Take us through a day in your life, from a possible morning routine through to your work, please. Do you have a fixed schedule? How do music and other aspects of your life feed back into each other - do you separate them or instead try to make them blend seamlessly?
At the moment, I am working four/five days a week & doing music related things on my days off and around my work days, so there is some routine there for sure.
When writing lyrics, I like to do this in the morning as my brain and creativity seems to work a lot faster, then as the day goes on and I get tired my brain seems to want to go blank a lot of the time.
Can you talk about a breakthrough work, event or performance in your career? Why does it feel special to you? When, why and how did you start working on it, what were some of the motivations and ideas behind it?
Our album ‘Holy Mountain’ is pretty standout for me. It’s the first album we’ve released as Grandamme and on vinyl & CD too. It’s going to be nice to be able to hold and have something physical, and I’m really excited about that
There are many descriptions of the ideal state of mind for being creative. What is it like for you? What supports this ideal state of mind and what are distractions? Are there strategies to enter into this state more easily?
If I’ve had a good night's sleep, the house is tidy, I’m feeling positive, I’ve spoken to a friend fairly recently and/or been inspired or moved by something then I’m at my most creative I’d say.
I have learned it’s better not to listen or engage with any form of music making or music biz stuff if I’m feeling depressed or tired as I'm likely going to think everything I have just made is awful and awful things are going to happen. I still have to plough through it though, sometimes you have a deadline and don't have time to put things to one side, but I am more aware of my state of mind (and when to trust it) if that makes sense.
Music and sounds can heal, but they can also hurt. Do you personally have experiences with either or both of these? Where do you personally see the biggest need and potential for music as a tool for healing?
The relationship between sound and memory is so close. There are certain songs and eras of music that remind me of certain people and times I miss and am grieving. Other songs make me feel like there's hope and escape through a tough situation, and as mentioned before some songs make me feel like I'm blasted into another space and time.
For example, I have a tattoo of an accordion on my ribs because every time my mum would hear the sound of one her face would light up, as it reminded her of her dad who used to play it. Now every time I hear one, it reminds me of those nice moments I would see her smile like that.
There is a fine line between cultural exchange and appropriation. What are your thoughts on the limits of copying, using cultural signs and symbols and the cultural/social/gender specificity of art?
It's a difficult one to answer and I don't think it’s binary, but it is important to have an awareness about what you are doing as an artist and being sure you are speaking to your own experiences and not for anyone else. I think it's good to listen, keep an open mind and a willingness to learn, and ultimately anything you are inspired by needs to come from a place of respect.
Our sense of hearing shares intriguing connections to other senses. From your experience, what are some of the most inspiring overlaps between different senses - and what do they tell us about the way our senses work?
Yes absolutely, the relationship between audio and visual is so beautiful, great movies with an equally great soundtrack, you can’t beat that really.
I'm pretty sure some sounds actually invoke distress and nausea for me also- and this sounds really weird - but whenever the hoover is on, I have to put my headphones on to protect me from the loud discordant sound as it really stresses me out.
Art can be a purpose in its own right, but it can also directly feed back into everyday life, take on a social and political role and lead to more engagement. Can you describe your approach to art and being an artist?
It very much is a relationship that works both ways. A lot of social, cultural, political references inspire artistic expression and then that feeds back into and influences these areas.
Singing and making music is kind of all I've ever known and wanted to do or be since as long as I could talk. Except for a small period of time when I was small and I wanted to be a witch, but then I realised you couldn't do that for a living, so music got the full attention. It's an obsession, sometimes a very unhealthy one, but mostly it's saved my life. When I was growing up I was sad and anxious quite a lot, so music was my escape, therapy and my ticket out.
What can music express about life and death which other forms of art may not?
I believe when you are truly in your element, doing something you love and are immersed in that thing with hyper focus, you raise your vibration and magical things can happen. This can happen in any art form and in any moments of real connection. When I’ve found myself in this state, long suspended hours seem to go by without me noticing, I’ve also heard a few dodgy things in my headphones before going to record. I'm not saying music can make you a time travelling conjurer of the dead, but there is some kind of frequency you can tune into not only sonically with music, but spiritually sometimes too. A lot of other art forms can capture this, but where music is so closely linked to memory, emotions and the subconscious mind, there are some slight differences.
