AN INTERVIEW WITH

Can you tell us a little about how you got into the music industry and when did you know it was something you wanted to pursue?

To be honest I never knew music was for me, until after I dropped out of my music degree. My parents are both very musical; I grew up around a musical share house atmosphere. Both my parents play instruments, have a huge appreciation for music, not to mention a massive record collection ~ this was a massive subliminal influence. During high school, I was always involved in performance mostly dance and acting.

It was towards Year 11, I took an interest in playing guitar and beginning to sing solo and with friends. I must say I wasn’t very good to begin with but it gave me pure joy to express myself in a different way; that I had never experienced before.Once I finished school in 2012, I thought I wanted to pursue fashion design since I designed and made many of my own clothes and bikinis for most of my life. However I knew this was an intense, extremely competitive and sometimes not always rewarding industry. So I was still quite timid about pursuing this fashion ambition of mine. And yet I still applied for both fashion industry degrees and performance type degrees. I eventually accepted an invitation to the Australian Institute of Music (AIM) in Surry Hills.

I was engulfed in a whole new world of passionate musicians of all-ages. I met so many fantastic people who are still my great friends today. I learnt a great deal about music and myself during this time. As much as I cherished how fun and enlightening this experience was; I was still so young (19) and unsure of who I was or what I wanted in life. I had no theoretical background in music which started to make singing feel a chore and no longer enjoyable. In class I kept being categorised as a 'singer/vocalist' and I did not feel comfortable with this title at all. I was not confident with music or singing at this point in my life and often questioned whether I was as passionate as the other students in my classes.So one day in February 2014, after much deliberation I decided to leave AIM and venture into the unknown to find myself and who I wanted to be. I had a feeling that my experiences and connections I had made at AIM were long lasting and wouldn’t be tarnished by leaving. I was just beginning my journey and I was fresh exciting and felt that there were new opportunities arising for my future. So shortly after I got a job at a cafe, earned some dosh and pondered who I was . . . I wrote so much, sorting through my wants, needs and thoughts and to my surprise that year I ended up writing 14 unfinished songs, completing 7 of those songs. I began performing my originals at open mic nights that turned into making connections with other musicians and venue bookers. I was booking my own regular paid cover and original gigs at different venues around Sydney and..it... felt... amazing. That year I knew music was for me.

Since then I pursued more performative skills, in 2016 I moved to Wollongong to complete a three year Bachelor of Performance (UOW). This degree majored in acting, minored in singing and dance whilst still gigging in Sydney and Illawarra region. In 2019, I began my Bachelor of Education/Bachelor of Arts (Secondary) since I wanted to take my skills another step further and share them with young students to build their confidence in themselves through performance and art. I completed this second double degree earlier this year in 2022 and I am now a fully qualified Drama and English teacher. Finally after completing all of my studies, I am now focussing my time on pursuing my music again; writing fresh songs, rebranding my sound and to express who I was, to who I am now and to who comes next!?

I love what music has given me through my whole performative journey and I am so excited for my music journey to grow, flourish and expand in the future. 

Is there something or someone who had the greatest influence on you and your love for music? If so, who/what?

I think I had many influences with music, which I hadn’t really realised until I answer questions like these.My dad was a massive influence as he used to play records all day when he would carve stone in the garden, lots of 60s, 70s rock n roll. He also introduced me to other alternate music, which was always exciting to listen to.My mum introduced me to 80s and 90s more, so a bit more grungy. Then definitely as I became more interested in dance, we would play heaps of RnB when making dinner and create so many dances using kitchen utensils...as you do.

Also I believe that because my mum played drums in a band called ‘Don’t Wake the Baby’ when she was pregnant with me - that influenced me a great deal!!I also grew up in a share house in Bondi for the first 20 years of my life living with many Australians and international people. They would either play a CD of their cultural music or music they liked or would play it on an instrument and that exposed me to a crazy amount of amazing sounds. It was epic.

How would you describe the music that you typically create?

When I was a teen or in my early 20s it was a time of classic boy troubles and unrequited love so they revolved around many minor keys and tones. So I fell into the folky/indie genre I guess especially because of the acoustic guitar and solo female voice - very raw. I do still love a raw sound however I am breaking away from the ‘sad girl vibes’ and embracing who I am now. I’m enjoying getting into the electric guitar, a faster pace and dance vibes with that same raw energy. I have a huge love for music and my sound truly varies especially with what I have been recently writing, it ranges from psychedelic blues & rock n roll vibes (my roots) to funky, soul, dance and pop track vibes. Honestly who knows what genre that is but I’m excited!

What drew you to say yes to recording with Eadie on our very first brand song?

It was a funny moment really, that week I had set a goal for myself to focus regular time on my music career as I was no longer studying, and felt so excited to spend time on and sink my teeth intomymusic again. Later that week I received an offer from Eadie; felt like the perfect timing and like a sign that I was travelling in the right direction with my music aspirations. I was so excited for the opportunity to collaborate with Eadie Lifestyle as they are not only a beautiful lifestyle and apparel company but they were taking the time to create a wholesome project that incorporated the arts, music, film, acting and modelling. I had to say YES!

I must say I love working collaboratively as it expands one’s mind to other’s ideas, perspectives and points of view which was beneficial for my music growth. Eadie gave direction, development, deadlines and meetings this was so helpful in reminding myself of my own discipline with my music goals. Lastly, it gave me the chance to work with a well-established business that cared about the project dearly and gave me more experience in working for a company for musical projects.

What was your favourite part of the process when creating the Eadie Song? Is there a lyric you resonate with?

After reading the lyrics I could see and essence of who this woman was: ‘a strong independent woman who is completely content and confident in herself and absolutely knows who she is’. Once I had listened to the original backing track they had chosen, I understood some of energy that was desired: uplifting, strong, jovial yet fierce and warm. This was my favourite part finding the chords on the guitar and fitting a vocal melody that complimented the lyrics and desired mood.I loved making the song into a mega version; adding choruses, licks and tweaks plus a few different vocal build ups to colour the song so I could hear the whole scope of the tune and then pairing it back to a raw stripped back version. It was a really fun process.

I enjoyed that the song was a little upbeat and had a major joyful tone with uplifting lyrics. This was a huge selling point for me too, as I wanted to break away from my minor sad tones and this project inspired my own vocal and lyric writing to be warmer, uplifting and happy.

Lyric wise, I love "sunrise to sunset she cherishes every moment" since I truly believe that statement; I love both sunrise and sunset! Every time I sang that line I always imagined the times I had adored the memories of watching the sunrise or sunset with family or friends. It’s a beautiful image and I’m sure many people would go to a similar place when listening to the song.I loved singing the lyrics "ready for dreaming, ready for love" they are such beautiful words to sing, to think about and have boundless ideas behind them. I chose to vocally make ‘love’ stand out at the end of that phrase, by breaking it into three ascending notes singing it in a soft high voice. It added a beat in that moment, showering interest for the listener to be drawn into the next vocal melody of the song.