Welcome, The Meeck! Before we delve into the specifics of your single ‘Frequency,’ could you share a bit about your journey in the music industry and how you found your passion for music?
Hey! Yeah for sure. I played my first gig in 2014, so I’ve been knocking around the music industry for 10 years next year, haha that’s gone fast!!
Over that time I’ve got to play a lot of really fun shows and met some incredible artists, we’ve got so much talent coming out of Perth at the moment.
I’ve also released 3 albums since 2015, lyrically I write from a very raw and personal place, so the albums have served as kind of time capsules of different stages in my life which is funny for me to sometimes reflect back on.
My passion for music actually started with me learning the guitar from my dad. He’s an incredible guitarist so from the get go I was in very skilled hands to learn a lot about the guitar but also music in general.
My passion for songwriting started about 3 years after beginning to learn the guitar.
I had written poetry since I was around 8, so blending my new found love for music with my poetry, was the perfect combination.
What challenges did you face early in your career, and how did you overcome them?
I guess the main challenges was getting gigs, like there’s so many people doing music and songwriting which is amazing, but also there’s only so many venues and events happening. So as a new artist trying to get your foot in the door can be hard. I think also the fact I really didn’t stick to just 1 genre made it difficult at first for event organisers to know what kind of lineup to put me on.
I think the main way I overcame this as a challenge was finding any gigs I could, doing any open mics spots that became available and showing people what I did. What I found was the more people heard my music, they kind of embraced that it was different and I started getting put on lineups with a variety of different types of music. I remember 1 week I was put on a lineup as the opener for a bunch of heavy rock bands, then the next day I was playing another gig with all these folk artists. I really enjoy the fact I get the opportunity to see a what’s happening in the variety of different music scenes.
How do you feel your music has evolved since you first started, and what do you attribute that evolution to?
I think the main way my music has evolved is that at first I had bands/artists that I was in some way trying to emulate, but as I’ve wrote and explored songwriting more, I’ve created kind of like my own toolkit, which has made me more confident to lean into my own style and be more ambitious to be creative.
I know we’re not talking about ‘Frequency’ yet, but I think that’s a good example of my ambitious to push myself creatively.
Let’s talk about your latest single, “Frequency.” What was the inspiration behind the song?
I can’t tell you how much I love the inspiration behind ´Frequency’, so much of my previous songwriting has been quite melancholy, like a kind of therapy for me to deal with heart break, my battle for mental illness or grieving the loss of someone.
´Frequency’ was inspired by nothing but pure happiness and love. Now I’m going to be completely honest with you I haven’t actually told the person I wrote ‘Frequency’ about that it’s about them yet, even though the songs out in the world hahah so I’ll have to keep the details a bit vague. But ‘Frequency’ was basically about finding that person where neither of you have to try to be anyone but yourselves around, you both love and accept each other for who you are and want nothing but the best for both of your lives. You can rock up to the most boring event see each other and know this nights going to be a party haha
Can you walk us through the creative process of producing “Frequency” from inception to completion?
Yeah definitely!! So ´Frequency’ started just with vocals, actually more specifically the chorus, I just started singing it over and over again so I quickly got out my audio recorder on my phone and just started singing the the chorus and the first words that came to my head. To be honest the lyrics and structured was pretty much done in 15 minutes. The hard part was sorting out the chords and then what style I wanted ´Frequency’ to sound like.
I created a bunch of different demos, trying to find the right musical energy. I had a like full band / conventional instrument rock demo which I kind of liked but I was still fully happy with having a normal drum kit as the beat. One day I had an idea to play the different parts of the drum kit through the monitors and re-record them using these synth guitar effects along with a chorus, delay and reverb pedal. Once I had the recording of the drums with the effects on them, I took the original drums out, leaving me with this frequency wave percussion sound. To be honest I couldn’t believe it actually worked, I’m still not convinced I could replicate it again haha.
Apart from the frequency wave percussion, I basically just added a couple of synths and a single electric rhythm guitar. The lead vocals had a double under them that had a radio static effect on them to also add an extra layer to the electronic feel of the song.
I also had the idea of using the radio static effect on the lead vocals for the intro to add a different dynamic to the overall track.
Are there any interesting anecdotes or challenges you encountered while working on this particular track?
Haha yeah I guess the biggest challenges was as I mentioned trying to find the right sound for ´Frequency’ but also when setting the effets on the drums, finding the right amount of delay and reverb so that it didn’t actually affect the beat to the extent of putting the track out of time.
Looking back on your musical journey, what have been the most memorable moments or milestones so far?
Some of my most memorable moments have probably been some of the hilarious things that have happened at gigs, like falling off the stage, knocking myself in the eye with microphone, once a guy poured a jug of beer over me just before I went on stage, I was wearing a white t-shirt, I still got up there and did the gig haha
I would say though some of my most valued moments and memories are the discussions around the topic of mental health that I’ve had with people in the audience after one of my gigs. I guess that’s also kind of a milestone, the fact that my lyrics about my own struggles with mental health have resonated with the audience and opened up a discussion about something they or someone they know might be going through.
Can you share some insights into your typical creative process when working on new music?
My creative process will almost always start with me playing a new song idea on a piano or an acoustic guitar. Lyrics are really important to me, so I like to create the acoustic version of a song where the lyrics are the main feature. Once I’m happy with the barebones version of a song I’ll then start to think about how I’ll build it into a more fully fleshed sound.
What emotions or moods do you aim to evoke in your listeners through your music?
That kind of changes depending on what I’m writing the song about.
I’d say the songs I have released in the past mostly centred around the moods and emotions of sadness and hopelessness with a sprinkling of heartbreak.
With ‘Frequency’ and looking forward a lot of the moods and emotions I’m aiming to evoke in my listeners is hope, defiance and a positive belief in one’s self, if life hits you with a hard time, instead of feeling defeated, find the strength to fight through it and get yourself to a place you feel positive again.
What can fans expect from you soon, in terms of new releases or projects?
Well 2024 is going to be a big year of releases. I’ll be starting the year by releasing 2 more singles before releasing the album that they and ‘Frequency ‘ are a part of.
I’ve also designed a live show which I honestly am so excited to perform and share.
Lastly, is there a specific message or feeling you hope your fans experience when they listen to your music, and if so, what is it?
Yeah I want to say a BIG thank you to anyone that’s listened to ‘Frequency’ and/or watched the music and lyric videos, your support is much appreciated.
Haha I know it’s super cheesy to say but,
I hope when you listen to ‘Frequency’ it makes you feel confident in yourself and reminds you that even though not every person is going to understand or accept you for who you are, don’t ever change to fit in coz one day you’ll find that person/people that are on your same frequency.
