FEATURE: Spotlight: Connie Constance

FEATURE:

Spotlight

PHOTO CREDIT: Holly McCandless-Desmond for NOTION

Connie Constance

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A phenomenal voice in music…

PHOTO CREDIT: Joel Palmer

who had a particularly huge year last year with her album, Miss Power, I wanted to spotlight the amazing Connie Constance. I am going to come to some recent interviews – and one older one – to show why we should follow and support Constance. First, and from her official website, here is some biography about the Watford-born artist:

“In recent years, Connie Constance (real name Constance Rose Power) has been on a journey of self discovery. Though she is notably mild mannered, prone to fits of giggles and a self-described “fairy bitch”, she recently got her full astrological chart which described her personality type as an aggravator and it really resonated with her. “I’ve been doing that without realising it,” she says before her tone becomes incredulous. “I never knew it would be such a big thing to want to make indie music”.

Over the last few years she’s had to make bold moves like leaving major labels behind to carve her own path. She spent the last two years releasing on her independent label Jump The Fence and has now signed with indie label PIAS, she has been busy creating create indie pop tracks infused with punk and soul that feel true to her riotous roots. It’s taken some strength and convictions in her own voice. “I feel like I’m finally being treated as an adult and creative partner versus a young crazy creative girl,” she says. It’s a stark contrast from the days where she was making songs that didn’t sound like what she listened to. However as a Nigerian-British artist, she believes the UK music industry struggled to understand alternative women of colour as previous label staff likened her to other mixed race British singers Corinne Bailey Rae, Mabel and Jorja Smith (“I was like dude let them do their thing”) and told her “we don’t know how to market you with braids”.

The Watford-born 27-year-old has remained laser focussed on putting out music that fits how she sees the world rather than how the world sees her. And she takes her place among rising alternative black girls from WILLOW to Nova Twins who have proved that natural hair and underground sounds don’t make you too niche.

Her new album, Miss Power, is both nostalgic and zeitgeist, imbued with powerful drums, playful guitar riffs, and anthemic feminist rage via playful lyricism like: “I’m not your perfect little princess and I have my own unique vagina”. These lyrics hint at the way women have to rally against external voices.

She says that this album is the first time she’s felt she’s done exactly what she wanted to do, dubbing her sound “a fairy bitch genre” as that’s the vibe she feels when she wakes up in the morning. The concept record was written as if an ancient fairy from tens of thousands of years ago was frozen in time and they woke up today. It starts with being wowed by the excitement, the shining lights, the buzz and how fun it is to be young right now, but then it spirals downward as signposted by titles like ‘Hurt You’ and ‘Kamikaze’, which she calls a “feminist anthem”.

Connie’s excitement to venture out into the world as her authentic self is palpable, and by the sounds of it, she’s ready to step into her power”.

I want to go back to an interview from 2016. In Spotlight, I normally highlight artists who are fairly new to the industry. Even if Connie Constance has been putting out amazing music since her late-teens/early-twenties, she is starting to get a lot more focus after the release of her second studio album. Someone who is rising through and showing why she is going to be releasing music for years to come:

“Your debut was around a year ago with the song Stars. In its music video we can see your dancing skills, as well as in that for Books, which doesn’t come as a surprise considering that you studied for a year in the Urdang Academy. When did you realise you didn't want to continue in the dancing scene?

It was a number of things. I was working front of house at the Lyceum Theatre, where the Lion King is shown; after watching the show over 100 times I realised that if I was to graduate The Urdang Academy, not only was this show one of the few West End musicals that I’d even be considered for (due to being mixed raced), I also couldn’t face the repetition of performing the same movements and singing the same songs 8 times a week.

I had always loved dancers that no one could copy, that were incomparable. At dance school you’re taught to become a blank canvas, someone who can copy movement precisely and powerfully. I do not disagree with this, as this is what you need to be in order to be successful in the dance industry. However, it's just not the path I want to follow in any creative industry.

It was a decision that changed your whole life. How do you feel when looking back at this past year?

I’m forever in and out of shock but always grateful for this past year. I have realised how naive I was to decide to leave one of the greatest performing arts schools in the country to pursue a career I knew nothing about. Naivety can be harmful in most cases, but without it I don’t think I would have had the self-belief in my work, my lyrics, my scruffy messy notepads, needed to achieve any dream.
I have learnt many lessons this year, one of them being that If you look at the world in wonder, with eyes of freedom to do anything, then you can build a new reality step by step, one change at a time. I’m going to be forever grateful for this 21st year, as I’ve met some of the most incredible dreamers and go-getters in the world. The type of people that make you feel guilty for being less than you could be!

You come from a town called Watford, in the northwest of London. How does living in the city affect the music you create?

London is so hectic, by the end of each hour of waking life I’ve probably felt over ten emotions. If I had a studio, a band and an audio engineer in my head I could probably write an album a day. I don’t think I know one twenty year old in London that doesn’t have some kind of mental or social health issue. Very harsh, but very rewarding if you work hard. Everything I feel, see, conversations I have, situations of love and conflict that I get into, I write about.

PHOTO CREDIT: Christian Cassiel

You take part of an historical movement in which black women are empowering themselves to do whatever they want to do. But do you feel like historically jazz is the only genre they can rule in the music industry?

In the past and present, black women absolutely shake the world with their ownership vocally of those genres. But no, I’m pretty sure black women already rule them all, with Beyoncé and Rihanna fronting the pop industry for females worldwide.

I think the hardest place for black women is actually England. I don’t think England quite understands how to have a black female ruling the pop or indie industry, or just black people in general. The last black woman with an afro that got any exposure was Mel B, and she was called “Scary Spice” – so you know there is every ceiling in the British music industry to be broken right now.

I assume that growing up as a mixed-raced kid in a white family wasn't easy, especially when there weren't a lot of black women referents in ‘90s Europe. But, as you’ve just mentioned, you found someone to look up to in Mel B. Have you thought of yourself as a potential referent for girls nowadays?

Definitely, the boundaries are there to be broken and for a much bigger picture than myself. Every young girl and boy deserves a representative in the limelight, and I’m more than happy to take that responsibility if the opportunity comes.

If you could give an advice to young females trying to pursue a career the music industry, which would it be?

Find yourself first. Don’t let anyone tell you how you need to be in order to be successful. You're a perfect circle”.

I am going to move to The Line of Best Fit. Isabella Miller spoke with Connie Constance about her album, Miss Power. It is an album for those who crave power and want to take control. It deals also with breaks-ups, mental-health, and healing. Constance is one of the most fascinating and inspiring artists we have in our midst:

“Constance's goal to create a record that not only invites recognition of her own internal power, but also asks the listener to do the same, was made possible through the help of producer Samuel Knowles. Known professionally as Karma Kid, Knowles has worked with the likes of Shygirl and Ms Banks and was also behind Constance’s 2021 track “Prim & Propa.”

“After Sam and I made [that track], I had a moment where I was like ‘this sums everything up’. It was the first time I had made a song that had real depth to the lyrics but also the chaos,” Constance reflects. “The soundscape made sense as well with the funky guitars recorded really close to the mic. It has this feeling of being a tune played round a fire but also outside in a festival. After we made that track, we decided that this was the time to make an album. We didn’t put any time stamp on it or any deadlines… We just decided to do two sessions a week and see what flowed. We had curveball sessions as well which allowed us to explore more and begin experimenting.”

PHOTO CREDIT: Phoebe Fox

At the time, she was without a label, having made the difficult decision to go independent before joining indie group PIAS. This shift, she explains, was integral to the record’s formation. “Going independent meant I had regained my freedom. I love being with my indie label because it really is a freeing experience and has allowed me to feel even more empowered,” she says of the change. “My gratitude levels are through the roof, and I just feel so grateful to have a team of people who have allowed me to feel like I have a promising career in music.”

Although her time with previous label AMF records meant she felt unable to achieve her musical goals, Constance remains proud of debut record English Rose, and confident now in the direction of her career. “The thing is, although the previous label was trying to push a certain sound from me, I still managed to make an album with them that I am really proud of,” she admits. “As much as I knew that it wasn’t the right place for me and that I needed to get out because I wasn’t being seen how I wanted to be seen, I still managed to get a great album out of it… I feel [the move] has taught me how to grow not only as a musician but as a businesswoman. I know what works now and who I need to work with to elevate me. [I like] working with people who are sick at what they do.”

Another example of the magic that has come from this shift is latest single “Hurt You”, which Constance coins her ‘revenge song’. Fusing indie-pop guitars with her soulful voice and clever lyricism, the track again unpacks emotions and experiences that have served as writing fuel. “This song is more reflective,” she divulges, “it’s about recognising things that have happened that made me feel trapped. If I’m in a place where I don’t feel strong, this song seems to help me find strength and reminds me that I’m thriving.”

Nearly four years since her debut album, Constance has established herself as one of the UK’s most exciting indie-pop goddesses, releasing material that takes inspiration from a host of British alternative music titans like Bloc Party and The Arctic Monkeys, while not limiting herself to one sound and constantly exploring new ways to create.

As she continues to rise through the ranks, the last couple years have seen her opening for Yard Act and recently finishing a tour with Nova Twins. With a catalogue of dance-ready material, she creates a space for people to relate, feel represented and, of course, empowered. Accruing a loyal fanbase, her upcoming UK tour has already sold out way in advance. Considering how her music has connected with people, Constance says, “I find it really exciting that people mess with the tunes. Sometimes I feel like I am building my own little warrior army. I love it.”

The list of reasons as to why Constance has become a darling of indie pop are endless, whether it be her ability to not tie herself to one sound, write lyrics that inspire, express a level of vulnerability, and the self-reflection in her distinct, soulful vocal. Yet what is often highlighted, is how she stands amongst a legion of Black women in alternative music who have changed preconceived perceptions of genres such as indie, rock and punk.

Debunking these stereotypes is something Constance not only aims to do with her music, but also through an event she runs called Black Punk Party. “It’s a way to cultivate a world for Black punk and indie artists. It’s a freeing experience for everyone who comes and everyone who plays,” she says of the initiative. “I also do a mail out called Black Punk Mail where I put loads of Black, mixed-race, and ethnic alternative artists in a mail out, artists from future, past and present. I think it’s important for us to know what’s going on in our community”.

There are a couple of other interviews that I want to bring in. DORK chatted with Connie Constance back in November. I discovered her work a few years ago, but I sort of dipped in and out. That is my bad! Miss Power firmly reintroduced me to someone that I need to hold close. Whereas she may not be a ‘rising artist’ anymore, it is a definitely a moment where she deserves spotlighting – and she is moving to a new level and plain:

“In practical terms, Connie centred the album around a typically idiosyncratic and fantastical story. “I wanted to tell a story of what a fairy might feel like if they woke up a million years later and were in our world today and what they would see and find out about,” she illustrates. “I wanted to use my experiences to write about those situations. That was the overall concept and how we structured the album. It starts off with ‘In The Beginning’, where the fairies come here. I wanted the fairy to be non-binary, so anyone could put their head on and be that person, and the next song is like woahhh, this place is sick. Like when you first come to London. I was like, oh my god, this food looks so good. Everything is so overstimulating and exciting. Everything I want to do in my life, I can do here. Then it takes a deeper turn and gets darker when obviously it’s not all glitz and glam, and then at the end, the finale is this arghhh this was so crazy, but I think it’s going to be ok.”

The record is a swirling mass of emotions and feelings. A roller coaster in the best possible way. One of the many highlights is a raging feverish out-of-control rampage of a track called ‘Kamikaze’ that highlights Connie’s anger at some of the treatment she has faced. “The only way I can express ‘Kamikaze’ is just punk,” she says. “It’s the only genre or energy that this could be in. I’m meant to be this perfect human, but I’m just not. No one is a perfect being. ‘Kamikaze’ is just pure ‘fuck you’ anger. It’s the purest form of, I’m out. I’m done. I cannot do this anymore. I cannot be pulled this way or that way. It’s a reflection, sadly, of some of the recent things. I hate talking about people passing, but in the media, people drag females left, right and centre and expect them to just get on with their day like it’s not going to affect their mental health and sadly, it does, and it can be catastrophic.”

At times it was overwhelming as Connie explored some of the darker themes and personal traumas contained on the album. “It can be hard unpicking a wound. You kind of think, no, I don’t want to talk about that, but for me, I know that I have to. I can have fun with the upbeat indie festival tunes, then it’s going to get to the point where I’m going to have to say ok, let’s unpick. There were definite tears in the making of the album.”

Having created a career-defining album tailor-made for captivating audiences on every level on the biggest stages, Connie is very much conscious of her position as an inspiring figure for people seeing a young black woman making indie music on their own terms, something Connie found in herself discovering Santigold (“She’s my queen”) and X-Ray Spex. “Every voice is important,” says Connie passionately. “It’s important that young people growing up making music can look up and think I can do whatever I want. I can make free jazz if I want to. Skin tone and my upbringing will not dictate the music that I make.” Perhaps when she takes ‘Miss Power’ out on tour and brings it to life on stage both on her own shows next year and supporting Yard Act, there will be a whole new generation inspired to follow their own path. “That’s the dream, that’s the goal. To take over the world with more Connie Constances,” she laughs”.

I am going to finish off with DIY. They spoke with her about her second studio album, and why she is a huge contender in modern music. We all look forward to seeing where she heads next – but go and follow her if you do not know about her and that awesome music:

“That confident, no fucks given attitude is most notable on thunderous album track ‘Kamikaze’, with its screaming intro reminiscent of The 1975’s ‘People’. On it, Connie tells the listener: “I’m not your perfect little princess, I have my own unique vagina”. “Sometimes, something will come into my head and I’m like, that’s really funny but should I put it in a song or just enjoy it in my own head?” she giggles. “I was actually making the song with two of my boys and they were like ‘What, Connie?! Are you really gonna say that?’ And I was like, ‘Yes, we’re gonna say that!’

“I knew that I wanted a feminist anthem, that was essential,” she continues. “I’m surrounded by super strong, feisty women, and I needed that energy to be out there and I needed to represent that in my music. That was a strong thing throughout the album - if someone is getting ready in the morning and they put on that tune and they’re like, ‘Yes, I am a bad bitch!’. That was really important.”

Elsewhere, Connie gets more personal, pinpointing ‘Heavyweight Champion’ with its bridge of “I don’t know why I wait for something new/ When I will change but you’ll always be you” as a prime example of her letting the listener in. “I’ve been wanting to write a song about my dad for ages,” she notes. “I wanted to write this song about how we’ll never actually be able to forgive because of mental health. What he’s going through, we’ll never be able to be great, which is sad. But we can be in this other state, and that’s kind of good.”

Including her favourite lyric - “Mental illness in a feather boa” - she continues: “There’s so much talk about how everyone wants to love themselves and self-love is so important, and it’s good, it’s healthy, but when you’re in that bad place it’s not that glamorous and a self-help book really isn’t going to solve the issue. The feather boa is like, ‘Yeah, self-love!’, but actually, mental illness fucking sucks.”

Taking the listener on a magical journey from start to finish, ‘Miss Power’ finds Connie embracing her freedom and creating a raw body of work that’s not afraid to get deep whilst making you dance. “With my music I want people to listen to it when they’re going through something and not feel the pressure to feel better if they’re not ready,” she explains. “That’s why I write songs, because sometimes I just need something to soundtrack this space and not shift me out of it.

“[The album] has quite a scope of energy,” she adds. “I do want [the listener] to go through this journey, but I feel like it’s more about feeling. I want the naughtiness, and also this euphoric sense of freedom”.

An artist that I could and will definitely recommend to everybody, go and listen to Connie Constance’s music and especially her latest album, Miss Power. Here is an artist who has built her foundations and empire and is absolutely crushing it! Such an inspiration for other artists and Black women reclaiming their power and purpose, she is a hugely strong and compelling presence. We all need to ensure that we give her music…