“Run For Your Life”, the new single from Bertie Blackman triggers the very sensations Bertie Blackman is singing about: feet pounding the pavement, the air rushing into your lungs, the blood pumping through your veins. Referencing the stylistic choices of the 80’s and all the things that made Bertie happy growing up, Vanessa Ronan-Pearce had a chat to find out more about her upcoming album, The Dash.
It’s great to hear that you have a new album coming out. How are you feeling about it and what was the process like?
I’m really excited about the new album. Creating this one was refreshing, as I did it really quickly and turned it around in just four and a half months, which is really quick for me. In the past I have been slower, taking about a year or longer to make an album. Normally between records, it’s a couple of years. Between the last album and this one it’s only been 12 months. The last one was released in October 2012. I finished this record in March last year (2013), so yeah, just over 12 months. In the past it is normally 2-3 years between albums.
Wow, that is a quick turn around. What made you decide to do it differently this time around?
I wrote the music over the summer and it all just flowed. As I was writing, I realised I was making a fresh pop album, which is also a big change for me. The last album was very autobiographical. To create that last album I sat talking about the stories of my life and looking at language with Francois Ketaz (producer and co-writer who has worked with Gotye, Kimbra, Architecture in Helsinki, Lior). We would read the thesaurus and really delve into language, it was an intense and long process. Then making The Dash was a completely different experience. It was much easier and light. But maybe, part of it, was as a result of the learning from the previous record. I now have those tools, language tools, in my skills set. Another difference was that I decided to write this album with a whole load of different writers and producers. You don’t have a chance to second guess yourself, as I do that a lot. I can be quite self critical, so I usually stay at home and work on my own, but doing it this way meant I just had to get it done, without questioning myself.
I loved you anecdote about your Mum: “My mum was a real ’80s chick and would jump on a little trampoline in the morning when I was getting ready for school, blasting aerobic pop really loud. It’s one of my favourite memories.” I can imaging that this was a happy memory. Did this inspire or impact on your overall energy? Did you have a happy up bringing?
That image impacts anyones overall energy… She had me in her early 20’s so was a young mum and she was experiencing the 80’s full on, with the fashion, knitted off the shoulder tops, was into music and playing that music really loudly. She is more relaxed now and so she does yoga. I think I would prefer her to be back on the trampoline. Seeing your mum bouncing around and hearing bright 80’s pop music is a fond and vibrant memory. And the wild things that went on during that time as well. Mum loved listening to bands like The Eurythmics, Tears for Fears and Fleetwood Mac, so this is a snapshot moment of the time that was a really happy time for me and this album is about sharing how happy music makes me. Being in the industry for a while, it’s hard not to get cynical, battered and bruised, so I really wanted to concentrate on music that makes me feel really good, it’s a way to see things with fresh eyes.
This brings me to another comment you made that working with many writers and producers will make you come out of your shell. Would you say you are shy?
I can be very shy, yeah… This new process of working with many different people meant that the first few sessions were really hard to be able to express what I wanted in order to get a good result. I really had to push myself, as I’m not outspoken. When writing a song you are exposing yourself, being vulnerable, and you have to get used to getting feedback on your own life and experiences. So I had to learn that it’s not personal, it’s the work. A valuable lesson was learning to distance myself from the emotions and write more from the exterior, rather than being autobiographical.
I had a very layered childhood and complex childhood with Charles Blackman being my dad; I needed to catharcise that a bit, which I felt I did on the last album, Pope Innocent X. Getting that off my shoulders means the new work is a little more airy and uplifting. However there is a still a sense of sadness, even in the poppier songs, it can draw people in when the subjects are heavier and the sounds are lighter.
There is always one song that is really person. On this album that song is “Darker Days”, which I co-wrote with Julian Hamilton from The Presets. It’s a song about my father. No drums, just guitar and analogue synth. I like to have one moment like that, that is just me, not covered in fun like the world of production, I like having an exposed bone in there. To show people you are still in there somewhere.
You mentioned that there can be a sadness even in the happier songs. How would you describe your general emotional state and how does that impact on your writing?
The sadness is part of me because I grew up quickly. My father was a rampant alcoholic and much older than my mother, so on that side of the family it got very dysfunctional and I experienced things you would never want your children to see. Today when I see the pictures he painted, I still feel what he was feeling, that lack of love and respect for himself, I still feel sad. I enjoy playing with the light and shade, sharp and soft contrasts. The whole bittersweet thing create layers that I like to explore and play with. I find that interesting in art as well so I like to express both sides.
In 2009 you won an AIR award for ‘Breakthrough Independent Artist of the Year’ and an ARIA award for Best Independent Release. How did you feel about the recognition? Are those things important?
Well to tell you the truth, I don’t really know… People bring them up. They seem to be important to people who don’t know who I am, so when I say I won an ARIA they think I have achieved something. Sometimes it can mean I’m on the right track. It is also important for the other people who have worked on the album, the crew, it means a lot to them. It is amazing, and I’m grateful but it doesn’t define me or my career.
The nice thing about it is it’s like finding a chocolate egg in the easter egg hunt. The hunt is fun so the egg is a bonus. It certainly does open doors and that is a great and important thing. The doors that open after you win awards and the whole sort of success that comes with that means I get to go overseas or work with people here that I have always wanted to.
When does the tour start?
The tour starts in August, but at this stage, I’m not sure whether we will play in small venues first then a do bigger tour afterwards. I might need to warm people up again as it has been a while since I have done a national tour. For me touring and playing live makes the songs complete. So I can’t wait to tour as the music really comes to life particularly since we are living in such a digital world.
Check out the first single from The Dash by Bertie Blackman below!
To find out where and when she will be touring:
http://www.bertieblackman.com
