Photo Credit Marucs Branch
Name, pronouns, sign, where are you from?
I am Reese Florence Coran, I use she/her pronouns for now, I am a Gemini sun, Pisces rising, Sagittarius moon. I was born Manhattan, raised in Connecticut, and am currently located in Germantown Philadelphia.
When did you start creating music?
I got my first exposure to music through theater and girls choir growing up. My parents worked hard and were still commuting to New York after we moved, so as a child I spent a lot of time home alone. I constantly wrote poetry and came up with melodies to sing them out loud to fill the empty space of my Connecticut home.
Photo Credit Yeho Bostick
What inspires you, music and non music related?
My Grandfather is an oil painter from Martinique that came to this country in ‘57 and became a nurse. In an newsletter written about him in the 70s, someone asked him if he had a problem paying for art materials, to which he responded "when you love something, the cost doesn't matter. And without painting, I am sad." His disposition is down to earth, completely devoted to living life fully without hesitation; it is something that has always inspired me to keep moving forward within myself and my music. I taught myself to play the ukulele at 12, and found it easier to sing poetry that I had already written instead of learning covers.
Creatively I feel inspired by the notion of understanding; I view my work as introspection, even when I may be writing about someone else, a reflection comes to light of what I need to understand in myself.
What have you enjoyed about the Philly music scene?
Though this is my 4th year here, Philadelphia's music scene is my soul family. I feel so much love within the communities that I am crossing paths with and growing into myself as I grow and build relations with others.
What do you hope to accomplish in music?
I am looking forward to progressing as a musician through studio production, as well as collaboration. I recently birthed a collective project called "L'es FLo" featuring good friends of mine in the city, and have hopped on a few shows doing back up vocals for Erik Kramer and Elison Jackson this summer. I deeply appreciate the intimate attentiveness within my audience when I perform solo, and now I am really enjoying this exploration of expansion within working with my bandmates and cultivating beautiful moments. Playing with a full a band has given me more range than I could have taught myself, and it is only the beginning.
Photo provided by artists
What can we look forward to from Reece Florence? (any new music releases or shows)
My next shows are The Lady Bug festival on August 31st, and The Rigby Mansion on September 11th.
Interview by Danielle Johnson