Q&A: Essence Martins on identity, songwriting, and her latest single “Red Velvet”
INTERVIEW
INTERVIEW
☆ BY ADDIE WILLIAMS ☆
Photo by Gabi Du Plessis
ESSENCE MARTINS’ MUSICAL JOURNEY HAS BEEN ANYTHING BUT CONVENTIONAL—The singer-songwriter grew up with music all around her, R&B melodies filled her childhood home in London on Sundays (her family’s chosen day dedicated to cleaning), fostering her love for music. This ever-growing passion for music, though, competed with tennis for Martins’ time. Martins and her sister were raised to prioritize tennis over all other activities, maybe even education.
Going to a tennis academy, Martins dedicated every moment to tennis, only beginning to find the time to sneak in playing music during sixth form. She then went abroad on a tennis scholarship to play in North Carolina, but with COVID-19 and some reflection, realized that she wanted to chase her dream of a music career, something she never could have imagined before.
After releasing two EPs since her first single “Pending Status” in 2023, Martins is just getting started. Her new single “Red Velvet” creatively examines the lovers-to-stangers story we all know too well. Her unique voice carries out lyrics with deep, relatable feelings. “Red Velvet” is both thought-provoking and catchy, vulnerable and creative, and a single you will not want to miss.
Read below for more insight into Essence Martins and “Red Velvet.”
Photo by Gabi Du Plessis
LUNA: When you first traded tennis for music, did you find yourself with more anxiety or relief?
MARTINS: I definitely felt a weird identity shift. I always thought of myself as a tennis player, and when I was not that anymore, it was really hard to figure out who I was. When I went to university back home in London and studied songwriting, it was easier to become who I wanted to become, and my identity changed. So for me, I probably felt more of a relief; as much as I loved my team out in North Carolina, I think I just really wanted to write songs. When I could finally focus on that, I thought, “Oh my god, now I finally get to live my dreams.”
LUNA: How did you balance music on top of school and playing tennis?
MARTINS: I got my first guitar at 18, and songwriting came a little bit after that. I really was balancing tennis and playing guitar, as the songwriting at that point was not very serious. So my main focus was always tennis, then education. There was really no time to do anything else other than go to class, go to the gym, and go to the court. In the little spare time that I did have, I would just be in my dorm playing guitar and writing songs. Once I got into my second semester, that was all I would do. Even my friends would always ask, “Essence, we've got a party at one of the frat houses, can you come?” I was like, “No, I want to write a song.” So music was becoming more a part of my identity, and songwriting kind of became an obsession, and I thought, “Okay, now I actually want to do this, and I don't want to go back to college.”
LUNA: How has your influences and music taste changed since you initially found your love of music?
MARTINS: I feel like I wasn't the person in control of the songs that would be played around the house - it was mostly like what my parents and my older sisters were playing, and obviously you just absorb that as a child. We listened to a lot of 90s and 2000s R&B, like Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears and Spice Girls. We also watched all of the iconic movies of that time as well; High School Musical was such an important part of my childhood. Then, as I got a little older, I started listening to bands like Paramore and Panic! At the Disco. When I began songwriting, I started listening more to artists like Phoebe Bridgers, so it was really a journey.
LUNA: Do you ever find yourself worrying about people knowing a song is about them when you use specific details such as “Lola’s Cafe” in “Red Velvet?”
MARTINS: It is in the back of my mind, but at the same time you've gotta do what you gotta do for the art. When a song is completely honest, it typically resonates more. I think the more specific you can get in your songwriting, the more connections you can make because those details like the Lola's Cafe might mean something completely different for me and someone else, but it creates that same feeling in both of us.
LUNA: How did you begin the writing process for “Red Velvet?”
MARTINS: The first verse of me reminiscing on little things was my entryway to the song. From there, I brought that to my producer, Jonah, who helped me with the chorus and the melodies. I think that the chorus resonates with people, as going from lovers to strangers is quite a universal feeling.
LUNA: After not releasing music for almost a year, what differences do you see in your new music compared to previous projects?
MARTINS: I have always been quite honest in my lyrics, but I feel like my writing has become a bit more confessional. “Red Velvet” and “Please, Don’t Wake Me” are very personal songs, and I think I have been digging in a bit deeper to what I have to give to my songs. These songs were also the first time I have collaborated with three different producers. My previous EPs were with one producer, and I think getting out of my comfort zone and writing in different ways has pushed my writing in a different direction, which is really cool.
LUNA: Can you explain the significance of the glass box in the “Red Velvet” music video?
MARTINS: I wanted to create a scene where it felt like you were stuck and alone, and I felt like the box signifies that loneliness and isolation. The box is see-through because a breakup can feel exposing and leave you feeling bare and vulnerable. Just as the glass box highlights, people can clearly see you in this state, and the song itself is almost a vehicle for observation. It shows fragility, honesty, openness, isolation and vulnerability.
LUNA: Do you prefer headlining or supporting shows?
MARTINS: I love supporting people; it is the best feeling, but I love headlining. There is nothing like performing to your own crowd of people who have come to see you. They sing back to your lyrics, they bring the people who they love, and they all share this love for your music. It really feels like a family, and I feel very at home when doing a headline show. I remember the first one I did was at Folklore in London, and I think it was a 100-capacity venue. I remember singing “Wandering Souls,” and I was just so utterly surprised by the amount of people who knew the lyrics and sang back to me that I had to hold my tears back just so I could sing the song.
LUNA: When you are struggling to come up with ideas for songs, where do you seek inspiration?
MARTINS: When ideas are not flowing, I go to see any kind of art, whether that is reading books and poetry, going to museums and plays or watching movies. I went to an art exhibition today and saw this artist Ana Mendieta’s work and jotted down a lot of ideas as I find little ideas can spark from doing stuff like that. Consuming art is probably the best thing for art.
LUNA: Do you have any plans in the upcoming months that you are looking forward to?
MARTINS: I will be going on tour with Nectar Woode; I love her music and am very excited to join her for the U.K. tour. I am also going to be opening for Devon Again at the Moth Club in London on August 20, and I love her so much.
LUNA: What do you want listeners to take away from your music?
MARTINS: I really want people to feel the freedom to completely be themselves, whether it is your identity, what you want to do with your life, your queer identity, or whatever it is. I want people to listen to my music and feel things, feel understood, and know they have space and can take up space, whoever they are, whatever they are doing.
