What made you decide that music is a thing for you?
I guess I gravitate to what makes me feel whole and good. When I’m not writing music or using my voice in some way I feel a bit lost. When I’m in music I feel like I’m on purpose and it comes naturally to me.
Introduce us to your musical history.
I’m a songwriter and vocalist. I originally started singing Jazz and Soul around bars and clubs in Melbourne, Australia, and eventually wrote and released an original Jazz album in 2009 with guitarist Steve Wright.
Name me your four favorite Albums.
There are so many I love. It’s hard to pick four so I’ll pick five. 1. D’Angelos Voodoo. I was blown away when I first heard this. I was at my cousin’s house and she put it on and said she wasn’t that into it and said I could have it! it was nothing like I’d heard before such a brilliant way to mix harmonies with hip hop and Jazz, so very very cool. The timing of the drums, his harmonies, the esoteric sounds. 2. Sarah Vaughans ‘After Hours at London House’…. its awesome hearing Sarah talk in between songs and the tunes aren’t all perfect, it feels live and natural and so musical. Of course 3. Portisheads ‘Dummy’, another stand out album. They really broke new ground and sound with sampling and then recording and pressing and then sampling their own vinyls to create that body of work. 4. Michael Kiwanukas most recent album ‘Michael Kiwanuka’.I love the production, writing and singing on this. It feels like a real journey and is a brilliant example of a great producer being able to bring different styles together to create a sound that serves the artist. I have to add a fifth album sorry! It’s 5.The Beatles Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band, again because it broke new ground and still rocks my music brain when I listen to bits and pieces.
What was the first song you heard that steered you into a music path?
The Police, A doo doo doo.
The music industry is the hardest industry in the world to progress in, How do you feel you are doing?
I feel like I’m still getting started. Also, feel like I’m still learning and changing my ideas about things.
I’m seeing a lot of debate about women not feeling safe at music gigs, any thoughts on what we need to do to help?
Yes, I think the scales have always been tilted in favour of men across the music industry and many others. I guess things like behavior have to be addressed at a fundamental level. Men at a very young age need to be taught about what’s acceptable and what’s not anymore. I think what men have traditionally gotten away with in the music scene is harder to justify; that could be how women are spoken to, or spoken of, and the treatment of woman. I also think woman have also learnt to live with the imbalance in some ways and have inadvertently accepted situations in the past because that’s how things have always been.
As you develop as an artist and develop using socials what ways do you get new ears on your music? Any tips?
I think Spotify is an amazing platform that artists should utilise more and more. Releasing singles seems to be a great way to generate interest on-goingly in your music. It also gives you great data. I also utilise FB and Insta ads which are a great way to reach a legitimate audience.
Tell us Two truths and a lie about you.
Truth: I wake up super early to write music. Truth: I can barely read music and write by ear. Lie: I’m a Jazz singer.
What’s your thought on Spotify’s monopoly on the music industry?
I just mentioned Spotify. But I honestly believe it’s a great avenue to grow your audience you’ve just got to go about it the right way and realise it’s not the only way.
Do you sign up for any conspiracy theories?
No non at all. Although I sometimes think Roswell may have happened
What was the worst experience on stage?
I think having a shocking sound guy or gal can be pretty bad. One time I was on stage at a festival and the sound guy had his own music blaring while we were sound checking and couldn’t understand what I was complaining about. Another time I was eight months pregnant and had a pregnant brain and forgot the words on stage and my brain just couldn’t find a way out of it.
What makes you stand out as an artist?
I’ve always been told my voice is recognisable. I write the music that I love whether it’s popular or not. I really love crossing over genres. I also like writing about subject matter that’s intriguing and melancholy. I love albums that have diversity and impact and take you on a journey that is unique to that artist and their collaborators.
I hear you have new music, what can you tell us about it.
This new track ‘No Body’ is the first single from my album. It’s set against a cinematic soundscape reminiscent of the 50 and 60’s Bond era filled with drama and intensity. It was produced by Australian Producer ‘Greg J Walker’. Best known for his work under the critically acclaimed moniker Machine Translations, ‘Greg J. Walker’ has produced award-winning albums for Australian / New Zealand artists including Paul Kelly, Tiny Ruins, Jess Ribiero and C .W Stoneking as well as composing soundtracks for Film and TV, including the global phenomenon that is the Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries franchise.
The track Is about an ethereal being that craves a human experience. I often think we walk around never realising the environments we exist within, being our planet, our home, our circumstance and the opportunities that present themselves. We are untouched or naive to so many things. We are often scared to take risks, be it a physical or mental risk to our egos. Our existence is a miracle in itself and the light will go out for all of us one day. Our body will decay and what we think of ourselves and others think of us will become irrelevant too. We are all nobodies wanting to have an experience. The character within this song is melancholy and desperate to know what the human experience is all about. It’s a complete mystery to her but she suspects there is more.
Talk me through the thought process of the new tune/s.
Music has an inherent ethereal quality. A lot of the time I feel like I download a song from the ‘music gods’ in bits and pieces. I then put it together like a puzzle and the lyrics are often the final piece at the end that allow the full intention of the piece to be expressed. Other times it begins with a poem that pours out and wants to be a song. Sometimes there’s a cool drum beat that guides me to a melody and lyric. Other times it’s melodies I hear in my head. It’s always different.
When I write I often think of characters within a song. I’ve always been interested in the dark side of things. I embrace the struggle and turmoil in stories and love the idea of there being a strong heroine. The woman seems to find the strength to tell the story, seek vengeance, speak the truth, passionately die for love or kill out of betrayal. We watch movies to escape into hyper realistic worlds and the characters and stories are often heightened reflections of our own experiences, thoughts, fears we have, angst we carry, and our deepest desires.
What was the recording process like?
I usually pre-produce a lot of tracks and then send them to my producer and we re-work it. Especially during the Covid restrictions it was really difficult for Greg and myself to record and work consistently together. I was forced to push myself in putting forward my own production ideas. It really helped in the end because the album has a distinct sound that is unique to Greg and me.
What was the biggest learning curve in writing the new tunes?
I wrote this song specifically for this collaboration with Greg. I couldn’t have written it for anyone else because I could hear were the project was going and were it’s strengths were so I wrote for this. This was challenging and rewarding. The learning curve was working on the pre-production to communicate what I could hear in my head to Greg.
Would you change anything now it’s finished?
Probably not. I think nothing ever finished and things could always have been done better, but then music can get a bit boring I think when you over work ideas.