Hi Héloise! Congratulations on your recent win at the Melbourne Music Bank!! That's a big deal- tell us about that experience:
SO fantastic! Such an amazing collection of prizes! I have tools now to help move my career forward, tools that I otherwise wouldn't have had access to. I'm so grateful to everyone involved in the initiative. They are the loveliest people and are so supportive. They've given me a leg-up into the music industry, which is invaluable in an industry where it can be near impossible to catch a break.
What inspired your winning song, This is Home?
The song was inspired by my feelings as a stranger in a huge bustling city. Having moved from Tasmania only a year earlier, the song embodies my excitement at being in a new place filled with creative arts, diverse culture, new people and of course wonderful food. I wanted to subtly capture the hidden gems I’ve stumbled across in my adventure from that little island down south.
Now, you got to work with acclaimed filmmaker and photographer, Wilk, who has worked with the likes of Sarah Blasko, Ella Hooper, Spender, how exciting was that?:
Super exciting! We filmed on this gorgeous old locomotive out in rural Victoria. It was so lovely, the weather was perfect and it was nice to be able to see some of the countryside as I hadn't really explored much outside Melbourne. We went from Maldon to Castlemaine which is about an hour on the loco. We only shot for about two and half hours (Wilk is a super-genius) but we were there from 8am til about 2pm. It was such an incredible day, I had two lovely hair and makeup artists pampering me before every scene, the train was incredible and the concept was just perfect for the song. I'm so pleased with the final product.
After playing at Falls Festival and rerecording your single, where to for the rest of 2015?
We’re currently in the process of arranging our second EP for recording a little later this year. We’re hoping to record a second single in the next few months and after its release we’ll hopefully get stuck into planning a tour! We have a few shows coming up over the next few months too! Plus we’ll be launching This Is Home on April 30 at The Workers Club in Fitzroy, which is going to be a rad fun time.
Which artists are on repeat for you at the moment?
The Delta Riggs (cannot explain how much I LOVE these guys), Tom Waits, Jack White, Nikki Lane, Cory Chisel... I love Die Antwoord too. They really do have their own thing going on and it's cool, I'm not usually into electronica or hardcore rap but I really dig them. I love Dune Rats at the moment too! Such a cool Aussie band pumping out some classic surf/stoner rock.
Do you have any advice for others looking to make that move from their hometown to the big city to pursue their dreams?:
DO IT DO IT DO IT! You’ve got nothing to lose. The more people you meet, the more you network, the better. I get talking to people in coffee shops whose brother’s fiancée’s sister’s best friend owns a management company for such and such… just by being in a new place the people you meet can help you on your journey. Home will always be there to go back to but make the most of opportunities while you can. Sometimes they only come up once in a lifetime.