SXSW Music Interview: Demi Louise (Ballarat) on cracking the industry in Australia and abroad, plus plans for 2016!

Demi Louise is a lady I’m always happy to see at SXSW  – the young singer songwriter has been coming to the Austin event for the last few years now and the AU has always managed to catch up with her at some point during her hectic live show schedule. A seasoned pro at these international showcase events, SXSW 2016 saw Demi return to Austin with an expanded live show and some new stories to share.

At the Aussie BBQ, the Ballarat native sat down with me as Harts furiously played in the background to chat about her trip so far, travel plans for 2016 and the differences she’s found in establishing herself as a writer at home in Australia compared to her recent sessions and successes abroad.

“I think it’s definitely a little bit harder in Australia,” she says. “It’s geographically different. There’s Melbourne and Sydney, the writing hubs, but even then a lot of people are overseas. In America, you go to LA and New York, and there are thousands of people in that area. I think even in terms of that, it’s harder. At the same time, it’s smaller in Australia, so it’s easier to make your way in. It’s different.”

“I’ve come over with a keyboardist and backing vocals,” Demi says of her new live set up. “I’ve expanded in that way. I was really excited to come back; I’ve been doing everything solo for so long, I was ready to do it. It was less stressful and more stressful at the same time, at least I have someone to talk to now when we’re doing stuff! Trusting someone else on stage is a really different feeling, but I’m lucky with how it’s going.”

Watch the full interview below!

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