Noelle Frances

I believe in the power of music to nurture, confront, and repair. 

The work of songwriting, performing and connecting with others is important to me because it is where I feel most alive and liberated. I feel called to this profession. We can see how music shifts our thinking and ways of being with each other. We have experienced and witnessed how music can heal deep wounds and support us in becoming more compassionate humans. I feel that my work as a songwriter & performer, as I continue to learn and grow as a human, is to share ideas and stories through songs that contribute to a more compassionate world. I feel tremendously grateful to be able to connect with so many individuals and communities of people through music. 

My identity as a queer/gay person often has a large presence within my songwriting and influences my perspective greatly. Through my artistic practice I gain understanding of my own identity, what it means to live beyond binary language and integrate a more nuanced perspective of the world. I often think about who I am as an economic subject, as a white European settler living on colonized Indigenous land, who I am in relationship with the earth, as someone navigating mental health struggles, sobriety, and who I am as a human with a desire to experience joy and presence in their life. I consider how I show up for and support my relationships with family, the communities I belong to, and those I do not. 

There is a necessary partnership between creative and critical thinking that seems to be fostered within artistic work. I can feel how the world and work of music has been a catalyst as well as a balm for me to confront challenging conversations within myself and while in relationship with others. I am grateful to be connected with wise and hopeful teachers and friends. As heartbroken as I feel at times by the status quo state of our world and how we treat life here, I trust that we are evolving together and I will always hold onto hope for our collective liberation. 

Many of my artistic achievements exist within my work with ‘The Pairs’, a self managed, internationally touring, 3-part-harmony folk band based in Deshkan Ziibi/ London, ON. As a solo artist I have begun to build a professional presence largely encouraged and supported by the work and connections made with The Pairs. In 2021 I released my first single “Oh My My” as well as an EP called ‘Tongue Tied’. Over the last couple of years I’ve spent time remotely or in person, recording harmonies on several artists' recordings including Craig Cardiff’s songs “All This Time Running” & “Emm & May” as well as ‘My Father’s Son’s’ songs “Wild Fire” & “God’s Wife”.  I have been fortunate to open for artists I admire like Irish Mythen, Kellie Loder, Jim Bryson, The Brown Hawkin Stanley Trio and Kim Churchill to name a few.  It's a privilege for me to be able to perform and connect with so many folks through songs and storytelling. I look forward to more musical collaborations in the future!  

I have had a variety of work experiences and volunteer travel experiences that have contributed in beautiful ways to my understanding of the world, and therefore to my creative practice and to the music I present. I have been formally educated in the field of Early Childhood Education as well as in the field of Forestry Tech. I have worked as an ECE, as a project coordinator within schools delivering food education & cooking programs, on an organic vegetable farm, in a vegan cheese factory, facilitating outdoor education programs for corporate groups; high school and elementary school students, and when I’m not touring I currently work remotely doing song and story writing workshops with young students in the Ottawa and Toronto regions with a program called Song Collab Studio. I am eager to continue to connect and learn and will always be grateful for opportunities to contribute in meaningful ways. Thanks for being here! See you out there!