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The Ultimate Guide to Cruelty-Free Makeup: Pros, Cons & What to Look For

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The Ultimate Guide to Cruelty-Free Makeup: Pros, Cons & What to Look For

Introduction: What is Cruelty-Free Makeup and How Can You Tell If It’s Truly Cruelty-Free?

Cruelty-free makeup is any makeup product that has not been tested on animals. It is also referred to as vegan makeup, as it does not contain any animal-derived ingredients. Cruelty-free cosmetics are free from parabens and other harsh chemicals and are safe for the environment. They are becoming increasingly popular, as more and more people are conscious of the impact their makeup purchases have on animals.

To determine if a product is truly cruelty-free, you should always look for the Leaping Bunny logo or the PETA logo on the packaging. These logos signify that the product has been certified cruelty-free. Additionally, you can look for brands that are transparent about their animal testing policies. If a brand does not have a clear policy, it is likely that they do test on animals. When purchasing cruelty-free makeup, it is important to read the ingredients list carefully. Some products may be labelled as cruelty-free but may contain animal-derived ingredients. Always check the label to make sure that the product is truly cruelty-free.

Cruelty-free makeup is an excellent choice for those looking to make ethical purchases, as it is kind to both animals and the environment. By choosing products with the Leaping Bunny or PETA logos, you can ensure that your makeup is truly cruelty-free.

The Pros of Using Cruelty-Free Makeup & Why it is Becoming More Popular

Cruelty-free makeup is becoming more popular as people become more aware of the ethical implications of animal testing. Below are some of the pros of using cruelty-free makeup:

  1. Cruelty-free makeup is not tested on animals, ensuring that no animal is harmed in the process of producing makeup.
  2. Cruelty-free makeup is often vegan, meaning that it is free of animal ingredients such as beeswax, lanolin, and collagen.
  3. Cruelty-free makeup is usually made with natural, sustainable ingredients that are better for the environment.
  4. Cruelty-free makeup is often more affordable than traditional makeup. 
  5. Cruelty-free makeup can be just as effective and of the same quality as traditional makeup.

Why it is Becoming More Popular:

  1. Animal rights activists and organizations are raising awareness about the cruelty involved in traditional makeup testing.
  2. Consumers are becoming more conscious of their purchases, seeking out cruelty-free products out of concern for animal welfare.
  3. More vegan cosmetics brands are emerging on the market, offering more cruelty-free makeup options.
  4. Companies are responding to consumer demand, with many traditional makeup brands now offering cruelty-free alternatives.
  5. Social media influencers and celebrities are promoting cruelty-free makeup, encouraging others to make the switch.

The Cons of Using Cruelty-Free Makeup & Potential Challenges

 

The potential drawbacks of using cruelty-free makeup and vegan makeup are becoming more and more apparent as the movement continues to grow in popularity. While there are certainly benefits to using these types of makeup, there are also some potential challenges that should be taken into consideration before making the switch. Below are some of the cons of using it:

  1. Limited Availability: Cruelty-free makeup is typically harder to find than traditional products, as fewer companies make and distribute vegan makeup. Depending on your location, you may have difficulty finding cruelty-free makeup at your local drugstore or cosmetics store.
  2. Price: Cruelty-free makeup tends to be more expensive than traditional makeup. Since vegan makeup companies are typically smaller, they have higher production costs and they often charge premium prices.
  3. Quality: Many cruelty-free makeup products don’t have the same quality as traditional makeup. This is due to the fact that vegan makeup companies often use natural ingredients, which are more expensive. Additionally, the ingredients may not be as effective as synthetic ingredients found in traditional makeup products.
  4. Animal Testing: Although vegan makeup companies don’t conduct animal testing, many of their suppliers may still do so. Therefore, it’s important to research the companies you purchase from to ensure that they don’t test their products on animals.
  5. Limited Range: Vegan makeup companies often have a limited range of products, as they may not have the resources to produce the same variety of products that traditional makeup companies offer. This means that finding the perfect shade or product to match your skin tone or needs may be difficult when you are shopping for vegan makeup. Additionally, vegan makeup companies may not offer the same range of colours and shades as traditional makeup companies. This means that it can be difficult to find the perfect shade of lipstick, blush, or eyeshadow to match your skin tone.

What to Look For When Buying Cruelty-Free Makeup?

When shopping for cruelty-free makeup, there are several things to consider. The first is to look for products that have been certified cruelty-free by an independent organization such as Leaping Bunny or PETA. These organizations certify products that have not been tested on animals and are free of animal-derived ingredients.

In addition to looking for certified cruelty-free products, you should also look at the ingredients list on the product packaging. Avoid products that contain animal-derived ingredients such as beeswax, lanolin, and collagen. Additionally, watch out for ingredients that have been tested on animals such as carmine and retinol. You should also avoid products that contain ingredients such as parabens, phthalates, and synthetic fragrances, as these are not vegan and may be tested on animals.

Finally, it’s important to look for products that are made with natural, plant-based ingredients. These ingredients are generally healthier for your skin and are also better for the environment. Look for ingredients such as shea butter, jojoba oil, and plant-based waxes.

By following these tips, you can ensure that you choose the best cruelty-free makeup for your needs.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, when it comes to makeup, it is important to be mindful of where the product came from and how it was made. Animal testing is a cruel and unnecessary practice, and knowing the difference between animal testing and cruelty-free makeup is important. Cruelty-free makeup is the way of the future and should be the only type of makeup we buy and use. Taking a stand against animal testing is not only important for the animals but also a great way to make conscious decisions when it comes to our beauty routine.

Cordae and Anderson .Paak Team Up on J. Cole-Produced Song ‘Two Tens’

Konstantinos Pappis
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Cordae and Anderson .Paak Team Up on J. Cole-Produced Song ‘Two Tens’

Cordae and Anderson .Paak have joined forces for the new single ‘Two Tens’, which is produced by J. Cole. Check it out via the accompanying video below.

‘Two Tens’ marks the second collaboration from Cordae and .Paak, who last teamed up on the 2019 single ‘RNP’. Cordae’s sophomore LP, From a Birds Eye View, arrived last year.

Patrick Wolf Shares Video for New Song ‘Nowhere Game’

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Patrick Wolf Shares Video for New Song ‘Nowhere Game’

Patrick Wolf has shared another single from his upcoming EP The Night Safari. Following ‘Enter the Day’, which marked the singer-songwriter’s first new music in a decade, ‘Nowhere Game’ arrives with an accompanying video directed by Joseph Wilson. Check it out below.

Wolf had this to say about the new track:

On the way home from a concert on a stage facing the Black Sea in Crimea I recorded a melody into my laptop and started programming on the plane home, trying to make a portrait of the storm rolling I had watched sitting backstage on the beach with an armed security guard. Many years later as I was finishing The Night Safari E.P I discovered that unfinished project and then the new string section and lyrics of a period of life I named “nowhere game”, a few years where I stopped singing all together apart from, I realised, to record “happy birthday” down the phone to my friends and family. Ultimately the song to me is a slow realisation of being trapped in any manifestation of a vicious cycle and a long way yet from knowing how to ask for help. The viola and violin parts on Nowhere Game and across the e.p are played by myself for the first time since my first two albums, proof to me that I had broken one of my own vicious cycles in the end and returned to my craft.

Commenting on the video, Wolf added:

This video is the second part of a film directed by Joseph Wilson that journeys through the first two tracks of The Night Safari E.P, this second part opens with me rowing down the black frozen river of the previous song into the “Nowhere Game” that Joseph and I imagined up inspired by our own mutual experiences of nowhere. Every stitch of clothes and costume in the video from my own to the nowhere creatures too was handmade by me and the visionary Marco Tullio Siviglia, our collaboration, as it came to pass with every creative and dancer involved on the video became as magical as it was accidentally emotional. As we all began to enter past the midnight hour it soon began to feel like an act of solidarity filming in the abandoned Beacon Hill Fort on the coldest night of 2022.

The Night Safari EP is due out April 14 via Wolf’s own label, Apport.

The Night Safari EP Tracklist:

1. The Night Safari
2. Nowhere Game
3. Acheron
4. Dodona
5. Enter The Day

Album Review: Fucked Up, ‘One Day’

Konstantinos Pappis
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Album Review: Fucked Up, ‘One Day’

Let’s get the obvious out of the way first: One Day is a tight record. It’s Fucked Up’s shortest full-length to date, a significant milestone for a band that has made the occasional compact statement but is mostly known for continuously expanding its horizons. Though they’ve kept busy in the past few years – embracing bold concepts and elaborate theatrics on 2021’s Year of the Horse before scaling things back with last year’s Oberon EP – enough time has passed since their last proper LP, 2018’s Does Your Dreams, to make you wonder where this group’s ambitions now lie. Fucked Up’s original claim to fame was revitalizing hardcore, and now that a new crop of bands has blown the genre open in a few different directions, what’s the next move going to be? Would they push for another conceptual double album or take a back-to-basics approach as a reminder of their roots? Given that one of their recent releases was a reissue of early recordings, you’d think they might lean toward the latter.

But Fucked Up aren’t the sort of band to take the obvious route, so they’ve come up with a different experiment. The title of One Day is quite literal: When it came to writing and recording the album, vocalist Damian Abraham, guitarist Mike Haliechuk, bassist Sandy Miranda, and drummer Jonah Falco confined themselves to a 24-hour timeframe. Haliechuk laid the groundwork across three sessions spanning eight hours each, and the rest of the band had to complete their parts remotely while sticking to the one-day rule. When your music is defined not by a particular sound but by its lack of boundaries, why not see what happens when you try setting a serious one? That they’ve managed to pull it off is a feat in itself, though the real thrill isn’t so much how it streamlines their sound (which still comes off as dense and layered as ever), but the perspective it ended up forcing upon the lyrics, a kind of seize-the-day attitude that raises the stakes and induces added urgency without feeling manufactured.

When there’s looking back, it’s to confront hard truths and spill them out. Most of One Day is searingly personal, but opener ‘Found’ begins by adopting a lens of collective responsibility to address Canada’s history of colonization: “I stood on the shore of a story we don’t tell anymore/ All the names were erased/ Buried under a land that my people stole.” Though Abraham contributed lyrics for the first time since 2014’s Glass Boys – he and Haliechuk wrote five songs each – a lot of the sentiments clearly overlap. Take the Abraham-penned ‘Lords of Kensington’, which similarly grapples with the consequences of a shared past lived in negligence: “When you crack the façade, you can see the truth/ We lived out lives like they were only ours to lose.”

Abraham applies the same nervy intensity as the framing narrows and widens again, his bellowing voice often accompanied by softly anthemic backing vocals that accentuate the sheer joyousness it can sometimes disguise. On highlight ‘Huge New Her’, they’re not even needed: incendiary guitars pierce through a pummeling rhythm section like rays from the sky, bright enough to sell a line about “the Delphi in yourself.” It fits right alongside the glam-rock strut of ‘I Think I Might Be Weird’, a curiously titled tale of enduring stormy seas that serves as an interesting contrast to ‘Found’. Some stories on One Day are a little less allegorical, and naturally, the band often has to sacrifice nuance for directness. But that doesn’t mean they abandon their maximalist tendencies, allowing themselves to at least stretch most of the songs past the 3-minute mark or belt the chorus out one extra time to hammer the point home.

Impressively, the conclusions they arrive at on One Day are a little more resonant than you’d expect given the self-imposed restrictions. ‘Broken Little Boys’ might seem like it’s recycling the same ideas about taking accountability, until the song takes a clever turn: “God was corrupt and the whole world is fucked/ And a question’s struck/ Is God a broken boy?/ God’s just a broken little boy!” It’s pretty silly, sure, but it’s the sort of irreverent punchline that would have otherwise probably been tossed away in favour of either simplicity or sophistication, and it’s fun to hear them run with it. That’s not where the profundity lies, though: Fucked Up are wise to end the album with a trio of heartfelt songs about loss and love, the things you want to remember and hold on to when time seems to be running out. “At the end of all history let just one thing be left of me,” Abraham pleads on the title track. “What could you do in just one day?/ Fall in love, spend your time away.” Haliechuk wrote those lyrics, but it’s no wonder Abraham echoes them in the album’s final line: “In the end, that’s all we need.”

Fever Ray Shares Video for New Single ‘Kandy’

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Fever Ray Shares Video for New Single ‘Kandy’

Fever Ray has shared ‘Kandy’, the latest single from their upcoming album Radical Romantics. Karin Dreijer wrote and produced the track with their brother and Knife bandmate, Olof Dreijer, and the siblings also co-star in the accompanying video from director Martin Falck. Check out the clip, which pays homage to the visual for the Knife’s ‘Pass This On’, below.

“I tried to tune in as much as possible into Fever Ray vibes and tried many different styles, or clothes as I usually say when I talk about different music production suggestions,” Olof Dreijer said of ‘Kandy’ in a press release. “But in the end we took out the same synthesizer, the SH101, used for The Knife track, ‘The Captain,’ and it just worked!”

Radical Romantics is due out on March 10. It includes the previously released songs ‘What They Call Us’ and ‘Carbon Dioxide’.

Put Your Best Self Forward With These 5 Beauty and Wellness Tips

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Put Your Best Self Forward With These 5 Beauty and Wellness Tips

The most important thing you can take care of in your life is yourself, so it’s super important to make sure you feel and look your best. While we appreciate beauty just as much as the next person does, we also appreciate the importance of wholesome wellness, which is why today, we have compiled a list of five of the best beauty and wellness tips you can incorporate into your life to help you find the best version of yourself. From using a soft eyeliner pencil to make your eyes pop to having daily morning meditation, we have a wide variety of tips that are sure to make you look and feel like your best self, so to learn what these tips are, keep on reading. 

1. Drink Lots of Water 

Our first beauty and wellness tip for you is probably at the top of everyone else’s list, too, and for good reason. Drinking a lot of water will help you in almost all areas of your life. Your body will feel more energized and refreshed, and it will be better empowered to rid of any toxins in your body. Your skin will be glowing, and your lips and hair will be perfectly hydrated. Aim to drink at least eight glasses of water each day, but slightly more than that is even better.

2. Wear Light and Natural Makeup

One of the biggest things you can do to feel like the best version of yourself is to do just that; be yourself. A simple way to be yourself is to not hide your beautiful face under a thick layer of makeup. Don’t get us wrong; we love makeup and appreciate it daily, but we think that makeup should serve the purpose of enhancing natural beauty and not covering it up. By wearing light and natural makeup, you’ll feel like your truest self since you won’t be covering your natural face from the world, but at the same time, you’ll also be wearing just enough makeup to get that extra boost of confidence. A light line on the upper lashes with an eyeliner pencil, a soft coat of mascara, and a tiny bit of under-eye concealer can go a long way. For more tips and professional training, consider enrolling at Bela Beauty College to enhance your makeup skills. Their courses will teach you how to highlight your natural beauty effortlessly. Plus, you’ll learn advanced techniques that can give you a polished look for any occasion. The supportive learning environment ensures you gain confidence and expertise in your makeup application.

3. Get Enough Sleep 

Everything you do throughout your day is affected by how much sleep you get. Your productivity at work, your mood, your appetite, your overall energy – all of these can be impacted positively or negatively by the amount and quality of sleep you had the night prior. Your goal should be to get at least seven hours of sleep per night, but this sleep must be good quality. This means you should avoid blue light (i.e., screens) before going to sleep and try to mentally wind down in the last 30 minutes you’re awake. Once you start waking up without any tired bags under your eyes, you’ll thank us for recommending getting more sleep. 

4. Move Your Body 

Another wellness and beauty tip that will help you feel more energized throughout your day is to move your body. This looks different for every individual, so do what suits you the best, but this could consist of lifting weights, playing a sport, doing pilates in your living room, going on a walk, rock climbing, and the list could go on and on. Moving your body at some point instead of remaining stagnant throughout the day will help increase the positive hormones in your body and make you feel your best. 

5. Meditate 

Last but certainly not least, you should start each day with a moment of slowness or meditation. By meditation, we don’t mean chanting or doing anything out of your comfort zone. Rather, it can be beneficial to slow down enough to calm your mind and focus on your breathing in the present moment. There is a surprising amount of power in focusing all your mental energy on the air going in and out of your body. By grounding your mind and body in this way, you are setting yourself up for a productive and focused day. 

Conclusion 

In summary, here are the five beauty and wellness tips we discussed today that will help you put your best self forward: 

  1. Drink lots of water
  2. Wear light and natural makeup
  3. Get enough sleep
  4. Move your body
  5. Meditate 

We hope these tips have inspired you to find the best version of yourself. Once you find it, you’ll never want to go back.

Finding the Perfect Fit: A Guide to Shopping for Plus Size Dresses

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Finding the Perfect Fit: A Guide to Shopping for Plus Size Dresses

Plus size dresses are a staple in any woman’s wardrobe, but finding the perfect fit and style can often be a challenge. The fashion industry has come a long way in catering to plus size women, with more options available than ever before. However, it can still be difficult to find plus size dresses that are both stylish and flattering. In this blog post, we’ll be discussing some tips and tricks for finding the perfect plus size dress, as well as some of the latest trends in plus size fashion.

First and foremost, it’s important to find a dress that fits well. This may seem obvious, but it can be difficult to find a dress that fits well when you’re shopping online. One way to ensure a good fit is to check the measurements of the dress against your own measurements. Online retailers like Modcloth will provide a size chart that you can use to compare your measurements to the dress’s measurements. Additionally, make sure to check the return policy of the retailer, in case you need to return or exchange the dress.

Another important factor to consider when shopping for plus size dresses is the style of the dress. Not all styles will look good on every body type, so it’s important to find a style that flatters your figure. A-line dresses are a great option for plus size women, as they are both flattering and comfortable. Additionally, empire waist dresses and wrap dresses can be very flattering on plus size women, as they can help to create an hourglass shape.

When it comes to colors and prints, it’s important to choose something that you feel confident and comfortable in. Darker colors are generally more slimming, while lighter colors can be more forgiving. However, it’s important to remember that there are no hard and fast rules when it comes to fashion, so feel free to experiment with different colors and prints.

Another important factor to consider when shopping for plus size dresses is the occasion for which you will be wearing the dress. There are many different types of plus size dresses available, from casual day dresses to formal gowns. It’s important to choose a dress that is appropriate for the occasion, so you can feel comfortable and confident.

Finally, don’t be afraid to accessorize! Accessories can be a great way to add some personality to your outfit and make you feel more confident. Jewelry, shoes, and handbags are all great options when it comes to accessorizing a plus size dress.

In conclusion, shopping for plus size dresses can be a challenge, but it doesn’t have to be. By keeping in mind the fit, style, color, occasion, and accessories, you can find the perfect dress for any occasion. Remember to take your time and don’t be afraid to experiment with different styles, colors, and prints. With the latest trends and styles, you’ll be sure to find a dress that makes you feel confident and beautiful

Nyokabi Kariũki Announces Debut Album ‘FEELING BODY, Unveils New Song ‘Nazama’

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Nyokabi Kariũki Announces Debut Album ‘FEELING BODY, Unveils New Song ‘Nazama’

Nyokabi Kariũki has announced her debut full-length, FEELING BODY, which is due for release on March 3 via New York’s cmntx records. Today, the Kenyan composer and sound artist has previewed the LP with the new single ‘Nazama’. Check it out below and scroll down for FEELING BODY‘s cover artwork (by Serena Seshadr) and tracklist.

Following her 2022 debut EP peace places: kenyan memories, the new album draws from Kariũki’s experience of living with long-COVID for a significant part of 2021. “There’s a trauma of illness that remains within you, both in the physical places that it existed; and in the mind,” she said in a statement. ‘Nazama’, which means “to sink” in Swahili, concludes the record by confirming Kariũki’s recovery.

“There is a lot to say about being sick, about being sick during a pandemic; about how the world treats you if you are sick for longer than ‘just a cold’,” she added. “But, I am ever in awe of our bodies, and how they keep going, despite and in spite of all the pain we go through in life. In a way, this album is an expression of love, and gratitude, to my own.”

Check out our Artist Spotlight interview with Nyokabi Kariũki.

FEELING BODY Cover Artwork:

FEELING BODY Tracklist:

1. Subira
2. feeling body
3. fire head
4. quiet face
5. folds
6. Nazama

slowthai Announces New Album ‘UGLY’, Shares New Single ‘Selfish’

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slowthai Announces New Album ‘UGLY’, Shares New Single ‘Selfish’

slowthai has announced his third album, UGLY. The follow-up to 2021’s TYRON comes out March 3 via Method Records. To accompany the announcement, the rapper has today shared the new single ‘Selfish’. Check it out and find the album’s cover art and tracklist below.

“The first album was the sound of where I’m from and everything I thought I knew,” slowthai commented in a press release. “The second album is what was relevant to me at that moment in time, the present. And this album is completely me — about how I feel and what I want to be… it’s everything I’ve been leading up to.”

UGLY was produced by Dan Carey at his home studio in South London with frequent collaborator Kwes Darko. It features contributions from Ethan P. Flynn, Fontaines D.C., Jockstrap’s Taylor Skye, beabadoobee guitarist Jacob Bugden, and drummer Liam Toon. “This album was me trying to emulate the spirit of the brotherhood ethos that bands have. Music is about the feeling and emotion that goes into it,” slowthai said. “Like an artist making a painting, it’s the expression of that moment in time. I really felt like I didn’t want to rap, whereas before, rap was the only way I could express myself with the tools I had. Now that I have more freedom to create and do more, why wouldn’t we change it up?”

“It doesn’t matter what or who people think you are, you’ve just got to stay true and respect yourself,” he added. “I have UGLY tattooed on my face because it’s a reminder to love myself, rather than put myself down constantly or feel the impression people have of me should determine who I am as a person. At the end of the day, the art I make is for myself, and the music I make is for myself, if I enjoy it then who gives a fuck. So, the way I should live my life should be without any expectations of anyone else. I think it’s something that we all need to hear because everyone needs a smile, and everyone needs a bit of joy and you need to look in yourself to really feel it because no one else can give you the real feeling.”

UGLY Cover Artwork:

UGLY Tracklist:

1. Yum
2. Selfish
3. Sooner
4. Feel Good
5. Never Again
6. Fuck It Puppet
7. HAPPY
8. UGLY
9. Falling
10. Wotz funny
11. Tourniquet
12. 25% Club

Artist Spotlight: Fran

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Artist Spotlight: Fran

Fran is the project of singer-songwriter Maria Jacobson, who learned how to play guitar while working as an actor at a summer theater in rural Indiana. After moving to a small city in Mexico to teach English, she eventually returned home to Chicago and assembled a band to perform the songs she had been privately working on. Following the 2017 EP More Enough, Fran released their debut album, A Private Picture, in 2019 via Fire Talk, which has now issued the band’s follow-up, Leaving. Co-produced with Brian Sulpizio, the LP finds Jacobson retaining the beguiling intimacy of their debut while allowing herself to play with its confessional style, oscillating between wonderfully layered and quietly simmering songs, solo acoustic cuts, and moments of sudden abrasion. Personal heartbreak serves as the backdrop for Jacobson to explore ideas around grief, isolation, and faith, a journey that leads her through unexpected pathways and onto a point of connectedness. “I get worried, what if we can’t let each other out?/ And we all say the same old things we always say,” she sings on ‘Limousine’, a burning fear she ultimately quenches with the most honest, compassionate declaration: “I know you.”

We caught up with Fran’s Maria Jacobson for this edition of our Artist Spotlight interview series to talk about her background as an actor, honesty in songwriting, the philosophical ideas that inspired Leaving, and more.

I wanted to start by asking you about your background in acting. If you can go back to that time, what drew you to theater originally, and what did songwriting offer that acting perhaps didn’t?

Yeah, it is kind of like going back to being a child. I think it was just something about performing that you either are drawn to or you’re not. And I definitely was drawn to it. As a child, that certainly was an escape, which I think all children need. Also, what you need growing up is something that you can be interested in and get better at, and I followed that thread and wanted to learn more. I was really into acting as an exploration of what it means to be a human, which is kind of the ultimate question underneath all art, in my opinion. In acting, you explore what that means by playing different characters and exploring different scripts of writers who are focusing on one aspect of what this whole thing is.

The thing that became really tiresome as I got older and wanted to pursue it as an adult was that it was just so hard to find meaningful work. You had to do all of these unfulfilling projects just to be doing something. There’s a limited amount of things you can do as an actor that’s your own thing. I became really tired of trying to figure out what people wanted from me and failing at it, and found music to be this new way of exploring the same question, but really feeling like I had control and authorship. I just loved the process of songwriting and all the discoveries that come with that, which you can just do in your bedroom with the guitar or whatever you have. That was just amazing to me as a person who likes to dig deep into my inner life. I always am seeking that kind of outlet, whether it’s in writing or like a really good conversation with someone.

You said that it was hard to find meaningful work, but songwriting also creates the challenge of kind of having to create or find meaning yourself, almost out of thin air. Was that something you had to learn to be comfortable with?

Yeah, definitely. It is also so much more comfortable to be able to hide behind someone else’s work in a play or a film. I had to kind of accept what is coming out, what does this look like – and to borrow from the zeitgeist, a lot of it is very cringe. [laughs] And a lot of it sucks, a lot of it’s bad. But it’s like a mining process where, if you’re patient and you’re listening, something cool can come out of it. The will to write can be spurred on by big feelings, and I think songwriting is a useful tool to figure out what’s going on in those big feelings, because feelings like grief or anger – those are just huge things to carry around. So when you can dig through and focus on a specific event that caused that or a specific moment or a specific image, it makes it more manageable, and you can turn it into something beautiful.

A lot of your music feels to me not so much like an exercise in honesty, but honesty as an exercise, a form of play. I wonder if the years of practice leading up to Leaving have changed your approach to that kind of confessional songwriting; I was thinking about the line “the big mistakes that come with being honest” from ‘God’.

That’s a really interesting question, because I do struggle with it, the idea of being honest. Because that makes you vulnerable, and in the music industry, that’s a scary thing to be. I sometimes wish I could be more withholding and coy,  but I just know no other way, in some ways. But I will say, as I’m writing now more, I feel more and more able to maybe distance myself a bit from what I’m talking about – I think in an interesting way, in a good way, not like I’m avoiding to be honest or something. When I first started songwriting, it was the raw nerve, and then with Leaving, it’s very personal, but also, I can play with it a little bit more. I think it used to be like, I have to write this song about this one thing or this one experience or this one person, and now I’ve just become more able to play with the possibilities. With what I’m writing now, as opposed to Leaving, I’m even more playing with how much I’m showing. But it always is me. I guess it goes back to acting, where you’re not turning into a character; you are you inside that character, which I think is a lot more interesting than trying to be something you’re not.

You’ve cited Alan Watts’ Wisdom of Insecurity as an inspiration for the album. What did it bring up for you?

I was brought to it very early pandemic. I was kind of expecting a bit of self-help about my anxiety, because the question was like: Who are you when no one is there to validate your experience – when no one is telling you that you’re a musician or a writer, or even funny or upfront, just like, with whoever you’re living with? I was just scraping because I had just released my last record, and that was pretty heartbreaking, to then feel like, I’m not a musician, I can’t be a musician. What is left when our identities are taken from us?

So I started reading it, and it was really not what I expected. It talked a lot about faith – the most striking thing was the difference between faith and belief, which is the difference between letting go and holding on, is how I interpret that. It talked about how all of these religions are trying to get at the same thing, but no heaven can be achieved if you’re holding on, which also is a very Buddhist idea. So it started me on this journey both of personally learning to let go, and what does that look like in this world and in my life, and then also a lot of curiosity about how people have made meaning throughout time, how they’ve dealt with the problem of being alive, which is philosophy. It really gave me a project, a line of inquiry at a time when I needed it.

Did that inquiry coincide with personal introspection?

I think definitely it was a personal inquiry as well, because during that time, for me, mental health was a huge struggle that needed to be attended to each day. I was during quarantine meditating more and writing more, which to me feels like a spiritual practice. Journaling has always been really important to me. Some people will ask, was I was looking for a religious practice, and not necessarily, but it made me more curious and open to different possibilities. I think it was cultivating a new compassion for everyone. Pre-quarantine, I had the privilege of being like, “Music is my passion. This is who I am.” Which is still true. But it opened me up to seeing that everyone is trying to do that. Everyone is trying to make sense of their situation, and that can come in the form of a religion, it can come in the form of substance abuse, it can in the form of a really strong family unit. It can come in the form of being in a silent retreat for three years, or grinding to become a pop star. But everyone is doing the same thing. They’re all just ways of getting to the same thing, which is making sense and making meaning.

Did you come out of that exploration with more confidence in why being a musician is the form that suits you?

I would say both totally yes and totally no. The path of being a musician practically, as a job, is so volatile and difficult – and that was revealed through everything that happened with the pandemic and with streaming services, and literally being quarantined and kind of losing that drive to really get out there and be the thing. So that’s maybe the no side. And then the yes side is like, well, if I don’t focus on that, I can do whatever I want. I can really dive so deep into the the practice of what I’m doing. I don’t have to worry about if it will get me world tours and whatever. That’s kind of where I’m at right now, day before my release, is kind of hinged between those two things. I’m a part of the music industry, I’m releasing a vinyl record into the world, and yet I feel really proud of my work and genuinely want people to hear it. I don’t think I had that clear of a view of it with the last record. I’m just trying to hold on to the reason, the why, the intention behind it.

I wanted to ask you about the songs ‘How Did We’ and ‘How Did I’, which are clearly interconnected, yet they also sound like they each came from a completely different headspace.

Yeah, those were written very far apart. When I was finishing ‘How Did We’, I liked that vamp on the last chord, and I thought it might be cool to blend that into another song. I remember trying to write the second song for a long time, and it wasn’t really happening. I think maybe ‘How Did I’ was the last song I wrote for the record, which was very much  where I was at at that moment, which was a completely different place – headspace and physically, different apartments. Mostly I write all my songs alone with the acoustic guitar, but that one felt exactly as it’s supposed to be. And that’s how it was recorded too, just one take.

Can you talk about those different places, the shift that happened between the two songs?

One was living with someone through the quarantine in a relationship. And then the second one was not living with them, post-quarantine, dealing with what happened and how it happened. It was almost like the first is sort of like imagining it or something, and then the second one is deep into the aftermath.

Looking at the album as a whole, were you surprised by how much you ended up letting out and letting go by the end of the process?

Yeah. I think it’s the same process that I talked about from Alan Watts, where it’s not trying to control it. It’s doing what you can so that the song reveals itself to you. Sometimes I will say that it already existed, and you just have to find it. It’s sort of a religious idea a little bit, which is, if you’re quiet and listening, you will receive it. Not to be like “This album was a gift from God” or something [laughs], but just that you have to be patient and trust yourself to know when to push on certain things and when to lay off. Because it’s also a collaboration, so you have to trust other people, you have to let them explore. And you have to let go of maybe what you thought it would be. I’m starting at the album cover right now because I just got them in the mail, and the album cover is a fire, sort of for that reason – it’s this unruly, unknown process that you just have to trust.

One of the takeaways of Leaving for me is that old habits or the stories we tell ourselves can often get in the way of connection. Going off that line from ‘Limousine’, what sort of things do you wish we could tell each other more, instead of sayinf “the same old things”?

Oh, this one makes me emotional. [pauses] There’s two important quotes that I think about in thinking about this question, which is, Jesus: “Forgive them, father, for they know not what they do.” And also, Ram Dass: “We’re all just walking each other home.” It’s kind of like, we’re all just toddlers with a bunch of shit forced upon us, so we’re having tantrums and we just want to be told: “It’s okay. Of course you feel this way. This doesn’t make any sense.” It’s like, “I understand. I forgive you.”

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity and length.

Fran’s Leaving is out now via Fire Talk.

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