Marsha Swanson is no stranger to crafting music that is both thought-provoking and deeply resonant. A London-based singer-songwriter with three studio albums to her name, she blends progressive pop with intricate melodies, evocative lyrics, and rich instrumentation. Her most recent album, Near Life Experience, was a collaboration with multi-platinum producer Iestyn Polson and renowned bassist Henry Thomas and it has solidified her reputation as a unique voice in contemporary music. Now, her newest single ‘Like an Angel’ gives space to Swanson to reflect on her album’s significance and the creative journey that brought it to fruition. In this interview, we discuss the song’s origins, the collaborative magic behind its production, and what the future holds for this ever-curious and deeply introspective artist.

Welcome to Unrecorded! For those who aren’t familiar with Marsha Swanson, can you introduce yourself?

I am a singer-songwriter from London who has released 3 studio albums to date. I could be described as a “progressive pop” artist who likes to mix catchy melodies with colourful instrumentation, key changes, rhythm and form. I have been hailed as “a songwriter who weaves insightful and thought-provoking lyrics into irresistibly catchy tunes” by Rock ‘N Reel Magazine and as an artist who “remains curious in her approach, filling her words with intention and deep thought” by Clash magazine.

In 2008, I won Best Folk Artist and Best Album at the Glasswerk New Music Awards in London, with “Sentient Stardust”, and was honoured to have the album cover designed by the Late Storm Thorgerson who subsequently chose it to appear in his esteemed collection, “The Raging Storm”. Storm Studios continued on and 15 years later two of the original team designed the cover for my latest album, “Near Life Experience”, continuing the legacy. The album was a collaboration with multi- platinum-selling producer Iestyn Polson (known for his work with music icons like David Gray, Patti Smith, and David Bowie) and Henry (King Thumb) Thomas, recognized for his musical contributions to the BBC program Rockschool and collaborations with stars such as Randy Crawford, Gloria Gaynor, Paul Weller, and Sarah Jane Morris.

Let’s start right off with talking about your new single ‘Like an Angel’, which was initially a ghost track. What inspired you to revisit and re-record it as a standalone single?

“Like an Angel” was written during the making of “Near Life Experience” when a looming loss presented itself. Although never originally intended to be part of the album, it remained in the ether as a haunting undercurrent, inevitably infiltrating the process. I did not want it to derail the original plan of what the whole album was about, but I also couldn’t deny its impact or significance whilst there was still time to include it in some form. This made it ideally suited to being a ghost track, both literally and symbolically.

I was comfortable with the idea that it could take a long time, if ever to be discovered. Since it requires sitting with the track that bit longer after it is finished, this in itself was conceptually fitting. Something new emerges just at the point when it seems to be the end.

With the release of singles from the album, I noticed that the closing track “In Touch” (which the ghost track was attached to) was getting traction despite it not being a current single or on any playlists yet. There was no way of knowing whether the interest was in “In Touch” or in the ghost track. However, after one reviewer spotted the extra hidden track, many others began referring to it as their unexpected highlight.

From the resulting interest in the track, as well as the approaching one-year anniversary of the album, two of my band members independently suggested re-recording it as a single.  It felt like a good time personally to be able to do justice to it.

Can you talk about the collaboration with Henry Thomas and the band at Echo Zoo Studios? How did their input shape the final sound of the song?

Meeting the right people to work with is part luck but also connected to what you are giving out and drawing in. Meeting Henry Thomas was one of those definitive connections that happens very rarely in a lifetime.  I found in him a kind and honourable man with huge capacity and generosity of will. He also had an incredibly focussed work ethic and could break-down process analytically.  He recognised early on in our endeavour with the album “Near Life Experience”, that to make our record sound like it had a gigantic budget, we could only ensure the highest production quality and finesse by investing our time into extensive preparation, capturing magical performance in the studio, then spending untold hours on refinements and editing post studio that couldn’t be afforded by the budget.

I agreed to go under the microscope once again and to welcome all constructive criticism. Henry wanted this ethos applied to all the musicians involved. It is easy when working with musicians of a certain calibre or technical ability to get a good sounding arrangement fairly quickly, but this doesn’t mean that it will be emotionally attuned. For “Like an Angel”, we needed empathic, co-operative and motivated individuals who could also be creative on the spot. Henry refers to this as having the ability to both “Lock-in and let go”. To be able to offer up ideas openly and also change tack flexibly without feeling rejection. The requirement was an emotional robustness which all 3 possessed.

We started from the rhythm section to create something that was not only compelling but also sensitive to the lyrics. Martyn Barker (Shriekback, Marianne Faithful, Robert Plant, Goldfrapp) had such feel to his playing and was just the person to do that! Henry, Martyn and guitarist Tony Qunta spent a long time establishing the key groove between them. Tony referenced “The Police” as a 3-piece band who managed to create a very good groove with harmonic and rhythmic depth with just guitar, bass and drums. He came up with simple chords to create a wide landscape, with picked arpeggio notes to give rhythmic movement and interplay with the drums and bass. They all had the sensitivities to really listen to each other and this created an optimal environment for creativity to flourish. It was fun for me to observe the non-verbal intuitive communications between Henry and Martyn, born from a longstanding history of playing together. Who knew that grunts and nods could constitute a whole new language!

Henry suggested a high range shimmery guitar. Tony used close voicings, adding some extra notes extending beyond the standard chords to enhance specific lyrics in a very ethereal kind of way. He also added some lead guitar lines later in the song that he wanted to sound triumphant as well as serene, in line with the mood and sentiment of the song. Once that strong foundation was established, the expressive piano playing of Anders Olinder (Glenn Hughes (Deep Purple), PeeWee Ellis (James Brown Band), Peter Gabriel, Amy Winehouse) seemed to follow effortlessly. We included the end section from the old home recording on the original ghost track to create that “other worldly” feeling.  The whole endeavour from beginning to end was a very spiritual process and we all came away with the feeling that we had created something transformative. 

You’ve described ‘Like an Angel’ as your most meaningful song to date. Can you elaborate on what makes it so special and personal to you?

On a personal level, it is the song that contains the most focussed and distilled love.  I wanted it to serve as an honouring or an ode to those no longer with us who continue to influence and guide. All the musicians could personally relate due to their own losses which made this collaborative venture even more powerful.  It is a song about acceptance that was made from love about love. We set out to achieve something rare and beautiful for everyone and we all felt that we had successfully achieved that.

Your music draws parallels to artists like Kate Bush and Tori Amos. How do you feel your sound and artistry differentiate themselves within the contemporary music landscape?

A term I have used to differentiate my musical approach is “romantic realism”, substantial and weighty yet still uplifting. I sing about life’s adversities and hardships but my outlook remains hopeful. One reviewer described it as “grown-up pop” which is a term I hadn’t heard applied to anyone else before. Not following music trends allows me a freedom to hop in and out of time, music genres, or styles, all in service of the key emotional communication. My producer and right-hand man, Henry Thomas also played a central role in drawing together such a wide variety of inputs without losing the core identity. My lyrics are direct, but not prescriptive, posing questions to reflect upon, and my vocal style is also direct and non-ornamental. One family member told me that I am careful with my delivery, as if not wanting to hurt with my words. I can see how a maternal quality to my artistry might also set me apart.

What are some of your biggest inspirations and influences as a songwriter and musician?

I am inspired by what it means to be human, by the art of living and dying, by people and relationships which are endlessly fascinating, so a lot of my songs are written from the standpoint of observer, even when it is myself who is the subject!

Musical influences and inspirations were probably at their peak when I was a young child.  Captivated by the film and musical “Grease”, Olivia Newton John inspired me to sing. George Michael from his Wham days brought infectious pop melodies with soulful vocals and then there was Madonna with her raw emotion, energy, style and confidence.

It was my cool older brother who was responsible for my later influences. Much to my distress at the time, we had to take it in turns to listen to albums on long car journeys.  He introduced me to David Bowie, Elton John and Sting, and I had to eat humble pie when they ended up becoming my firm favourites!   As a late teen I became obsessed with “The Doors” and loved Jeff Buckley and John Martyn in my 20’s. The Beatles and Abba were ever present as family favourites and mum loved to play Kate Bush and my dad, Carole King.

Whilst I have unconsciously been influenced by all of these artists, today my conscious inspirations come from literature more than from music. The work of best-selling Authors Graeme Simsion (The Rosie Project), Irvin Yalom (Love’s Executioner, The Gift of Therapy, the Schopenhauer Cure), Lionel Shriver (We Need to talk about Kevin, The Post-Birthday world), Mark Rowland (The Philosopher and the Wolf) and Neil Strauss (The Game) have all inspired songs!

Looking back on the past year since the release of your album Near Life Experience, what are some of your biggest takeaways and reflections on the record’s journey?

I could never have anticipated such a consistent outpouring of affection, and support for the album over such a long period of time. The vast number of appreciative and thoughtful reviews from a wide range of media has really touched me. When a song has only been heard by the people making it for such a long time, you never really know whether there will be a pathway to connection or meaning for an audience. Reflecting with Henry Thomas on the intensity of the recording studio he aptly described the process of constantly making important decisions under emotional, technical and performance pressures. He said, “We must believe with hope and conviction, relying ultimately on intuition, experience and trust”.  It is a big moment when the music first exists beyond its creators, and you are marvelling like a parent at your baby having a life of its own. It’s like having the power to make Pinocchio become a real boy! The interactions with new listeners have been really enjoyable, as has forging relationships with journalists and radio presenters over the course of the year. To be truly heard and understood in life as well as in art is rare and precious and not something I ever take for granted. I have even written about it in the song called “Love’s not Late”.  I was so delighted to learn that the songs resonated so deeply, that they invited introspection and particularly that they warmed the soul.

Another unexpected takeaway for me has been the parallel journey of making the accompanying music videos. Having had very little experience of this prior to “Near Life Experience”, getting to work with wonderful film makers, Angela Neil and George of Continuum films quite early on in the process was impactful and fulfilling.  The realisation and understanding of how the visual representation takes the songs to a whole new level was elevating. The most recent video that I completed was for the track, “In Touch” and it marked my 3rd collaboration with the award-winning animator and music video director Sam Chegini. He is a visual master and empath who deeply understood the message at every level. The very existence of this video in the world has brought me a new level of existential calm.

Due to it being a 17-track album, it has taken the whole of the first year just to gradually release each song. I think there is still a lot of room for the album to grow now that it is all finally out there! It also feels like the journey has only just begun in many ways.

What can fans expect from Marsha Swanson in the future? Are there any plans for live performances, a new album, or other exciting projects on the horizon?

2025 is already shaping up to be a very exciting year. To say that this is the end of “Near Life Experience” would be a grave error (pardon the pun!). There are a few surprises in the pipeline but at this point I can only say, expect the unexpected!March will also see the release of a new educational resource for children that I have created for schools called “TroubleChutes”. It comprises a collection of songs and illustrations covering challenging topics such as bullying, jealousy, sibling rivalry, divorce, and provides a forum for children to develop their emotional literacy. It is being published by  karnacbooks.com the leading independent mental health publisher. It was recorded during the pandemic by many of the key band members who played on “Near Life Experience”.  The whole project has been a huge labour of love and I am delighted that it will finally be made available this year!

Listen to ‘Like an Angel’ in our Purple Pop playlist.

Follow Marsha Swanson: