix of both Rock and Roll and Soul music, kinda like Alabama Shakes with a tougher edge. Dark Blue on the other hand really leans into my love of 60’s girl groups and Pop, and I love that I get to get into a character more in this song. What they both share is a sense of both longing and hope, a little bittersweet if you pay attention to the lyrics but feel-good in the music.
The Knockturnal: You recently performed with Gwen Stefani? How was that? Who else is on your list to perform with? Debbie Harry, as well, too, right?
Fiona Silver: Yes! Two of my biggest icons/hero’s! I had the honor of playing guitar for Gwen Stefani for both the NBC Christmas Special at Rockefeller Center, and for the NBC New Year’s Eve special. It was so surreal because first of all I’m used to being front and center haha! but if there’s anyone I’d want to back up it is her, no but really it was a wild gift from the universe. With Debbie Harry I performed at a cool benefit for the Joe Strummer Foundation at Bowery Ballroom, along with a lot of other incredible musicians, and it was a very special show. I think being around people who have so heavily inspired you is so important because it takes away some of the mental the barriers and shows you that anything can be done. Everyone I look up to is still a human being at the end of the day.
The Knockturnal: Who were and are your inspirations? And what in life inspires you?
Fiona Silver: Blondie/Debby Harry and No Doubt/Gwen Stefani were definitely high on my list. Amy Winehouse, Lauryn Hill, Erykah Badu, Portishead, Hole, Garbage, Alabama Shakes, The Ronettes, Led Zeppelin, Stevie Wonder, Jack White, Radiohead, The Spice Girls (not gonna lie, when I was a kid they were huge), and tons of other bands too. I love when artists are uniquely themselves rather than trying to be part of a trend, or trying to be different just for the sake of that either. I think there’s a level of honesty in certain music and songwriting that I am attracted to… and the Spice girls are just fun 😉
The Knockturnal: You just played your last show! Where did the tour take you and when can we see you next? Tell me about the tour life! I want stories!
Fiona Silver: This year I’ve toured all over the country. I just did my last show in Brooklyn at The Knitting Factory, which was awesome. Playing in NYC is always a good time because it’s home and I have so many friends here, but I love being out on the road and meeting new people. The US is so big and it’s so cool to travel and see how much beauty there is. This fall I played Savannah, GA for the first time and it was really magical, also people were LIT for that show, they really know how to party down there. I’ve been touring a lot the last 2 years and right now I’m focusing on making music videos and creating more music and art that people can appreciate from anywhere before I get back on the road. That being said, I’m looking forward to broadening my scope and hitting Europe in the next year.
The Knockturnal: How would you describe your sound and style?
Fiona Silver: I’m a rocker with a lot of soul. There’s lots of different threads of music and different influences in my songs, but that just keeps it interesting. I sometimes get scoffed at by industry people for not “picking a lane” but I just want my own damn lane and at the end of the day it’s all me, and my voice is the same. I’m just cultivating a sound that is my own rather than a replica of someone else.
The Knockturnal: What should people know about you as an artist and a person?
Fiona Silver: I care. I care about other people, I care about my fans, I care about supporting and cultivating my community, and I care about my music.
The Knockturnal: What are some dream collaborators in the industry?
Fiona Silver: Mark Ronson, Danger Mouse, Jack White, Dan Aurbach, Linda Perry all for production and songwriting, but I would sing a hook for Cardi B or Lizzo in a heartbeat!
The Knockturnal: What are some of your future goals?
Fiona Silver: I just want to keep working on my sound, making music I’m proud of, and traveling/touring. I want to tour the world, so I’m just trying to get a structure set up to allow that to happen and keep growing.
The Knockturnal: What genres of music do you listen to and what have some of your fav shows been that you’ve attended?
Fiona Silver: I listen to so many genres of music. I guess the best way to do this is tell you some current artists I know who are killing it in different genres. Lauren Ruth Ward is one of my favorite current singers/performers. She’s LA-based and I could see her 100 times and not get bored. The Black Pumas (who I had the privilege of opening for) are mind-blowing, and it really makes me happy to see them nominated for Best New Artist at the Grammy’s.I’ll admit I don’t listen to a lot o country music but Paul Cauthen is incredible and won me over. Kolars, who I’ve also done a few gigs with, also have an incredibly unique show. Their drummer tap dances on a bass drum while playing, and it’s awesome. I finally saw Radiohead live at MSG this year and it was like a religious experience for me.
The Knockturnal: Is this always what you wanted to do as a career?
Fiona Silver: Yes
The Knockturnal: What inspires you in terms of fashion? You have such great style!
Fiona Silver: Thank you! I have a certain kind of style but like my music it’s composed of a few different things. I love to be glamorous but I also love to be a little punk/ edgy. That’s one of the reasons Gwen Stefani is such an icon to me because she blends it all flawlessly. I like vintage clothing, and I love to be studded and sparkly in sequins. I wear a lot of platforms, boots and heels because I’m quite petite. I love animal prints and just having fun with what I wear.
The Knockturnal: What’s the best and worst part of your job? The highs and lows?
Fiona Silver: The best part is the feeling of happiness, and being in alignment with my purpose. That can come when I’ve just written something I’m proud of, or (most often) when I’m on stage. The lows are feeling overwhelmed by wearing so many hats as an independent artist, or feeling at times like all my hard work isn’t paying off because I don’t have certain symbols of support or status, or something falls through like a tour I wanted.
The Knockturnal: I’m sure you’ve met a lot of people on this journey, who are some you’ve connected with that you can mention? Any good stories?
Fiona Silver: Gary Clark Jr. is the most life-changing musician I’ve met. He took me on tour and showed me what it was like to play for thousands of people. He gave me so many huge “firsts” like playing my first festival, my first show in another country (we played 2 sold out shows in Toronto), my first amphitheater (where we were lucky to make it out alive, though some of my guitarists’ pedals didn’t because it was an outdoor show and it began to thunderstorm), my first show in legendary theaters like The Beacon Theatre in NYC, and The Fillmore in San Francisco, where I also met and got to play with Carlos Santana. Santana is like a mystical angel who was incredibly supportive to me as well, and I really wish I had thought to get his number!
The Knockturnal: What’s it like being a woman in your industry for you? Are there things you’ve had to face and endure? You know, given the executives and this Me Too movement.
Fiona Silver: The music industry is definitely dominated by men, like so many industries. I think what is unique about it is that in this day in age there are no rules so to speak, so there is a higher level of freedom. I grew up in NYC and I’m pretty street smart, so if I get a vibe I don’t like I’m out. I know a lot of people get taken advantage of but that has not been my experience. I will say that as a woman I’m subject to a lot more scrutiny about my looks than my music, and women are shamed for being sexy or not sexy enough- there’s no winning- but that’s a larger societal issue. If anything, I think being a woman in rock/soul is tough because I’m an outlier, and the industry likes to play it safe, so they seem less likely to take a chance on me when it comes to labels.
The Knockturnal: Do you live in NYC or LA? What do you like about both of them? Or dislike?
Fiona Silver: I live in NYC, but I love LA and I have a lot of friends there, so I go often. When I’m in NY there is a sense of urgency which I like, it makes me feel good to be productive, but it can also be draining… like the weather here and the general cut-throat vibe. LA is gorgeous and feels like a happy vacation where I can still make music and see friends, but it doesn’t feel like home.
The Knockturnal: Music videos planned? Everyone check out her current ones!
Fiona Silver: Yes! The video for Dark Blue is out now, Hot Tears is coming out next (it’s out now), and we’re currently in production with the title track for the EP, Hostage of Love. The Hot Tears video is a great insight to my band and my life because we used a lot of real tour footage. The Dark Blue video is really corky and fun. The Hostage of Love video is epic though and it is being directed by multi-talented artist Kendra Morris.
Fiona Silver: Hostage of Love comes out February 14!!! Save the date xo Release party TBA
The Knockturnal: Can we be friends?! Lol xx
Fiona Silver: DUH! xoxo
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