Take us through a day in your life, from a possible morning routine through to your work, please.
Sometimes I wish I had more of a regular routine laid out for me so I didn’t have to think so hard every day. (laughs) Working for yourself and without a team can be pretty daunting on the daily and often the time just runs away (or the opposite and I end up in the studio for 10 hours straight). It definitely just depends on what project I’m working on or the stage I’m at with it.
For the last two years leading up to the album it’s been pretty full on, every day waking up with a purpose and drive, super long days recording, producing, mixing, or whole days sending emails in order to promote it - depressingly computer based. Whereas now it’s out I’ve finally been crawling out of this space, playing more gigs, playing the piano and writing again which feels so good and healthy.
Because of the lack of routine, and lack of commute, I try to do a bit of yoga every morning, or have a dance to dig up that life joy! If I get straight up and have breakfast and coffee and say I’ll do yoga later, I’m absorbed into the studio vortex and only remember to come out when I’m hungry again, so I don’t end up moving all day. Soon I’ll have a studio space a little walk from home so I’ll get to have that natural movement to my day again.
But yes, the closest I get to a routine is yoga, always a good breakfast, maybe a quick walk before either settling in to the studio, or heading to a cafe for a morning of admin. I try to get as much done before lunch as possible as the afternoon slump is real, then over lunch I try to let my mind wander or have a meditate so my brain can dig out the things we need to do for the rest of the day (recording something for socials, creating something for my patreon community, writing, working on toplines for collabs, researching and emailing this that and everyone).
I usually stop around 6pm, do any life chores, and hope I have something in to make a nice meal and wind down with some cooking. Ideally I’d have evening plans as these types of days can be super lonely and I need that variation to stay inspired for the next day, whereas if I have a gig in the evening I might have an easier day and spend more time outside in nature.
Could you describe your creative process on the basis of a piece, live performance or album that's particularly dear to you, please?
I can try! Working on my album was long but rewarding. I felt ridiculous for my decision to do it all alone on numerous occasions, but I’m super happy I did it just this once.
With Vitamin Be, I had all the demos pretty much made as I write and produce a song every month for my Patreon. This was one reason I chose to produce it myself as they were all so far along already, and the idea of trying to get my projects in a state for a mixing engineer or producer and communicating everything I’d done already was very daunting. I wanted to honour my creative process for each track so far, to trust the self that made them that way at the time of writing.
What I did do was re-record pretty much everything in a more controlled way, I bought better microphones and took more care with the performance (you could argue too much care … often demo vocals are the best cos you have your guard down and the emotion comes through way more!). I contacted some musicians to play the drums, double bass and cello, which was done remotely and then I had to just youtube ‘how to mix drums’ and continue on my merry way!
I’ve never worked on a project this big before, so I really did not anticipate how much work it would take to do on my own. Only half way through I felt I couldn’t hear things clearly anymore, which is why it took so long as I had to have lots of breaks, sometimes weeks, in order to carry on with a clear head and ears.
As I waited for all the live recordings to trickle in, I worked with software instruments in place to create all the sounds around it. I loved when things accidentally came out that ended up being recurring themes throughout, like reversing reverie marimba sounds, and making vocals sound like synth solos. I bought various plug ins along the way that I spend a lot time learning and messing around with, and often thought I was wasting my time.
The key thing was not to discipline myself too much, not to announce anything until the very end, and let myself play aimlessly without guilt, however long it took. That was the only way it was going to remain an enjoyable, creative experience.
Listening can be both a solitary and a communal activity. Likewise, creating music can be private or collaborative. Can you talk about your preferences in this regard and how these constellations influence creative results?
I definitely spend a lot of time wishing I could create with others more in my daily life.
In terms of performances, I usually play solo as the gigs don’t pay enough to pay a band, with the exception of occasional tours where I’ll try and get funding, or for my album launch shows where I’m just treating it as a big investment and a celebration without worrying too much about the finances.
Playing solo of course has it’s perks, it’s easy and portable and more financially viable, and you can improvise as you wish in any performance, maintaining an element of creativity. But man do I wish I could jam with others more on my songs - it is just the most magical feeling to hear another musician play your music.
In terms of writing, I do most of my collabs remotely, writing vocal top-lines over electronic music, or composing for the Calm app (this has been a beautiful addition to my work flow in terms of variety and a different, meaningful purpose outside of just promoting myself).
I’d love to get out of my comfort zone and spend more time writing with others, or sessioning for others on vocals, BV’s, piano … Especially live - I would really love to tour again as a backing musician as you get all that adrenaline and travel vibes and music sharing joy without most of the pressure!
How do your work and your creativity relate to the world and what is the role of music in society?
I’ve always given myself this extra pressure of only continuing to make music if it serves some kind of purpose for society, which is why I’ve focused so much on wellbeing and nature, mental health, and finding silver linings in negative situations. I occasionally let myself finish a song without a positive reflection, but it doesn’t really align with my reasoning for making music.
Music plays so many roles in society, and everyone has their own reasons for making it, but at the bottom of it all it’s there to evoke emotions in people. To keep them in touch with primal parts of themselves: adrenaline, empathy, sorrow, joy … all of it.
How do you see the connection between music and science and what can these two fields reveal about each other?
I would love to learn more about this, as I know very little. It’s clear that certain sounds, certain chord progressions, even certain types of voices, trigger very obvious changes of state in people.
I don’t know enough about vibrations and the science behind sound to say anymore, but I’m fascinated by psychology and how the body perceives it’s environment, so I should really learn!
Creativity can reach many different corners of our lives. Do you feel as though writing or performing a piece of music is inherently different from something like making a great cup of coffee? What do you express through music that you couldn't or wouldn't in more 'mundane' tasks?
That’s an interesting question.
I love making a really great cup of coffee, I love cooking creatively and sharing good food with people, or even just feeding myself with love. I love being in touch with nature and losing material comforts to reset my appreciation of being a human being. These are all very similar emotions to when I jump on inspiration and start writing a song, but actually, I think sometimes they can hold more value, as what starts creeping in with music is the ego too.
My ego never shows it’s face when I’m cooking, or going on a good walk. When I make music there is a short period of time at the start when it is raw emotion, but it doesn’t take long for it to become a task in which I’m trying to prove something to myself and others, which is a sad thing to acknowledge.
This mingles with adrenaline and so it feels wonderful but is hard to distinguish where that adrenaline is coming from - the creation process itself, or a sudden excitement that perhaps you’re creating something that others will value.
