A Quick Chat with Queenie

Can you tell us about the meaning behind your new track “Everything Sucks”?

I actually wrote the track back in 2020 after coming out of a 10 year relationship. It was just as we were heading into lockdown and I didn’t have the usual avenues of heading out on the town to drown my sorrows so I had no choice but to sit with my feelings. I remember It had been a while since I had written a song and one night It just poured out of me.

What piece of advice would you give someone going through a long term relationship breakup?

My only advice is to stay busy! There’s honestly not much that takes away that overwhelming ache (although red wine and a sudden infatuation with baking sourdough definitely helps). I thought the feeling would never fade; but it does. I didn’t know how to adjust to living and existing on my own but eventually you do. Literally taking one day at a time is the only way. Or like, time travel maybe...

What’s your creative process like? What inspires you to write music?

I often write in bursts. I’ll not write anything for a couple of months then all of a sudden this urge to compose will hit me like a freight train (usually at like 1 in the morning when I’m trying to sleep). I’ll grab my tiny acoustic guitar and sit on the floor and churn out something resembling a song until I’m bored or frustrated. I often find my songs fully come to life when I take them to other people. I’m a real skeleton kind of gal. I just love the process of taking the bones of something to the band or my producer or another writer and seeing what they come up with or how they interpret the music. For a lot of my life I was inspired by films, stories, photos, poems and more tangible things but as I’ve grown older I definitely find myself writing much more emotionally and attempting to appease my internal monologue. The themes now are much more about people and feelings than the whimsical fantasy style songs I used to write.

Who are your biggest musical inspirations?

There are so many but I’ll keep it short and sweet. Kate Bush, Peter Gabriel, Tom Waits, Betty Davis, Steely Dan, Eagles, Bjork... the list is very long but they’re the top dogs for sure!

What’s your dream support slot?

Living? Dan Auerbach. Dead? Betty Davis.

What artist can you not get enough of lately?

I go through phases of absolutely slamming a certain genre (I drive a lot so I’m always listening to tunes in the car) and right now I’m going through an Edith Piaf moment. Some Nancy Sinatra thrown in too but I am just loving driving along feeling like I’m a main character in the movie Amélie (one of my lifelong favourites).

What has been the most memorable moment of your musical career so far?

There are so many highlights, I couldn’t name one that stands out more than the others but recently we played a sold out single launch at Thornbury Bowls Club. The stage didn’t arrive in time so we played on the floor real punk like. The energy in that room was just unbeatable. It was hot and sweaty and the band killed it. Jeane and J Kagan played with us and it was just perfect. Knowing so many people literally paid to come to watch us play was the biggest high. I saw so many people I didn’t know and I just thought, these people I’ve never met have shown up because they love my music. I had a real ‘stop to smell the roses’ kind of moment and it actually sunk in that all the dreams I’d had since I was 11, were just maybe starting to come true. I was beaming for a week after.

What’s next for Queenie? What can people expect in 2024?

We have a few festivals coming up! Queenscliff and Townfolk but prior to that we’ll be doing some shows around the country to celebrate the release of album. Oh yeah and the album itself! New Moult will be out August 30th. That will probably see us out to the end of the year then who knows! More music, more merch, more shows, maybe Glastonbury? A girl can dream right?