Karima Francis is a critically acclaimed musician and songwriter hailing from the illuminated UK seaside resort of Blackpool. Blending haunting melodies with honest lyrics, Francis creates entirely captivating music that exudes emotion and is burrowed in sentiment.
Aged 13 years old, Karina focused her ambitions on the music industry, teaching herself drums and progressing to the guitar and songwriting over subsequent years. Her debut release entitled ‘The Author’ won praise and propelled her into the limelight. Her consequent album’s The Remedy and Black further acknowledged the musician’s profound talent, each time showcasing a denser amalgamation of sounds and textures. Karima Francis’ journey has found her playing on BBC TV’s Later… With Jools Holland, supporting the likes of Paul Simon, Amy Winehouse, and The Stereophonics, as well as working with renowned producer Flood (Nine Inch Nails, Nick Cave, PJ Harvey, Depeche Mode).
Seeking further inspiration and an escape from London life, Francis recognized her overwhelming sense to explore something new in Los Angeles. Selling some of her most beloved guitars and purchasing a ticket to the West Coast, she was finally able to soak up the laid-back Californian lifestyle and her music found a fresh perspective. Francis reveals, “I was very influenced by the West Coast indie-folk singer-songwriter revival that’s happening out in LA right now, when I heard the Phoebe Bridgers record I was blown away by the production and musicality from the players and wanted to find them for my music so I sold up and went out to start making new music relations in LA”.
Her time spent there resulted in the highly anticipated single ‘Shelf Life’. The track, produced by Tim Carr, narrates Los Angeles’ deepening homelessness crisis. On the surface, the City of Angels is a place of celebrities and million-dollar mansions, but scratch a bit deeper and you will find the devastating truth which is encompassing so many people’s lives. Karima felt beyond compelled to write about the epidemic and shine a light on the reality of the situation, sharing “The music was inspired by the homelessness crisis out in LA. I was just devastated by what I was seeing and the contrast between the rich and poor out there was uncomfortable to see”.
The ‘Shelf Life’ video features a day in the life of a homeless man. After Francis and video director Joseph Calhoun explained the concept of the video to the man, he instantly wanted to be a part of it and help raise awareness. The outcome is a very personal, poignant and immensely captivating insight into the homeless crisis.
‘Shelf Life’ is currently available worldwide.
For further information on Karima please visit the following links
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