Hey everyone, Brendan the blind guy Here! I Don’t Believe In Fairies, but what I do believe in, is artists who’s musical essence fills me, running through my Blood like a holy spirit, and No, I’m not a Holy Man! Ladies & gentlemen, I’ve got the distinct pleasure of catching up with an artist drawing near to the Eve of her EP launch and thus greatness! All the way from San Antonio and back, SHELLEY SEGAL!
Brendan; How’ve you been since we last spoke in November 2017 Shelley?
Shelley: Hi Brendan! What an awesome intro, hehe! I’ve been really well since then, thanks. I’ve been super busy, lots of writing, touring and recording!
Brendan; Last time we spoke, you’d just released your single ‘Someone Like You’, a defiant, powerfully commanding track about not being able to love who you’re “supposed to”. Now, you’ve released your new track ‘No’ off your upcoming EP ‘Holy’., conveying flavours of pop, indie, rock, folk and country. ‘No’ seems to portray a wanting for an end without confrontation, is that the story behind the song lyrically, or am I way off? (likely)
Shelley: With ‘No’ you are totally right, that is definitely part of what the song describes. The song depicts different scenarios where it is hard to say “no” for different reasons. Maybe your safety or your job is at stake, or maybe you just don’t have the experience to assert your boundaries. I want the song to be part of the wider conversation that we are having around consent. In the song I am encouraging myself and others to have the strength to assert our own boundaries but also expressing the idea that sometimes it can be more complicated than that, to hopefully encourage deeper awareness, consideration and compassion.
Brendan; ‘No’ and ‘Blood’ are the two tracks that really grab my attention on your upcoming EP ‘Holy’, with a sharp rock edge and catchy vocal hooks in both. Is this why you chose ‘No’ to be the first taste of the EP for fans?
Shelley: I’m so glad those tunes are resonating with you! Blood is one of my favourites!!! It’s hard to pick a single really because I feel like the tracks stand alone and all have something different to offer. I felt like ‘No’ would be a strong foot forward, it’s catchy and also is very directly engaging with a serious issue and I love the chance to get to talk about these kinds of things with press!
Brendan; As I previously mentioned, there’s lots of musical flavours swirling around in the EP’s mix of styles. What was the inspiration for all the musical diversity, did the songs’ stories simply yearn for their respective sounds?
Shelley: The songs on the EP were all written since moving to the US. I think being here has really influenced me in both the content of the songs, often around political discussions present here such as consent, religious freedom, gun control, tribalism/racism and also stylistically. I’ve spent so much time on tour driving around the US listening to country radio and absorbing those sounds and styles. I think each song really called for its own sound but I can hear the influences of being here and the music I’ve been seeing and listening to in each track. I drew on the artists that I love and I don’t feel the need to stay in one sonic palette.
Brendan; I can’t help but notice, from what I can tell, you still haven’t made your way up here to Sydney *sniffle-sniffle*. Is there any plans lurking for an Aussie tour in the near future?
Shelley: I KNOOOOOOOOW!! I’m so sad that I haven’t been on a big national Aussie tour for a while. I did get to do a regional VIC tour last year. I’m hoping that next year I will be able to come up! Hopefully will see you at a show :D
Brendan; Since we last spoke, I can imagine your performances have grown immensely. So paint us a word picture of what you bring to the stages these days?
Shelley: I've been really honing my show these last few years, I've been playing with my partner Rob on guitar and added a stomp pedal to the mix which has given me a lot more drive and energy on stage. I've also been learning to have more quiet subtle moments so I feel like overall the dynamics have really grown. I love to be vulnerable and open and to connect with my audiences to give them a space to reflect on their lives and how they see the world.
Brendan; Right, I reckon it’s time we get exclusive Shelley, just me and you… and all the readers. So, what’s an exclusive fun fact about yourself?
Shelley: So one cool (I think!) fact about me is that I used to play table tennis competitively!! I love it so much - it’s the best sport hehehe!! My father, uncle and my brother play and I still play casually. But when I was younger I used to go to tournaments and I even played on the state team a few times. At one point I was ranked #9 in the country for my age group. So don’t call it ‘Ping Pong’ or you’ll get my back up :P :P :P
Brendan; Now it’s time for my favourite question of all, that’s right people, it’s WTF time! So Shelley, you being a very active musician traversing the world with your music, winning the hearts of people here in Australia and abroad. This said, you must have some pretty priceless moments on your music career, but what’s the one that takes the cake as being the most hilarious, priceless, WTF of them all?
Shelley: So back in 2015 I released my single ‘Morocco’. It was about my experiences travelling briefly in Marrakech and Essaouira, looking at my place there as a tourist and what experiences were afforded to me contrasted with how things were for some locals. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHBWr2x0rrY I touched on some difficult issues that I had seen such as child homelessness and drug tourism.
After I released the music video a blog in Morocco wrote (incorrectly) that I had denounced the kingdom of Morocco. Thousands of people read that article and then watched my video through that lens. I copped a lot of online abuse and the story was picked by the national press in Australia and also the Moroccan World News. It was a very strange and interesting experience culminating with a story on the front page of the Age Entertainment Online with a picture of me and my dad underneath the headline ‘Australian Artist Causes Drug Furore In Morocco’.
Brendan; And finally, after your EP is launched on November 1, what else can fans look forward to, give us a teaser?
Shelley: Well I have some super exciting projects in the works. I’m creating music for a documentary called 'Transmission Love’ about a young transgender girl and her family in Los Angeles.
I’m working with my dear friend Prince Chapelle on a collaborative album. Prince is an incredible songwriter, producer and vocalist. Our album will be a meld of styles, folk and country melodies and guitars mixed with pop production and some fantastic local musicians joining us.
I’m also working on a conservation themed EP that is very close to my heart. ‘Great Loud Sound’ will be co-written with Dan Lombardo - a biologist and science communicator and educator from Tacoma in Washington State. The project will educate people about the stunning and unique Puget Sound Watershed, the animals who live there and the issues they face.
We are currently raising funds for the project here which we will eventually share online as a free resource: https://www.gofundme.com/f/the-puget-sound-conservation-ep
I also share new music every week on my Patreon page! www.patreon.com/shelleysegal
Brendan; Thanks for your time Shelley and hope to catch you in Sydney soon!
Shelley: Thanks so much for having me, for your great questions and for helping me share my music <3
