In her most recent release, the 'I Wish I Had A God' EP (described by CLASH as "a timeless statement catapulted into eternity, needing no one’s approval"), Hohnen Ford makes a very personal statement. The five songs explore grief and pain (she has explained that the record is a tribute to a dear friend who passed away last year), introspection and, really, life itself.
Ford, a proud Londoner, has had a fascinating musical journey – before, during, and after the release of the EP. You can read all about it in my interview...
Hi! For those who don't know you yet, how would you describe your music and who you are?
I’m a Londoner who grew up playing jazz in basement clubs and swinging from trees singing folk songs in local parks. So my music is steeped between these worlds.
As a kid I wanted to be prime minister or a musician – the common thread being bringing people together. Luckily I figured out at 18 that I am better at communicating through song than words.! I was offered a place at the Royal Academy of Music as a jazz vocalist and threw myself into the London Jazz scene.
My songwriting is inspired by the great American songbook and the songwriters of the 1970s such as Carole King, Randy Newman and Stevie Wonder. So my musical lineage is between the jazz, folk and pop worlds. Artists I adore include Fiona Apple, Elliot Smith, The Beach Boys, Dirty Projectors...
An interview from 2021 described you as "Vocalist, composer, lyricist, and bandleader" - it seems like you've pivoted a little since then, towards a more folk-pop sound. Is that fair?
Nice digging! My jazz training and experience as a vocalist across different projects has been invaluable and will always be apart of me, but I have really found myself in the songwriting world as an artist. It’s been a great joy to pivot and grow my own world!
What's been your mindset over the past few years as your career has developed?
It’s always the craft at the centre for me. No matter the rollercoaster of the career/industry, I always have songwriting and my voice to come home to. So in some ways, it hasn’t changed much.
It’s a great joy to let the EP become other people’s. The songs stop becoming your own and become the soundtrack to people’s lives! If a song of mine can ever offer a sense of reflection or make sense of a situation then I feel I’ve done my job right.
This EP will always represent a chapter in my life, but it’s exciting to let it grow in new directions. I feel proud of it.
The songs appeared over a few years. There was quite an organic process to assembling them. They felt they lived together, even though they were written at different times in different places.
I love that records get to take on their own life. I hope people get whatever they need from the record. A sense of feeling seen or understood.
And where do you think the EP will take you?
Forward!
More live shows!
New friends and audiences, I hope!
I adore live performances. Coming from a live jazz background, I really feel at home on stage as I cut my teeth on the live music scene. I love to chat and laugh with the audience as well as try out new material. A lot of my songs are quite emotionally heavy, so to find humour in the set is one of my favourite parts of playing live.
Being met with an audience who are willing to be vulnerable to charges me up. It’s a risk putting your heart into performances. But when you can feel people in the room listening, then you feel seen, and they feel seen, and everyone heals a little!
The most important realisation for me for vocal health has been changing my perspective on how I see the voice as an instrument. It is your whole body, not just your throat and diaphragm! So my approach is wholistic. I do a lot of yoga and exercise and try and sleep well. Remember to eat. Anyway you’d keep a body healthy. Take time to listen to your body, if it hurts.. change how you’re doing it. If it resonates.. lean in!
Finally - what are your top 3 songs (from other artists) currently? And top album of this year so far?
'Big Ideas' by Remi Wolf is an album of the year for me! Remi’s voice is incredible, so visceral. The writing is super unique and the production perfectly frames the songs whilst bringing another dimension to record. I love all the textures and layers.
And my 3 top songs of the day:
Luck of the Draw - Bonnie Raitt
Baby I'm-A Want You - Bread
If You Don’t Want My Love - Jalen Ngonda
Really interesting choices! Thank you.