Rachel Collis Nightlight Interview

Rachel Collis Nightlight Interview

More than a year of hard work is set to pay off for acclaimed Sydney songstress Rachel Collis with the release of her highly anticipated second album Nightlight. The indie-pop-folk singer songwriter is ready to share her delicately crafted and deeply sensitive songs in what critics are already describing as her most important work. The album - produced by Rachel and Sean Carey (Thirsty Merc) - combines exquisite ballad, folk and pop sounds with breathtaking vocals and delicate piano to create a perfect storm of both beauty and dark sensitivity. It's captivating from the very first listen and showcases Rachel's poetic lyrical talent.

Rachel spent a long time crafting songs and fine-tuning the sound on this album in order to paint a true representation of herself. 'I spent a lot of time researching and thinking about sound and style for this record," she says. 'I wrote over 20 songs in the 18 month timeframe from my first album, and was determined not to record until I had 10 songs that were not only strong songs, but that also represented the real me. By the time I went into the studio I felt I could clearly articulate what I wanted, and I also knew from having researched Sean Carey that his sound aligned with my own desired aesthetic. This one felt organic and spontaneous and I feel that shows in the end product. I think it's a huge step forward for me in terms of quality and intent, and I'm very proud of the end result."

On Nightlight, Rachel opens herself up with honest and heartfelt songs that tell tales of acceptance, hope and living in the moment. She admits revealing so much of herself to listeners is confronting, but necessary in order to be true to the songs. 'I certainly find it very frightening to reveal so much about myself, and even now I occasionally find myself obfuscating details to try to disguise what a song is really about," she says. 'The difficulty is I feel like I have to be true to the original song idea and do it justice, and that means following a thought all the way through to its conclusion. Sometimes, I don't even realise how honest I'm being until I've finished the song and look at the end result. At the time, it just felt like I was exploring an idea."

Rachel is a living example of exploring an idea and following it through. She has a degree in German and Linguistics and has undertaken a Masters of Music in Composition and Music Production at the Australian Institute of Music. Her classical music background is clearly evident on this album and it's her in-depth knowledge of musical theory that helped give the album wings. 'It's extremely helpful to be able to understand what I am writing from a theoretical perspective," she says. 'It allows me to understand why a particular melodic line might sound dull, or to identify the musical choices that made another song great and to use that formula again. It allows me to make conscious choices and to craft a song, rather than stabbing in the dark at melodic ideas and hoping for the best."

Since stepping into the musical spotlight in 2012, Rachel has gathered quite the reputation for her unforgettable live performances, drawing comparisons with American singer-songwriter and pianist Regina Spektor. She's played to music fans in venues across Sydney, including sell-out performances at the prestigious Riverside Theatres in Parramatta, along with a couple of solo appearances at the Adelaide Fringe Festival. 'Performing solo at the piano allows me to create a really large sound, but also to pull right back and create something very intimate," Rachel says. 'It also allows me to push the tempo forward and pull it back in ways that I can't do with a band, and bring a spontaneous kind of energy to the song." Rachel's live shows are unique and unpredictable, at times channeling Ben Folds on the piano before changing gear to resemble the more modern folk story telling of a Joni Mitchell. Nightlight is a fine representation of this individuality and an album she can be truly proud of.

Nightlight is released digitally through ReverbNation on Friday 12th September 2014.
For more information, please visit www.rachelcollis.com

Interview with Rachel Collis

Question: How would you describe your music?

Rachel Collis: Honest, heartfelt, melancholy. I try to write songs that tell the truth about the experience of being alive, or least, about my experience of being alive. Style-wise I am very influenced by the very melodic songwriting of Joni Mitchell, and my sound draws predominantly on pop and folk influences.


Question: What was the main inspiration behind the album Nightlight?

Rachel Collis: One of my favourite artists is a German singer/songwriter called Anna Depenbusch who released a summer-concept album a couple of years ago. I wanted to respond to that with a winter album, particularly as so many of my songs have a melancholy flavour, and also because I had written a song for the album called 'Winter in Munich." So last winter, long before I'd even finished writing for the album I traipsed out to Mt. Wilson in the Blue Mountains with my photographer and had a photo shoot. The title 'Nightlight" (which is the title of one of the songs on the album) didn't come until the first day of recording, when Sean Carey, who I produced the album with, suggested that it might be the perfect fit. At that point the album evolved from a winter album into an evening album.


Question: Tell us about If I Could.

Rachel Collis: Often when I am feeling distressed my husband says to me, 'Oh honey, I wish I could fix it". I think when we love someone we have this overwhelming urge to make everything in their world right. But at the end of the day what really matters is that we care for the person. I explore this idea in If I Could.


Question: Do you write your own songs? What's your inspiration?

Rachel Collis: I write and co-write all of my songs. 6 of the songs on the album were written just by me, 4 with the help of two trusted collaborators – my husband, Steve, and a good friend, Peta van Drempt, who I studied music with.

Life events, particularly difficult life events, tend to inspire songs. I find when I am processing difficult things that my thoughts very quickly organise themselves into song lyrics. The chorus to a song called 'Tomorrow" came to me after hearing that a good friend had been diagnosed with cancer. 'Those Words" was in part inspired by the death of a close friend. But I'm also always on the look out for a good yarn as well. There's a very kooky song on the album called 'A Duck Named Sybil" which was written about a real duck and her owner.


Question: What music/artists do you listen to when you are not playing your own?

Rachel Collis: At the moment I'm spending a lot of time listening to Brooke Fraser and Sarah McLachlan. I love female singer/songwriters. I'm also a huge fan of country music – I love Kasey Chambers, Sheryl Crow, Darius Rucker and Vince Gill. I also listen to German singer/songwriter Anna Depenbusch.


Question: What are your hopes for Nightlight?

Rachel Collis: I've gained so much in life from really honest songs about life and I believe that songs can connect strangers in the shared human experience in a way that nothing else can. My aim in creating Nightlight was to make an album where every song felt raw and honest, and where I felt that every song really mattered. My hope is that when people listen to Nightlight that they will have that same connective experience that I've had listening to other singer/songwriters.


Question: Was there a moment you contemplated throwing in the towel?
Rachel Collis: Yes, many times. And no, never, at least, not seriously. It's tempting sometimes to throw in the towel, but music has a way of pulling you back to itself, and so giving it up has never been a real option.


Question: Do you prefer performing live or recording?

Rachel Collis: I definitely prefer recording to performing live. I'm a very introverted person and I often find live performance quite scary! But at the same time I really enjoy connecting with people through song which is what keeps driving me back onto the stage. The joy of the studio for me, however, is that I can shape a song away from the audience, and away from all the pressures of performing, and then present it to the audience at the end of the day, and say 'look!" I love the idea of creating something that people can take home with them and experience on their own.


Question: What/who was your inspiration to go into the music industry?

Rachel Collis: Somewhat embarrassingly, the first cassette tape I ever owned was Amy Grant, Heart in Motion. I was given it for Christmas 1991, and ended up making copies of that thing for every girl in my class. But that's where it began for me. I'd been training classically since I was 6, but my love of music really started with that first cassette tape. Around that same time I began listening to the radio and waking up early on Saturday mornings to watch Rage. I loved everything I heard, but it was the singer/songwriters I was most enamoured by.


Question: What is the biggest challenge you have faced along the way to your musical success?

Rachel Collis: The biggest challenge has been confronting my own insecurities. For many years I didn't pursue music at all - after school I went straight into a teaching degree and then became a high school teacher for a number of years. As a teacher I never had to confront the demons that had contributed to me following another career path in the first place. But once I started performing and recording again I became fearful of simply not being good enough, and many small setbacks have felt like a very large statement about my worth as a musician. Pushing through these insecurities has certainly been a challenge, but one that lessens over time.


Question: What has been your favourite part of becoming a music artist?

Rachel Collis: I love it when people engage with my songs, when they become especially meaningful for another person. I love it when people send me an email or pull to aside to tell me why a particular song has become important for them. It makes songwriting feel meaningful.

Question: If you could collaborate with another artist, who would it be?

Rachel Collis: I would love to collaborate with Anna Depenbusch.


Question: Do you have a website fans can visit?

Rachel Collis: www.rachelcollis.com

Fans can also connect with me via facebook: www.facebook.com/RachelCollisOriginalMusic


Interview by Brooke Hunter