Musician Freya Ridings is known for her 2019 hit Castles, but one of her other claims to fame is her father, Richard Ridings, is the voice of Daddy Pig in Peppa Pig. Here, the 32-year-old talks about the important men in her life, including her husband of three years, folk singer Ewan J Phillips.
My maternal grandfather, Vincent Jennings, was an Irish chemist and doctor who had a passion for music. He met my grandmother, Mary McAvoy, at a dance; she bought me my first piano.
My paternal grandfather died in a freak accident when my dad, Richard, was 10. He was raised by his mother, Doreen, who was left with three small children, including twins.
My dad is an actor and voiceover artist. I literally bought a place around the corner from my parents – we are that close. Dad and I are big personalities – almost like bears. He is the voice of Daddy Pig in Peppa Pig, a role he’s played for almost 22 years. The character’s personality is very like my dad in real life.
Dad has a passion for playing guitar and writing songs. We didn’t have a living room growing up, we had a music studio. Any spare money went towards recording equipment and magazines. Seeing that obsession made me want to give music a go.
Mum [Catherine] is also an actor and writer. She had gone to see my dad perform in a one-man show in December 1983 where he played a psychopath. At the end of the show, he spots mum in the crowd and said, “That’s the woman I am going to marry.” My parents have been married for 42 years. Yes, they argue, but they are also best friends.
You’ll find my dad permanently at the kitchen table drinking Earl Grey tea – he’s like a fountain of wisdom and when I sometimes feel a bit lost or struggling, I go have a cup of tea with him.
My brother, Arden, is seven years younger than me. He’s kind of like a miracle baby because Mum thought they might not be able to have any more. He also lives down the road and is my best friend.
I was a real late bloomer when it came to boys. I grew tall really quickly, which helped with the awkwardness. I was very shy at school and was homeschooled for a critical period of two years between 14 and 16 because I was bullied at school for my dyslexia. When I did go back, everyone was already smoking and drinking coffee and kissing. I was like, what happened? I still felt like a child.
I didn’t have my first kiss until I was 19. That constant yearning for love really helped with my songwriting. It’s like the Brontë sisters – not a lot of action and lots of imagination! I watched Colin Firth in Pride and Prejudice when I was around eight; I instantly fell in love. He seemed so cool as Mr Darcy.
I got married to Ewan J Phillips, a folk singer, three years ago. We met when I was 19 at an open-mic night. His family are locals and all the siblings were involved in music. I knew them all but him.
When we did meet, we started as friends. I fell madly in love with him from the second I saw him. Because I had been homeschooled, and he’d been to university, I think he almost felt protective over me. He would come around and play cello while I played the piano.
We were both dating different people in our very early 20s and would go on double dates, which felt awkward because I think there was more between us, but we hadn’t acknowledged it. There’s a song on my new album called I Have Always Loved You that’s about those ups and downs and knowing deep in my soul he was the one.
There was an occasion when Mum was in hospital and Ewan literally turned up and ran through the hospital doors. I ran into his arms. He was the first person I called. He was there in a heartbeat. It was a revelation and proof that when people turn up for you in those big moments, everything changes. I was 22 when we formalised the relationship.
Ewan proposed to me in my parents’ kitchen – with Mum, Dad and my brother there. It’s such a formative place for us. I still wish he’d proposed one-on-one, but he wanted to get everyone’s approval at once.
Mother of Pearl by Freya Ridings is out now.
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Jane Rocca is a regular contributor to Sunday Life Magazine, Executive Style, The Age EG, columnist and features writer at Domain Review, Domain Living’s Personal Space page. She is a published author of four books.Connect via X or email.
