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You are a singer\/songwriter from Melbourne Australia how did it all begin for you?<\/strong><\/p>\n Music has been a big part of my life from an early age. My older brother played guitar and when I was about four or five, I used to sneak into his room when he wasn\u2019t around and strum away on the strings, without chords and no idea what I was doing.<\/em><\/p>\n It\u2019s fair to say that he used to get a little mad when I put it out of tune, but he eventually started showing me a few things and encouraging me, which was nice.<\/em><\/p>\n I went on to get my own guitar, have some lessons and I played in some weekend garage bands during high school \u2013 all of which were pretty loose and had terrible names like Common Knowledge and Crisp Little Astronauts.<\/em><\/p>\n After high school the bands got better and I started playing live around Melbourne, which had an especially vibrant live music scene in the 1980s. Some of the bands \u2013 which played mostly original music \u2013 managed to garner a pretty good following. One of them released a single and album that did ok on the local alternative charts.<\/em><\/p>\n Towards the end of the nineties, I decided to do some travelling and stepped away from bands and live music, but I continued writing and playing songs on my own. It wasn\u2019t until the start of 2020 that I decided it was time to start recording as a solo artist. Since then, I\u2019ve written, recorded and released six singles, all of which have had a pretty positive response, which is really pleasing.<\/em><\/p>\n What did you listen to growing up?<\/strong><\/p>\n My parents had a very basic record player that was made mostly of timber and had a single speaker, but I was enchanted by the records they played, which included Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole and The Seekers. I also remember listening to artists like Johnny Cash on the radio.<\/em><\/p>\n When I was about 10, my brother \u2013 whose guitar I used to torture \u2013 bought a really good component hi-fi stereo system and brought home vinyl LPs by artists like Pink Floyd, Jeff Beck, John Lennon and Fleetwood Mac. It\u2019s fair to say that when I first heard Dark Side of the Moon up loud on his stereo, I was totally transported and fell completely in love with the idea of making music.<\/em><\/p>\n Congratulations on the songs you\u2019ve released so far. How does it feel?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n I love the process of creating \u2013 starting with just an idea and finishing up with something tangible and new to the world. In my case, it\u2019s also been an opportunity for a kind of emotional and psychological catharsis. I\u2019ve found that sharing thoughts and feelings through my songs can help with healing and growth for me, and also hopefully strike the occasional resonant chord with those who listen.<\/em><\/p>\n There is always this moment just before I press the \u2018send\u2019 button to launch a song into the universe, where my heart is in my mouth and I wonder whether it\u2019s any good.<\/em><\/p>\n I think it\u2019s pretty common for artists to feel those kinds of insecurities, but at the end of the day, the process of creating is actually enough.<\/em><\/p>\n It\u2019s so much fun\u2026 like solving a really difficult puzzle that you\u2019ve set for yourself \u2013 and is in and of itself an extremely rewarding process.<\/em><\/p>\n Having said that, there is also nothing quite like the buzz you get when your song comes on the radio or you get a message from someone saying that they\u2019ve enjoyed your song or that it meant something special to them.<\/em><\/p>\n The wonderfully kind feedback and support I receive for my songs is fantastic, and it\u2019s the icing on what is already a deliciously satisfying creative cake.<\/em><\/p>\n What challenges and triumphs have you experienced while recording and releasing your own music?<\/strong><\/p>\n One of the challenges is the technical side of recording. I\u2019m not trained in that area, so I have fumbled through and I\u2019m trying to learn as much as I can.<\/em><\/p>\n I recorded my song \u2018Unhappy Accident\u2019 at home in Garage Band in one night and released it the next day, without even going through a mastering process. The production is pretty rough, but thankfully it somehow managed to capture a bit of a vibe that seemed to draw attention away from the dodgy mixing!\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n These days I record everything at home in Logic Pro X and create a rough mix, and then get the final mixing and mastering done professionally. That way I can focus on the music and let someone who knows a lot more than me manage the really technical stuff. I\u2019m still very much involved during the mixing and mastering stage \u2013 providing lots of input and feedback on the sound and feel \u2013 but someone else is pushing the sliders and twiddling the knobs.<\/em><\/p>\n The other big challenge for me \u2013 and I imagine, most indie artists \u2013 is getting the music heard and its been a steep learning curve.<\/em><\/p>\n I\u2019m part of a wonderful indie music community on Twitter that has been a great help in this regard. We share each other\u2019s music and marketing ideas, and there are also lots of kind and generous playlist curators, radio programmers and blog \/ magazine writers like you on there who do so much to promote indie artists.<\/em><\/p>\n I\u2019m continually astounded by the generosity of the people in that community \u2013 and their support has been a godsend to me and so many artists during the lockdowns, when live gigs have been impossible.<\/em><\/p>\n 2020 was a busy time for you, what did you learn?<\/strong><\/p>\n Firstly, I learned that it\u2019s possible to write, record and release your own music without necessarily having to go into a big expensive studio. The intuitive music software and online distribution services available these days have made it a lot easier than it used to be.<\/em><\/p>\n I think I lot of artists discovered this during the pandemic and saw it as an opportunity to create music \u2013 which is why there\u2019s been such a fantastic surge in independent music over the past 12 months or so.<\/em><\/p>\n I also learned a lot about the importance of a supportive community, such as the one on Twitter, and I\u2019ve learned that even music that isn\u2019t necessarily in \u2018fashion\u2019 can attract an audience, especially if it is created with an authentic passion and intent.<\/em><\/p>\n There is so much excellent artistic talent out there \u2013 and it\u2019s wonderful that people are listening and sharing it.<\/em><\/p>\n I think most importantly, I learned that it\u2019s possible to turn what initially seems like a negative situation \u2013 such as a lockdown \u2013 into an opportunity to learn, create and grow.<\/em><\/p>\n The video for \u201cIn Your Eyes\u201d uses a combination of stop motion, animation and live action. What was the inspiration behind it?<\/strong><\/p>\n That song is about the feelings you might get when you realise your live-in partner is falling out of love with you.<\/em><\/p>\n The idea behind the stop-motion use of words handwritten on paper is that these symbolise \u2018notes\u2019 left by someone who can\u2019t find the right words to say \u2013 or summon up the courage to say them.<\/em><\/p>\n All of these notes were filmed in a domestic environment to reinforce this idea.<\/em><\/p>\n The woman in the video is there to represent the key subject of the song, and the other text animations are there to bring a dynamic feel and emphasise the lyrics in key parts of the song \u2013 such as the choruses, bridge and the call-and-response-style harmonies towards the end.<\/em><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/platinummind.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Vocal-takes-at-House-of-Noodle-studios-in-Coburg-300x225.jpeg\")
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