ETTA MARCUS: “I CAN MAKE MUSIC THAT SOUNDS HOWEVER I WANT”
VOCAL GIRLS chats to fledgling songwriter Etta Marcus about the music that has brought her to where she is, the making of her dreamlike first EP, and the importance of surrounding yourself with supportive influences.
Brixton born and raised, Etta Marcus was surrounded by a tapestry of influences that have helped form who she is today. “None of my family are particularly musical. My parents are teachers at a secondary school, but they just have a love for music, which is what I came to have as well. I was a big nerd at school with music”.
When we discuss influences for her own music, Etta is not keen on the idea of being tethered to any one genre or artist. “I think that genre needs to die. My music does get described as ‘indie’ or ‘alt’, but to me it doesn't mean anything. I can make music that sounds however I want, and don’t like to feel categorised into one space”. Rather, a cornucopia of artists beloved at home have been a cumulative influence throughout her 20 years, from “older” artists like Sade and David Bowie to more contemporary bands her dad used to play in the car, like The Zutons, MGMT and Gorillaz. Everything But The Girl also holds a special place in her heart, and Etta’s two guitars are lovingly named after Tracey Thorn and Ben Watt. More recently, artists like Mazzy Star and Fiona Apple have drawn Etta towards Americana - an influence that can be heard in her most recent offerings.
“Someone like David Bowie is such a futuristic writer, but if I was going to strive to be like anyone in my writing it would be Fiona Apple, because it's just so different and interesting.”
Encouraged by “the most supportive” parents, Etta wrote her first song at 14 and performed it at the school talent show. A career as a musician didn’t feel like a real option until Etta left Trinity Conservatoire in early 2020 after she fell out of love with her studies: “I've always loved jazz, but it became this weird relationship. I almost ‘broke up’ with jazz and never forgave it, because it just didn't feel right”. In the end, leaving her studies coincided with the world grinding to a halt due to the first Coronavirus lockdown, and the budding artist filled her time by recording some songs for SoundCloud.
Within a few months of her first SoundCloud release, Etta was approached by her lawyer and her now-manager: “it just sort of happened. I feel really fortunate for that because it came at a really low point for me - I had no idea what I was going to do.”. Ever humble, the artist seems to have attracted a team of dedicated people whose support she values highly as she ventures into this alien industry.
Etta is conscious of the importance of having good people around her who care about her and her music, explaining that it initially took some time to find those people.
“People say it's like speed dating and it really is. I was trying people out. I needed to find someone that I could really connect with - I'm very much a relationship person”.
Producer and close friend Josh Scarbrow has been someone the artist has gelled with creatively, and the two have since worked on all of her first EP, together with Matt Maltese. “They’re like my dads in music”, Etta says, explaining that she feels lucky to have had such nice experiences in the industry so far, given that this is not always the case for rising female artists. “I do get to work with a lot of women and have made a conscious effort to do that as well, but the nice thing is that I have these conversations with those I work with too. The sad thing is that it feels like being talked over or not listened to is bound to happen for female artists. I have been lucky and safe in the arms of people that are sort of taking care of me, but it is a worry”.
When it comes to the creative process, Etta is protective, and is keen to continue to give herself the space to write alone as well as with her collaborators in the studio. A self described ‘melody girl’, we talk through the writing process from chords, to the vocal melody, to the eventual tackling of lyrics. “I either keep singing gibberish until a line from the subconscious comes up and tells me what I want to write about, or I have a list of titles in my phone, which I browse and look for what each melody ‘feels’ like”.
It was in this way that ‘Salt Lake City’ came to be. Producer Josh set Etta and Matt Maltese up, sensing that they might be able to each take something from the different way in which the other wrote. “We’ve developed a sort of ‘kinship’ and are able to write really openly together. I just want to go inside his brain and just chill in there -some of the stuff he comes up with is just crazy”. What started as the two joking around in the studio soon became a duet with a heartbreaking sentiment to it. “The song wasn’t meant to be a duet, but Matt felt like he should jump on a verse, and I instantly felt ‘this is our Nancy and Lee moment’”.
View From The Bridge, Etta’s’ first EP, travels through some dark and stormy waters. The titular track was written at home - a therapeutic experience that offered Etta the opportunity to process past experience. “It’s about being self-centred in a relationship when the person you’re with isn’t at their best. It’s sort of an apology but also an attempt to understand”.
Provider kicks off that wide open Americana feel and tells a familiar story, with lyrics like “She’s more than you can handle, you’re no provider. /The last thing that she needed was a man who didn’t want her”. There are no metaphors here as Etta writes with a truthful anger, finding the freedom to be more raw and emotional by assuming the position of an observer. While you’d be forgiven for likening the song to something like Lucy Dacus’ ‘Thumbs’, the inspiration here is surprisingly the storytelling of Fountains of Wayne.
The heaviness of the EP is resolved with its final track, Confessional. The last few seconds feature a voice recording of Etta’s mum, encouraging the listener not to be paralysed by self-doubt. Written during a low period, Etta recalls “I hate being a mood hoover in any situation. I was feeling low and having these conversations with my parents all the time, so I just decided to record one so I would have it to listen back to when I was feeling low”.
If there’s one message Etta wants listeners to take away from this release, it’s that it’s fine to feel bad, you don’t always have to immediately pick yourself up without feeling your feelings - feel them, but remember the words of your supporters.
“It all may feel a little bit heavy, or a bit much to take in, but you should feel reconciled by it. I just want it to be a comfort to people”
The emotional journey of this EP is set to be heard live for the first time over the coming months. The dedicated group of fans Etta has already garnered will be treated to stripped back versions of her songs, akin to her previous performance videos, a decision which was made based on the desire to take people back to how the songs were originally formed - just Etta and her guitar. Playing more gigs, particularly in her home venue of Brixton Academy, is an opportunity for this new artist to connect with their fans in an entirely new way. “It’s such a magical thing, especially in smaller venues, and especially at this time. It sounds super cheesy but it is just the best thing to bring people together”.
We look forward to the experience, and are eager to follow what is sure to be a successful year for this emotionally driven, sharply perceptive artist.
Listen to Etta Marcus’ EP here.
Etta is set to perform at Abbie McCarthy’s FUTURE KARMA on 27th January.
You can also catch her supporting Matt Maltese and Tom Odell on their tours in February.
Photo Credits: Oscar Blair | @oscarxblair
