Born in West London in to an Italian father and French mother, Fran Ray has been singing and songwriting for over 10 years. As a teenager she grew up listening to Frank Sinatra, Pavarotti, and classic soul and Motown, such as The Temptations, Smokey Robinson and The Miracles. All of which are great influences. She started out as most young aspiring musicians, that is in school music halls and choirs, where she won numerous awards. After leaving school her adventurous nature took her to France to learn the language, hook up with more musicians and develop her skills further. Sure enough, soon after coming to France she joined the funk/reggae outfit ‘The Mont Blanc Allstars’, and was their lead singer for 2 years gigging in local bars and nightspots as well as the famous Cham Jam Bosses des Bosse festival. Ever searching to expand her musical horizons Fran moved back to the UK in 1999 hoping to try her luck on the London scene.
Moving back to West London she linked up with the likes of DJ Kurrage from the size doesn’t matter crew who asked her to host a new jam session ‘Flava’s in the short lived venue, ‘Annexe’ in Soho. The jam was a great success and Fran soon made a name for herself as an experienced and versatile singer. It was here also that she met session bass player Oroh Angiama who she later worked with on the jam session ‘Move Your Hands Collective’ in WKD’s Camden.
Of course, as well as singing her heart out at various London night spots, Fran was working in the studio with producers and musicians such as Alexis Ananniou (Maieutic), EQ (Shabda), Don Mei, and the legendary Tony Allen of Fela Kuti fame.
It was during a session with EQ that Fran was asked to audition for the Random Groove Movement (www.jazzfunk.co.uk), a band he had already been performing with for a while. She did, they loved her and Fran went on to write songs and perform with them regularly to packed out audiences in venues such as the Jazz Café and 100 Club as well as various festivals. Of course, there also recordings…
It was Alexis Annaniou who introduced her to Joni Mitchell. A musician that changed her life and approach to music. Alexis and Fran went on to form Maieutic, an experimental duo with a love for all things Gainsbourg, Lou and the Velvet Underground and Roxy Music.
It wasn’t long before she began to get more and more in to writing and honing her own songwriting style. With a little Korg keyboard, a minidisc recorder and a Tascam 4 track that her bro bought, long evenings were spent composing and experimenting.
The natural progression for was to take up the guitar allowing her to develop her songwriting skills and establish herself as a singer songwriter, leading her to support such artists as Charlie Winston.
She can now be found living in South West France with her partner Limmie Snell
.Her music is honest and uninhibited and the pleasure she takes in it shines through in her performance. Her vast experience and diversions in too many genres has obviously taught her not to overlook influences be it classical, folk, jazz or other.
She is currently working on her first solo album project.press: La Depeche du Midi - 'Classé entre la soul, le folk et le jazz, Fran Ray, groupe anglais résidant à Monflanquin en ensorcellera plus d'un grâce à la magnifique voix de leur chanteuse'Contact:
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