INTERVIEW: Clea on her latest single 'Sugar': "Everyone needs to take small steps in order for the earth to start healing."
Brisbane’s Clea (pronounced Clay) has been releasing music since 2016, but it wasn’t until 2018 when she released her debut album Vermillion that her music really made its mark on the music industry’s consciousness. A collection of 10 smart, smooth indiepop tracks the album’s single ‘Dreaming’ won the Song of the Year award at the 2019 Queensland Music Awards. In the same year, she landed a coveted spot on Triple J’s Like A Version, putting her own unique spin on Mark Ronson’s ‘Nothing Breaks Like A Heart’, her version accumulating over half a million global streams.
Earlier this year she released her first new music since the release of Vermillion with the country-rock infused single ‘Soft Blow To The Head’, and in June the dreamy, shoegaze pop single ‘Sugar’, Clea’s response to the devastating bushfires which swept through Australia at the end of 2019 and beginning of 2020.
We recently chatted to Clea about her latest music. gender equality in music and what we need to do to save our environment.
Hi Clea! Great to chat to you. How have things been for you in these last crazy few months?
Hey! Thanks for having me. To be honest it has been very up and down, at times incredibly rewarding and other times very insular and gloomy. These last couple of months have been especially draining and enlightening as I’m sure it has been for so many others.
Congratulations on the release of your latest single ‘Sugar’, it really is a very special track. The song was born out of the overwhelming trauma of the bushfires earlier this year, can you tell us a little more about the inspiration behind the track?
Thank you so much. ‘Sugar’ is a cry for help for our planet and all its inhabitants. I have a deep affinity with animals so when the fires engulfed the country I especially felt the pain for the millions of critters who’s lives where lost.
What was the creative process/recording session like for ‘Sugar’?
My partner Ali and I have a studio out in the Scenic Rim in Queensland which is where we record all my music. We recorded ‘Sugar’ during peak lockdown so we had endless time to experiment with the sounds. During that time we took all the studio gear up to the main cottage house that resides on the property and set up on the deck outside. The mixing/recording of ‘Sugar’ was predominantly done on the deck, enabling the song to be influenced and shaped by the outside world. Even the bird you hear at the beginning of the track was hiding in amongst the mango tree next to us. I love that the recording process is true to the contents and feeling of the song, ‘Sugar’ is truly as close to nature as possible.
You also released a beautiful, very cinematic music video for ‘Sugar’, what was that like to make? And how cold was it standing in that lake?!
The video was also made when restrictions where still in place so the crew consisted of only myself, Ali and the filmmaker, Jack Birtles. We shot the clip over three days, staying in close range of the studio and truly capturing the beauty of our surroundings. We had such an amazing time and everything was so intuitive and free flowing. It felt very satisfying getting the job done. I tell you what… I don’t think I have ever been colder in my life. When I got out my body was almost convulsing with shivers. Ali immediately wrapped me in a towel and threw me into the car with the heater on full blast. I should have incorporated some Wim Hof breathing techniques to get me through that scene a little easier ha ha!
You’ve been releasing music now for four years, how did your career get started?
I’ve been writing songs since I was in high school and then as soon as I graduated I immediately got out into the world and played where I could. It wasn’t until I met Ali in 2015 that I was able to explore my music in a band setting, as I was previously only playing as a solo acoustic artist. Ali was just starting to play around with producing at that time and so one day I went over to his house, we recorded ‘Dire Consequences’ and the rest is history!
Releasing music has become so much easier for independent artists in the last few years with the advent of streaming services, which is great, but can also lead to a crowded market. What do you find are the main challenges of being an independent musician, and getting your voice heard?
The number one challenge is the financing. You really have to look carefully at where you spend your money, as there are so many costs that come with recording/releasing music. When you are with a big label there are benefits of a company having such a strong grip in the industry through connections, but in saying that I do believe that if the music is good enough you will cut through in one way of another. Otherwise I’d say it’s pretty great! I have full control over my artistic output and purely engage people that I need help in getting the job done, PR and distribution for example.
On that note, the music industry has traditionally been so male-dominated that it is often female musicians that struggle the most to get their voice heard. What are your thoughts on gender equality and sexism in the music industry?
I recently made a big shift with my team and have found myself surrounded by women in the industry for the first time and boy does it feel good! I didn’t realise how much I needed feminine energy within my work environment. As we’ve recently seen with stories coming to the surface of assault and harassment towards woman in our industry, it is evident that we have a long way to go. Hopefully this exposure of events will enable more women to feel comfortable with sharing their stories and calling out abuse of power when they see it. There is still a major disparity between men and woman in the industry and there needs to be a shift in predominately male jobs such as sound engineering, producing, lighting etc. as well as normalising female instrumentalists. I really hope I don’t see “all female band” as a bands identifier in a review or story again. As a society we have to make sure we are not disparaging of young girls who want to enter the music industry in one way or another.
Back to ‘Sugar’, there is obviously such a strong environmental message in the lyrics, what do you think needs to change in order for us to achieve greater protection for, and healing of, our environment?
We are so very disconnected from our natural environment, so firstly there needs to be a real personal reconnection with the earth as well as a fundamental shift to the way we approach daily tasks; being aware of how even the smallest of things effects the environment. It can be such an overwhelming issue but everyone needs to take small steps in order for the earth to start healing.
What artists/tracks have you been getting into during lockdown?
George Alice – Stuck in a Bubble
Pink Floyd – Breathe
Ryuichi Sakamoto - Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence
Wilsons Prom – Love Fool
What else is on the agenda for Clea in 2020
?
Finishing the album! It’s so close I can taste it.
’Sugar’ by Clea is out now. You can download, stream and watch here
To keep up with all things Clea you can follow her on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
