Artist Spotlight: FRESA
Photo Credit: @johnny.d.ho
FRESA means strawberry in Spanish, which is fitting to FRESA the R&B artist whose music feels sweet and indulging. With inspirations from Jhene Aiko, SZA, and Ariana Grande, her music is soft and soulful; sounds of love, heartbreak, and everything in between. The Seattle-based singer/songwriter began her interest in music at the ripe age of 7 when she started taking piano lessons and was encouraged to both sing and play at her piano recitals. Throughout her educational years, she continued to perform at local events, social gatherings, and school assemblies.
THE INTERVIEW
What have you been up to while in quarantine? What challenges have you faced? What accomplishments have you been able to celebrate?
This quarantine I have been working really hard on a number of different things. I am on my fourth and final year at Seattle University, and am working towards a double major in Chemistry and Spanish. Within this past year I have also moved from Capitol Hill, to Bellevue, and back to Capitol Hill. Though this quarantine was really difficult because I was not able to see many of my loved ones, the abundance of free time that it gave me allowed me to finally start and finish an entire EP- a project that I’ve wanted to do since freshman year of college. Being in quarantine has allowed me to experience new levels of solitude that lead to self-reflection, exploration, and self-awareness that I have never reached before. This newly found mentality helped me really indulge in songwriting and it became an outlet and a form of therapy for me, and for that I have really valued the time given to me by this quarantine. Though its been a struggle trying to juggle online classes, working, music, and living in a pandemic, I have found that music keeps me motivated and passionate about my work.
Who are some women in the arts that inspire you and why?
Some of the women who are big in the music industry that inspire me are Jhene Aiko, SZA, and Ariana Grande. Through them I discovered the healing powers that music possesses, and I see their art as a form of female solidarity. All of these women have been through really hard times and have managed to embody their emotions and thoughts into their music in such a profound way that not only am I able to feel what they feel when I listen to their music, but I am also able to take their experiences and use them to learn and reflect on what I am going through myself. Even though their lyrics can often be quite simple, they are able to express complex feelings and thoughts through their music that I often have a hard time verbalizing. Their ability to capture and communicate the female perspective in such an artful and relatable way is what I want to be able to do for my listeners through my music. I also wanted to give a shoutout to a couple local female artists that inspire me, such as Talaya, Laureli, Anna Therese, and Pink Anbu (just to name a few)!
What is a current goal of yours that you are working towards this year in 2021?
If we weren’t under quarantine right now, one of my goals would be to be able to perform my new EP — My thoughts when I’m alone. Other than that, I am just looking forward to the release of my EP so that people can see who I am and what I do as an artist. I would love to collaborate with other local artists this year, and I plan to continue writing songs and putting as much music out as possible. Who knows, I might even work on creating a visual for one of my songs! We’ll see where this year takes us.
What are your dreams and hopes for women in the music industry?
My hope for the music industry is that women, especially women of color, become more recognized for their hard work and talent. Often women are underestimated and overshadowed by the industry due to their male peers being placed on a higher pedestal. I would love for female artists to be given the same respect and opportunities as male artists, and to see more POC female faces across the music industry. Representation is so important. I would be so proud to see someone that looks like me (an Asian woman) on the list of top charting artists.
What words of wisdom do you have that you would like to share with women?
The home screen on my phone right now is a quote by the female artist H.E.R.:
“To my women, with the utmost respect,
Intellect, we often forget and neglect Intuition can see through elusive intent
Listen to it”
There are so many layers to this quote and it is applicable to so many different scenarios. I feel like I’ll leave it up to the reader to interpret it how they like.
Name 3 things you love doing!
I love singing (duh!), going out to eat, and sunny days at the beach!
How has Totem Star helped shape you as an individual and as an artist?
Totem Star taught me that you don’t need any crazy big production or complicated process to make music. Music can be made in the comfort of your own home, in a small studio with your homies, or even recorded on a voice memo on your phone. Totem Star was my first ever experience in a recording studio, my first ever experience in a jam session, and the first music community that inspired me to explore who I am as an artist. I am so grateful to Totem Star for how accepting they are of artists- no matter what skill level they are or where they come from. Totem Star is truly one of the safest spaces I have ever been in and I know that will never change.
FRESA
FRESA means strawberry in Spanish, which is fitting to FRESA the R&B artist whose music feels sweet and indulging. With inspirations from Jhene Aiko, SZA, and Ariana Grande, her music is soft and soulful; sounds of love, heartbreak, and everything in between. The Seattle-based singer/songwriter began her interest in music at the ripe age of 7 when she started taking piano lessons and was encouraged to both sing and play at her piano recitals. Throughout her educational years, she continued to perform at local events, social gatherings, and school assemblies. She found herself securing an annual position as one of the musical performing acts for the Seattle University Vietnamese Student Association’s annual Xuan festival. With encouragement from her local community, she eventually landed a spot on the More Music @ The Moore program- a decades old music program that allows up and coming young artists to perform at the renown Moore Theater in Seattle. After completing the program, FRESA began working on her first official music project. While also months away from completing two bachelor’s degrees at Seattle University, FRESA’s debut EP My thoughts when I’m alone is projected to drop March 25, 2021.
Follow FRESA through these platforms!
Instagram // Soundcloud // Spotify // Bandcamp // Apple Music