Tempo Talks: A Conversation with Phaedra
THE RELEASE
PHAEDRA is an up-and-coming artist hailing from Brisbane, Australia. With a haunting sound that blends moody dark-pop with alt-rock, she is ready to take the world by storm. From a young age, PHAEDRA knew that music was her calling. She honed her craft through years of practice and experimentation, developing a unique sound and style that sets her apart from the crowd. With an undeniable talent and a drive to push boundaries, PHAEDRA is set to leave her imprint on the music industry. Keep an eye on PHAEDRA as she continues to mesmerize audiences with her talent and creative magic.
Prepare to be captivated by the highly anticipated debut single "Bathroom Surgery", which serves as a powerful testament to PHAEDRA's resilience during a tumultuous period in her life. Written amidst grief and chaos, the song beautifully encapsulates moments of calm within the storm. With its evocative lyrics and impeccable production, "Bathroom Surgery" takes listeners on a transformative journey through the depths of human emotion. PHAEDRA's raw talent and undeniable charm shine through in this captivating track, inviting you to explore the darkness that resides within us all. Be prepared to be enthralled by the haunting magic of "Bathroom Surgery" as PHAEDRA unveils her unique musical vision.
THE INTERVIEW
If you had to create a Mount Rushmore of inspiration, what four individuals molded the artist you are today?
Matt Skiba. Any time someone asks me what my favourite band is it's always an easy answer - Alkaline Trio. I think they've shaped me the most as a songwriter. The intricacy of their lyrics, chord progressions and vocal harmonies blows me away every time I listen to them.
Brendon Urie. I'm a grown emo kid and A Fever You Can't Sweat Out was a kind of musical turning point for me. Every time I listen to that album I'm transported back in time to that musical awakening. It's the most bizarre music, but somehow it makes perfect sense. And seeing the evolution of PATD from then until now is inspiring in itself.
Amy Lee. Fallen was another album on repeat during my angsty teen years; I was completely blown away by Amy Lee and her vocal abilities and she was basically my idol. Some feedback I've been receiving a lot on this release is that it has Evanescence vibes, so hopefully my inner child is proud
PJ Harvey. She was introduced to me in 2018 and has had quite the impact. I think at some point I'll release an album of lo-fi demos and it will be very PJ Harvey inspired.
What song or moment in time sparked your passion for music?
I was musical from a very young age so it's hard to pinpoint any one song or moment. My parents both loved music - my mum was classically trained in piano and loved Greek pop music, and my dad taught himself a range of instruments and loved jazz and blues so that strange amalgamation is how it all started for me.
How does your creative process work from the moment you develop the idea to the completion of the record?
My creative process isn't really a linear one. I'm constantly jotting down ideas for lyrics whenever something pops into my head, and sometimes I sit down at the piano with a song idea ready to go and other times I noodle around until something forms. Sometimes a song will just pour out and be done in a few hours, and other times it takes months just to finish one song. Once the songwriting is done it's time to jump in the studio with my producer, and a whole bunch of trial and error happens until we think we're heading in the right direction. When we decide we're happy and the production is locked the song gets mixed, mastered and released. It's kind of crazy to summarise it all in a few sentences because for my first round of songs with this process took about three years.
As for this release, who is the producer and what about the production moved you?
The producer on this track (and the next two tracks I've got lined up) is my friend and all-round legend Max Mitchell. After listening to me go on about how I didn't know what I wanted to do with my music, he said why don't you spend a day in the studio with me and if you hate what we make we can just delete it and that will be it. We did exactly that and what he created completely blew me away. A couple of covid lockdowns later, we were able to spend a week together in the studio in Sydney creating my first three tracks and working with him was truly a dream. The third track I brought to him doesn't have a key signature or an overall tempo, and I was a bit scared to put it forward because I didn't know what we could possibly do with it and thought he wouldn't want to work on it, but he just sat down and got stuck into it. It was tricky, after the first day of working on it, it sounded like 4 different songs stitched together, but then it started forming and we were both like oh ok, is this actually good? That song ended up being the favourite for us both. It's called Waking Life and will be released later in the year.
When it comes to the songwriting on this record, what is the message you want to get across to your listeners?
This track is more introspective, as are the next few that I'll be releasing. I wrote them for myself as a way of processing my own grief after my life was suddenly turned upside down a few years ago. While they're about something specific for me, I really just want people to find their own meaning in the songs without me imposing what was going through my mind when I wrote them.
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