A Quick Chat with Bloom
Tell us about your single ‘Elevate’?
Elevate is the final chapter of my album. It’s how the story ends… learning to love again, whether that is to love yourself or someone else, after a relationship breakdown and the journey to finding ourselves again, Elevate is about being in that high, positive vibration of being excited about your future again.
Who would you say are your influences on the ‘Elevate’ album and what do they bring to you musically?
I co-wrote with a lot of new people from around the world on this album. The first 2 songs “Love Is A Lie” and “One More Place” were written by a team in the US who reached out to me during the height of the pandemic. I loved adding my vocals and production notes to their stories. The first tune sounds like a theme song for a Bond Film and the 2nd song is about the time when a relationship has ended but everything still reminds you of that person. It has a haunting melody.
I then teamed up with a producer in Bulgaria who had already created the music for “Choices" and I added my own lyrics and melody - I wrote this while I was in a hotel room, filming for The Voice Generations earlier this year. This song is about finding your power again when everything has turned upside down. Moving to the other side of Covid, it’s something we can all relate to - it has a message of not giving up even though it seems everything has been taken away.
The brains behind Elevate were a power couple from Perth WA, Kingsley and Chelsea Oldmeadow from Honey Hole Studios. I gave them a reference track and they very quickly created this tune.
You released your debut EP in 2015, how would you say you’ve grown musically between that release and this?
You grow a lot in 7 years. I like to write and connect to music that’s relevant to my life experience. In 2015 I was dealing with a lot of grief, the death of my grandfather and the end of a long relationship left me in a very vulnerable state, so that album is moody and dark.
This release, although it starts off with the heartbreak theme, you can feel the growth in the story, it evolves, finds strength and ends up back on top.
Why so long in between releases?
Well, Covid slowed things down for everyone, I could basically write off 2 years there. But I just didn’t feel ready to release a full album. Financially and creatively, I like to let it happen when it feels right - not just because. But if I had a million dollars I would definitely be pumping out the tunes more often! ha!
You are a constant on the touring circuit, what do you love so much about performing live?
It’s the travel and the energy of a live audience. I love visiting new towns, the more remote the better! I love hearing peoples stories after my shows and what the songs mean to them. Although I mainly sing covers at those shows, I do add in originals too and I love the challenge of loosening up an audience. They might come in a bit shy or stressed from their day but by the end of the show they are all singing and dancing and it is always such a buzz at the end. Some of the message me the next day to say they are still on a high - I love the power of live music.
How do you feel being likened, vocally, to that of Adele, Amy Winehouse and Lana Del Rey?
I feel honoured, I admire all of those artists, everyone hears voices differently so after shows people like to tell me who I remind them of. I grew up listening to a lot of Tina Arena, so I probably developed a similar tone from singing along to her CDs over and over again.
What would you say would be a career highlight for you at this point?
I always feel so honoured when I am asked to sing our National Anthem at Sporting events. I am so glad I got to sing backing vocals for Jon English before he passed away, he was a big inspiration growing up, so that was pretty special and last night I opened for Mark Seymore and James Reyne at a private event, to be on the same stage before these huge well respected Australian Artists is always such a thrill, to see little Miss Independent up there on a big stage - sometimes I pinch myself.
Every time a show sells out - Oh and that the album hit #1 on the iTunes Pop charts this week and #2 across all genres - to see myself up there with some big names was pretty amazing. To know our fan base put us there made me feel like the Bloomies really came together and we are all launching “Bloom” together.
The Voice Generations was also a once in a lifetime experience! We met some beautiful families on that show, so I am glad we were a part of it.
Is there anyone that you would like to collaborate with, and why?
Ahhh the list is long… I’d LOVE to release a Bond theme song, I don’t know why, I just love the movies and I would love to have any of my songs in movies but I would love it in that one specifically.
David Foster because he writes the most beautiful ballads.
Colin Hay because my current favourite song is “I Just Don’t Think I’ll Ever Get Over You”
Stevie Nicks - her songs take so many twists and turns, I’d love to see what we could create together.
And there are SO many more but I’m sure I’ve hit my word count….
What does the future outlook look like for Bloom?
Busy! It looks like an Album Tour around Australia, shows in the UK in 2023, Big live music festivals in Australia, still visiting remote country towns, new songs, I’ll be married in December - I hope to keep doing what I am doing and hopefully it won’t be 7 years between releases.