San Francisco singer-songwriter, essence, has released her much

San Francisco singer-songwriter, essence, has released her much anticipated third album entitled
‘Feels Like the Future,’ available now on iTunes, it’s sound is a distinct hybrid of electronica and
indie pop. Deeply influenced by the sudden loss of her father in 2007, and inspired by the birth of
her son, Rhys, only a few months later, “Feels Like the Future” is a collection of fourteen intimate
and spirit lifting tracks that preserve essence’s trademark sound of blending sweeping vocals and
honest lyrics. With this record, essence naturally communicates an arresting spectrum of emotion
through music.
Highlights of her new album include the opening title track ‘Feels Like the Future’ which won the
GRAND PRIZE for The Great American Song Contest, as well as placement on NBC’s Access
Hollywood. A prime example of life imitating art, this song basically wrote itself, upon meeting her
future husband and father of her child. Its message is that of one of the great wonders of life: a
declaration of love and a brave departure from the past.
“Music is in my blood, this is what I’ve always done - it’s who I am. It’s non-negotiable.”
This is essence talking about a suggestion from her grandfather that she consider going to law
school, give up making music and get serious. And if you’ve gotten the sense that she declined,
turned away from the well-worn path to conventional success for the sake of her music, you’re
right.
So - just to clear things up right now - essence is her real name. Her parents were flower children
in San Francisco’s Haight Ashbury, trailblazers of the Cultural Revolution. In a supernatural meeting
of manifest destiny and bohemian spirit, her mother was visited in a dream by her unborn daughter
- who announced herself as essence. And so essence she was named. Not that this sat particularly
well with the young girl. “As kid, I wanted to fit in. I didn’t want to be named essence,” she says. “I
wanted to be a Michelle, or an Alice. But I’ve grown to appreciate my name.”
Though born and bred mostly in San Francisco, the city she calls home, essence moved extensively
with her parents as a child - by her early teens she had already lived on three continents and attended over a dozen different schools. Growing up in a creative and chaotic environment, essence
felt compelled to express herself from a young age. While her parents practiced the fine arts of
sculpture and painting, essence worshipped the Beatles and Bob Dylan, along with her first female
pop heroine, Madonna. After studying theater briefly at The American Conservatory, essence decided to chase her own muse rather than bring to life the works of others. She began writing songs
at fifteen, finding music to be the ultimate medium to articulate her inner thoughts, and has kept on
writing. She worked her way through San Francisco State University as an artist model while developing and refining her songwriting, vocal and guitar skills.
www.essencemusic.com
With a remarkable sequence of transitions, “Feels Like the Future’ takes the listener to a dizzying
time of adolescence with the upbeat, and whimsical tune “Yum Yum.” This song depicts the playful
innocence of childhood like a nursery rhyme and is yet peppered with double entendres. The
spinning vocals and sugary melodies make this song unforgettable.
essence fast-forwards to a more somber place to salute her father, in her ballad “How to Say Goodbye.” In a similar vein, “Shape of You” spotlights the aftermath of loss, and the path to healing. It is
prominently featured in Jennifer Steinman’s critically acclaimed independent film entitled
“Motherland.” www.motherland-thefilm.com.
The album is punctuated with two transcendent dance tracks “Just Wanted to Dance” and Solarstone’s internationally-embraced re-mix of “Lunar Rings.” These uncompromising electronic
soundscapes create intermissions to the albums more sentient songs.
“Feels Like The Future” is a collaboration among a handful of world class producers: Karl Derfler
(No Doubt, Tom Waits, and countless film soundtracks), Count (Rolling Stones, Lyrics Bjorn, DJ
Shadow, Galactic), Garth May (producer of previous essence releases “Conception” & “Mariposa,”)
David Della Santa and Dan Wool. Each producer brought something unique to the mix, so there is
dimension to the record as a whole, and yet unity is achieved by the common thread of essence’s
songwriting and soaring vocals.
essence has earned a devoted following in San Francisco where she has sold thousands of CDs
and headlined some of the city’s most prestigious venues. She has also shared bills with Tom Petty,
Shawn Colvin, Jason Mraz, Sarah McLachlan, Natalie Merchant, Ani DiFranco and Linda Perry of
4 Non Blondes.
essence started her music career after partnering with independent music producer Garth May and
recorded her first album “Conception” in 1997. In 1998, essence won The National Lilith Fair Talent
Competition, standing out among 5000 entries with her song “Sleeping With The Driver.” In 2003
essence released, to wide critical acclaim, her groundbreaking album “Mariposa” and later earned a
“SIBL” award (Songs Inspired by Literature) for her song “Still Crying”, landing her placement on a
CD alongside Bruce Springsteen, Aimee Mann, and Suzanne Vega. essence also gained exposure
as a featured performer on VH1’s music special “Women First”, NPR’s “World Café”, KFOG radio in
SF, and A&E Network’s hit show “The Division.” In addition, she has received heavy press coverage
including features in the San Francisco Chronicle, Acoustic Guitar Player, Billboard,
SF Examiner, the Bay Guardian, and SF Weekly.
Michael Paoletta, Billboard Magazine, on essence:
“...layer upon layer or aural sensations (part acoustic, part electronic) just waiting to be discovered
and savored. With nods to female contemporaries like Nelly Furtado, Gwen Stefani, Alanis Morissette, Imogen Heap, and Sarah McLachlan, essence remains very much her own artist. ...a singer,
who, like Madonna, isn’t afraid to take musical chances.”
www.essencemusic.com
It would seem appropriate to compare singer/songwriter, Essence
to the likes of Sarah McLachlan, Shawn Colvin and Tori Amos – all
whom she has either toured with or admires. But this gem of an artist, whose track Glitter Gone from her freshman album, Conception,
exemplifies how melody,
pathos and lyricism can be fused to the level of a classic, is inevitably
going to be categorized as such. Don’t be fooled. There is so much
more to this 6th generation Northern California native who won the
National Lilith Fair Talent Competition in 1998 and has just released
her smashing third album of infectious indie-pop and electronica
tunes, Feels Like the Future.
“My goal is to write emotionally evocative, vulnerable songs,” says
Essence. “Songs that are rich in story-telling and metaphor.” This
should come as no surprise to those that have followed
Essence faithfully through the years and listened to her honest, captivating music – just as stirring in
a remixed, electronically produced context as it is in an acoustic rendition. It’s no wonder, since her
heroes include such artists as Willy Nelson, Tom Petty, Paul Simon, Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell, all
of whom mine life experiences for music that is profoundly relatable and resonant through the ages.
Feels Like the Future was greatly inspired by my meeting my husband and I wrote it after the first
time we hung out,” she explains. “It was earth-shaking. Just like great music, it could not be ignored
and I was compelled to follow it through.”
But the album is not just an ode to newfound love. Feels Like the Future is bright and upbeat, but it’s
also a farewell to the past and an enthusiastic embrace of the future. Deeply influenced by the
passing of her father and the birth of her son a few months after, Essence demonstrates her
versatility in tracks like How to Say Goodbye and Shape of You which helped her to celebrate and
also let go a little bit. And then there is also the pulsating mix of Lunar Rings and Numb, a standout
track that grabs hold of you and embodies all the qualities that make a song not only personally
relevant, but an enduring hit.
-Ghalib Dhalla
Indulge Magazine (Los Angeles)
April 2010
www.essencemusic.com
www.essencemusic.com