A Chat with Fiona Ross (25.05.25)
Eagerly delving into the complexities of life with intricate, emotional, and heart-warming melodies, singer-songwriter Fiona Ross reaches listeners with her moving music. We speak with the UK-based musician about her new album, Moments In My Notebook, future plans, and much more.
OSR: What drew you to music and why did you decide to pursue a career in music?
Ross: My parents decided that for me when I was a child and it is just something that has always been with me. I started lessons when I was very young and my parents obviously understood it is just part of who I am. I was initially trained for the theatre and have been very lucky to have had an incredibly varied career in the Creative industry. It is only for the past nine years that I have been an artist in my own right, releasing my first album in 2016.
OSR: You are about to release your album Moments In My Notebook. What can you tell us about the album? Is there a particular theme or backstory?
Ross: When I started thinking about writing this album I realised that I had previously released 79 songs. Well, coming from a family of mathematicians, I made the decision to write 21 songs for this album to take me to 100 songs. It was purely a nice round number decision, not a creative one. However, giving myself more space to write, I found myself feeling free to say more, musically and lyrically. With 21 songs to write, I spent some time looking through my old songwriting notebooks from when I was a teenager to see if there were any songs that could – should – be looked at and I have included two songs that I wrote when I was around 13 or 14. There is a little traveling theme in some tracks and three of my songs were written specifically for trio to take with me on my mini Scottish tour along with one song all about being in Paris with beautiful people.
I still write my music in notebooks. Some songs start with a chord progression, a bass line, a lyric – it is never the same and my notebooks are my moments of reflection, love, frustration, isolation and togetherness. Whatever I was feeling at that time and so this album is exactly that, 21 moments in my notebooks. When it was time to write my final song, I reflected on that milestone. 100 songs. What does that mean? Well, I have no idea. My parents always wanted me to have a career in the creative industry and I do miss them terribly so my 100th song is to my parents, wondering what they would say about this milestone, if they were here.
OSR: Over the past 10 years or so, you’ve released several albums – the most recent being 2023’s Thoughts, Conversations, and to-do lists. Do you feel Moments In My Notebook is a good representation of your sound at the moment, as well as where you are in your musical journey?
Ross: That’s a really interesting question. I write in a range of different styles that sometimes fit into genre boxes and sometimes don’t and this has always been consistent. I’m not really sure what my sound is, ha. Who knows what I write next? I honestly just go with the flow and write what I am feeling at that moment.
OSR: Not being a musician, I’m unsure whether producing an album seems to “follow a particular template”, so to say. Was Moments In My Notebook similar to the other albums regarding production? Did you experience any challenges, and how did you overcome them?
Ross: I have worked with my same team now for a few years and I work very hard with my engineers during the mixing sessions to ensure my music sounds real and has a live feel to it. This is important to me for the overall production. The challenge is only ever time! There are always things that come up that if I had more time – and money – I would have perhaps done differently, but I go with the flow and we make it work. The spontaneity of it all is an integral part of all my work.
OSR: If you had to introduce a new listener to your music, which song from Moments In My Notebook would you recommend?
Ross: Some of these songs will tick a jazz box, some tick a singer/songwriter box and some sit in the middle but they all tick the box called ‘Fi’. Listening to one of my songs, will not give you a clue as to what the next one might be. If you are looking for something that ticks a jazz box, then ‘Voices Unheard’ and ‘I Found A Song In My Notebook’ are probably the ones, contemporary jazz I would go for ‘You Make the Rain Go Away’, but if you are looking for something that just makes you smile, ‘Let Your Soul Shine’ I hope will do that.
OSR: What do you hope people take from this album and your music in general?
Ross: I hope that people find a connection and that they feel they are not alone. And I do hope my music makes them smile!
OSR: What does music mean to you?
Ross: I literally couldn’t survive without it. It is part of my very being.
OSR: Do you have any advice for people entering the music industry?
Ross: Stay true to yourself and don’t be afraid to reach out to people. There is a wonderful community out here full of people wanting to help and support. You are never alone. Always be true to yourself – and authentic. This can be hard at times, but it is so important.
OSR: What can we expect from you in the future?
Ross: With my new release, I will be busy performing across the world, which I am very excited about. I also have some live performance videos coming out, which will be so much fun.
OSR: Do you have a message for our readers?
Ross: Thank you for taking the time to read this and listen to my music. I do hope you find something that connects with you – and if you do, please reach out and tell me! I love to hear from people.
Many thanks to Fiona Ross for speaking with us! Find out more about Fiona Ross on her official website, Facebook, Instagram and Spotify.
This artist was discovered via Musosoup #sustainablecurator
