Going from performing open mic nights to being beamed into millions of American living rooms on late-night TV is a dream that many aspiring songwriters have – but for British sensation Freya Ridings it recently became a reality.
However, despite accolades from the likes of Taylor Swift and Florence Welch, the singer is adamant that it was the near-10 year grind that has made her breakthrough all the easier to handle.
“It was the biggest life shift!” she says when we caught her for a quick interview when she was in the country last week for a whirlwind of shows.
“The first one (TV performance) I was so nervous….but then eventually it became the most fun thing in the world…it’s such an incredible way to chat to people and connect with people around the world, it’s so fun!”
Fun and relaxed is exactly how Freya comes across – no doubt helped by the sense of confidence she feels as a result of finding a broad and committed audience for her powerful, yet vulnerable songs.
“It’s so different now that there’s an audience there – I literally wrote these tunes on my parents’ really old piano, all the neighbors heard them – they weren’t written to be on radio and tv, BUT NOW THEY ARE” she exclaims excitedly.
“I find that knowing that there’s that acceptance and the fanbase there to be a real boost of confidence.
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Watch: Freya Ridings – ‘Castles’
“When I was originally writing I was quite isolated and heartbroken in many different ways….you have to lock yourself away to write, I was homeschooled a bit…going to open mic nights was my university, that was how I made friends!”
Two of those lounge room songs – ‘Castles’ and ‘Lost Without You’ have gone on to be mega-hits around the globe, with each garnering millions of streams across various channels and critical acclaim.
But with success comes a whole lot of people who want to profit off it – something that Ridings is all too aware of.
“My team is so down to earth and humble – it’s the people in the middle that you have to get through, that’s the hard bit,” she reveals.
“That makes the entire thing worth it- but to this day I bond with people that are quite chill – I have to at least work on the song on my own at some point in the process.”
Watch Ridings perform her hit Lost Without You at last years’ Glastonbury festival
For Ridings, co-writing with other producers, something done across the industry, was also a steep learning curve.
“I found it super tough at first – it was so much of a learning experience,” she says bluntly.
“I’ve been co-writing since I was 17, it was literally like dating, you have to be so open, and sometimes it can be so horrific, but then you find those one or two people that you just click with and suddenly the entire thing just becomes brilliant!
“You go deeper and deeper, it’s like layers of skin and it gets more painful – but that’s when people know that something is true, and it’s the same with working with strangers that you’ve just met.”
Rinding’s stay in Australia was all too short this time around. With just Sydney and Melbourne getting a look in, it feels like Australia is only just beginning to catch on to what she has to offer.
However, Ridings is adamant that when it comes to her career, it’s all about pushing forward, as opposed to waiting to be given a green light.
“I’m writing loads for a new release”, she says, adding that she plans to “take on board the things that have worked, and try and push out of my comfort zone, to make that bravest record that I possibly can.”
“It was always the moments where I was terrified to say something that I was hesitant about in the past- that is where I’m trying to push myself now.”
It’s an exciting time for Ridings, with all the pieces falling into place – something that she insists comes back to having the chance to get out and in front of people as often as possible.
“I used to be so shy – the only way I could get over it was by getting up in front of people and putting myself out there at open mics”, she says.
“Every single time at first I would just want to run into the bathroom and climb out the window!”
If there’s one thing we can learn from Ridings’ trajectory, it’s to push through the fear and hold on for the ride.
Watch Ridings’ perform her beautiful Lewis Capaldi cover
