Fiona Ross News
June 2025: New video 'Voices Unheard' is now out!
Hi! Hope everyone is well!
Today I have released the video for ‘Voices Unheard’ from my new album. The timing feels right.
This is the 2nd song from my trio of songs written for my Scottish tour and inspired by many conversations and the sadness and frustration I feel for people forgotten and who have never been heard. I was actually researching my birthday to see who was born on the same date and I discovered Countee Cullen, an American writer from the Harlem Renaissance, who was married to the daughter of civil right activist W. E. B. Du Bois. I had never heard of him - and my middle name is Cullen too. So many voices unheard or forgotten and with the current political climate it is more important than ever that we raise their voices. I end this song with a short list that could have gone on and on - Melba Liston, James Baldwin, Mary Lou Williams, Countee Cullen, Ida B Wells. Loren Hignell plays an incredibly haunting sax solo on this track, along with a driving double bass line from Derek Daley and they both capture the pain I feel so beautifully.
If you do not know of the people I mention, I please do encourage you to explore. So many links I could share but these ones below will get you started:
and as I say in the song, this list ‘could go on and on and on’
I am honoured to have the words of the legendary Maxine Gordon in the liner notes for my new album where Maxine shares her thoughts on two of my songs ‘Pirates in Pairs’ and this one ‘Voices Unheard’. Maxine who is always in my heart, mind and soul, is very present in this song - a constant inspiration. I cannot wait to read her upcoming book where she will share with us, four women who’s stories must be told.
Find out more about Maxine Gordon’s work here
Much more I could say, but I just wanted to focus on this one track for now.
Thank you all as always, for all of your amazing support. If you would like to order my new album - and you can only read the liner notes by Maxine Gordon in the physical copy - here is the Link to order. The double album is in a special box to celebrate my 100 song milestone and are limited edition.
Little bit of May news!
Hi everyone! Well, goodness I have a lot of things to share with you - but firstly, I hope you are all well? Thank you to all of you for sharing and supporting my work - I cannot begin to explain how much I appreciate it.
My Moments In My Notebook' album launch gig is very soon! June 4th at the award winning venue, Soul Mama, London. What a line up! A stunning line up of guests including Mexico woman of the year, drummer Migdalia van der Hoven Hannah Horton Sax Charlotte Keeffe Music Lara de Belder Diana Torti Mary Sho and Laura Impallomeni. I will playing with all the musicians on my album - except one! Loren Hignell (saxes) Simon Todd (percussion) Derek Daley (bass) Warren Woodcraft (drums) Dave Boa (trumpet) and Gibbi Bettini (guitar). Sadly Marley Drummond is busy on tour, but he will be in my heart! I cannot wait to share my new music with you all. If you are planing on coming, Please do buy tickets in advance, it helps us all so much. Tickets here
My new album is released on May 30th, digitally and physically. You can pre order here and thank you to everyone who has! As this is a special double album to celebrate my 100 songs, they are limited edition and once they are gone, they are gone!
I have been really, really overwhelmed by all the kindness and support. 30 press articles and 127 playlist adds on Spotify since I released by 2 singles three weeks ago, which is truly incredible. You can read all my press here but here are a few quotes:
‘With Moments in My Notebook, Ross cements her place as one of the most fearlessly original voices in contemporary jazz and singer-songwriter storytelling. She’s 100 songs deep, and she’s just getting started.’ Darryl Sterdan, Tinnitist
'Ross continues to lead with authenticity and grace. Let Your Soul Shine is not just a single—it’s a gentle reminder of our inner brilliance, arriving at just the right moment.' SONO Music
‘she doesn’t just sing a song; she inhabits it. ‘ JYLA
My next gig just before my album launch is at the wonderful Highworth Jazz Festival. I am thrilled to have a couple of special guests for this too and will be joined by Hannah Horton and Kim Cypher, along with Dave Boa (trumpet) Derek Daley (bass) Marco Piccioni (guitar) Marley Drummond (drums). Although this is not an album launch gig, as it is the day after my release, I will be performing a few new songs including my two new singles.
Here is one of my new singles - I Don't Want Money
Finally, thank you all so much for all of your support and everything you do. I do hope you enjoy my new album!
Love Fi x
New singles out now!
I am excited to release two singles today from my upcoming album!
Firstly, 'Let your Soul Shine'. I often spend my days having conversations with people who are incredible, but don’t believe they are. People that inspire but truly don't understand how wonderful they are for a range of reasons. On one of these days, I went for a walk and visited a community market that was being held on a field - Plumstead Make Merry. The first stall I came to was a stunning African Arts stall full of handmade arts and crafts items. There was a sign hanging up that I was instantly drawn to. It said ‘Let Your Soul Shine’. I stood there for ages just looking at the sign thinking about what a beautiful saying that was. I then moved on walking around the market stalls and managed to get a little confused and lost as to where I entered but fell upon this same stall again and the same sign. I felt like someone was trying to tell me something, so I bought it. I walked home and sat down at the piano and wrote this song. All in one go. No thoughts, changes, I just sat down and it came out the way you hear it on this album.
The video below features two beautiful people - Iris Baker, my wonderful neighbour, talking about the community event and Briolette Lyn Dowling-Toole, flying her kite.
Secondly, 'I Don't Want Money' with Dave Boa on trumpet and Gibbi Bettini on guitar. For all the creatives out there who just want to make music. We constantly have to consider the cost of it all. The costs of recording an album, getting paid for gigs, promotion, album sales etc. Wouldn’t it be nice to forget all of that and just make music?
Some wonderful press in already with some incredible comments!
'Ross continues to lead with authenticity and grace. Let Your Soul Shine is not just a single—it’s a gentle reminder of our inner brilliance, arriving at just the right moment.' SONO Music
Fiona Ross inspires with soulful new single
The songs are available on all platforms and you can now preorder my full album, which comes out on May 30th!
Moments in My Notebook Pre Order link click here
Let your Soul Shine Bandcamp link click kere
Let your Soul Shine Spotify link click here
I Don't Want Money Bandcamp link click here
I Don't Want Money Spotify link click here
March 2025 news!
Hello and welcome to my March news!
Hope everyone is well?! I have many things to share with you - thank you so much for taking the time to sign up to my newsletter and read this! As you all know, I think, I have been busy working on my 8th album and I am excited to finally share some dates with you all.
Firstly, I am releasing two singles from my new album on April 25th. Why 2? Well….as you know, my music is inspired by many different genres and I have rarely fit neatly in a box. With 21 songs on my new album there are a lot of different feels, grooves and emotions and I couldn’t decide which one to release as a single, as no single song really tells you what the album is like. The new album is a double, so I thought, ok, let’s just release two songs.
I will share links soon along with a pre order link for my new album which is coming out on… May 30th!! I am thrilled to have my album launch gig now confirmed for June 4th at the brilliant new award winning venue Soul Mama in London.
Lots of gigs dates being confirmed now and I am also excited to be going on a mini tour of Ireland next year too! Do check my website for dates and links as it is being updated regularly as ticket links go live.
My next performance is at the Highworth Jazz Festival and I am so very excited about a very special guest that will be there. More on that in my next newsletter!
In other news…the latest Women in Jazz Media magazine, came out on March 8th and I do hope you will have a look. So many incredible people involved in the magazine and I loved interviewing China Moses, Tatiana Tate and Lydia Liebman for this edition. You can find the magazine here
As always, much more I could say, and I will in my next newsletter, ha! I am really looking forward to sharing my new music with you all and hope you enjoy it! Some of the new songs will tick a jazz box and some definitely do not but they all tick the box called ‘Fi’. I will leave you the listener to decide what that means to you and I hope that at least one song ticks one of your boxes and connects with you.
Do feel free to get in touch if you have any questions - it may ( actually, definitely will) take me a while to reply, but I will!
Thank you all, as always, for your amazing support.
