Can you tell us about the inspiration behind your latest album, and what themes or stories you aimed to convey through your music?

I am especially proud of having just released my second album ‘City Life.’ Many of the songs have common themes about life in the city, such as ‘Apartments.’ I wrote the song as a response to the rampant overdevelopment in the city threatening to ruin the character and heritage of the neighbourhood forever. For me, ‘Apartments’ started the whole concept of writing about life in the city for the album. The songs ‘Toronado,’ ‘Euclid’ and ‘Hello Again’ all explore city life from different angles. I think that is where I channel my journalism background – I like to observe and write about things from different perspectives. 

Beat Magazine described my first album ‘Revolving Doors’ as ‘genre-spanning.’ Same could be said about ‘City Life.’ It has tracks like ‘Stars and Snowflakes’ and ‘My First Morning Without You’ that delve into my alternative influences, ‘Golden Days’ which is a folky ballad, ‘Toronado’ has a jazzy, lounge feel to it and ‘Patience’ could almost be soul pop. 

Music often has the power to transport people to different places and times. Can you describe a moment in your life when a particular song or album had a profound impact on you?

Too many to mention! I have so many all-time favourite songs and albums that I still play on constant rotation. One particular album that had a profound effect on me is ‘Hounds of Love’ by Kate Bush. I remember when I first bought it years and years ago and listened to it from start to finish for the first time. The entire B-side of the album which is called ‘The Ninth Wave’ just blew my mind. It was so otherwordly and creepy, it was absolutely terrifying! I felt like I had been transported to another planet, it was like nothing I had ever heard before – or heard since. And there was a running theme throughout like a series of nightmareish scenarios such as in ‘And Dream of Sheep,’ ‘Under Ice’ and ‘Watching You Without Me.’ Pure genius! I don’t think anyone except for Kate Bush could ever achieve anything like that. I still get goosebumps even after all these years when I listen to it.

Many artists have rituals or routines they follow before performing or recording. Do you have any unique or quirky pre-show or pre-recording rituals that you find help you get in the zone?

I put a lot of thought into live shows, from the order of the songs on the setlist, what I think the audience would like to hear (as it’s different every time), logistics around setting up, the vibe of the venue, and even what I wear. I also make sure that I am vocally ready. I never go on stage or record without doing vocal warmups.

Your lyrics often tell a story or convey a message. Can you share the story behind one of your songs and the inspiration that led to its creation?

My latest single ‘Stars and Snowflakes’ is from my new album ‘City Life.’ It’s inspired by a line from the classic ‘80s film ‘Moonstruck.’ I love classic films and this would be one of my all-time favourites. The line stuck with me for years – the premise is about how we are all put on this earth to mess things up, love the wrong people and make mistakes. That’s because we are not perfect and only the stars and snowflakes are perfect. I stored that in the back of my mind and told myself I would write a song about that one day! 

The song is really about unrequited love and how often the one thing you are looking for is right there in front of you – but you’re too caught up in searching for something perfect to notice. The beauty is in the imperfection because it’s real and it’s true. 

I am constantly writing songs – in my head, in my journal, on scraps of paper. I find

inspiration in everything around me, from the mundane to the profound. I find there is a song just waiting to be written all around me and from the things I see and experience.

If you could curate a music festival with a lineup of your dream artists, who would be the headliners, and what would the theme of the festival be?

It would be a shoegaze/’80s and ’90s alternative festival with headliners The Cure, Cocteau Twins, Mazzy Star, Lush and Jesus and Mary Chain. Then you would have more recent acts like Beach House, Slowdive, Wolf Alice and Wild Nothing.

Music can be a powerful tool for advocacy and change. Are there any social or political causes that you’re passionate about, and how does your music play a role in promoting these issues?

I don’t really consider myself as a political songwriter. But two songs on my latest album ‘City Life’ were inspired by current events. 

My song ‘Apartments’ was inspired by walking around and noticing the rapid pace of new apartment buildings going up in my neighbourhood. It was during the pandemic and while businesses were closed down, the pace of building these huge apartment blocks all over the neighbourhood continued at an unfettered rate. And it was really threatening to destroying the character and heritage of the neighbourhood forever – and all the money was going to offshore investors. I’m not against development, but it should be done in a careful, considered way that respects the heritage and history of the place.

I wrote the song ‘For All the People’ one morning after watching the news all night about the invasion of Ukraine. Throughout the day, I’d also seen several news items about injustice and innocent people being exploited. All these things must have been simmering in my subconscious because when I woke up the next morning, the lyrics and the melody of the chorus just came to me fully formed. I quickly wrote the rest of the song from that. To this day, it is my favourite song of mine and the one I am most proud of. You could say it’s an anthem for all the people and I wrote it to be an inspirational track.

The music industry has evolved significantly with technology. How do you see artificial intelligence and emerging technologies impacting the creation and distribution of music in the future?

It’s a two-edged sword. It’s good in that it levels the playing field and enables independent artists like myself to release music and be heard anywhere in the world. But the flipside is that you then have to compete with millions of other artists and tracks to be heard and noticed.

Technology has been great for collaboration. My two albums were recorded fully online with the most brilliant session musicians in other parts of the world with whom I had the privilege of working. It started during lockdown as recording studios were shut down and I had to find a way to record my album without setting foot in a recording studio. If it weren’t for the power of technology and the internet, I would not have been able to release my two albums. We were able to work together and record an album without being in the same room or time zone even! 

Many recording artists evolve over time. How do you see your musical journey changing and growing in the next decade?

After I finish a major project like an album, I take a rest to ‘fill the well.’ This is what I call taking the time to replenish the creative stores and fill my head with new inspirations and ideas. My next album could sound totally different! 

I would like to continue to grow and mature as a musician and try branching out into even more genres. I’ve always delved into different types of music because of my diverse influences – it would be great to really stretch myself in this way and write and perform songs that are outside of my comfort zone.