Saph Bees By The River Interview

Bees By The River

Saph is a singer songwriter from Adelaide, South Australia. "Bees By The River" will be her first release as a musical artist.

"I wrote bees by the river after having noticed a hive in my backyard that hadn't been there during the previous winter. Combined with that, during the spring, the pub that I work at is swarmed by wasps and thus, clearing tables on the balcony becomes quite the hazard. However, these bees and wasps only come out during the spring, they're there in winter, but not nearly as prominently, so will they still sting me? I drew a parallel between this question, and the current state of our socio cultural state, in that the word is becoming a better place for diverse people with decreased levels of racism, homophobia, and other form of bigotry. As a trans woman of colour, I still wonder, how safe am I, the bee could still sting me in winter, so are there those that still pose a threat to my life in these times of diverse prosperity, or will those bees simply call me mean names?"

Interview with Saph

Question: How would you describe your music?

Saph: I'd describe my music as funky folk. It's somewhat of a fusion of jazz, blues, and folk all in a love child of funky, yet calming tunes.


Question: What inspired the track Bees By The River?

Saph: When the seasons changed from winter to spring I noticed a hive of bees that had popped up in my backyard. That hive hadn't been there during the other seasons of the year, and yet here we were in spring, with hundreds of bees buzzing about. I found somewhat of a parallel, between the bee hive and our society; times are changing, people are becoming more and more open to the idea of diverse individuals, so as times change and "it gets better", how dangerous are those who still oppose human diversity?


Question: What motivates you most when writing music?

Saph: All sorts of things! Sometimes it's as simple as walking past a beehive, and other times I find myself falling down convoluted and complicated rabbit holes of inspiration. So I suppose life is my biggest inspiration for my music.


Question: What message do you hope listeners get from Bees By The River?

Saph: That we can't ignore the past. Times are changing and people are becoming more open to diversity, but many of us still have fears that we grew up with. Fears of bigotry and oppression that we aren't sure if we still need. Times are getting better, but there is still healing to be done.

Question: Do you prefer performing live or recording?

Saph: Honestly I'm not sure, performing live gives me an audience and stage presence that I thrive off, whilst the studio gives me a sound engineer whom I can bounce back ideas with and bring forth sounds and tones I wasn't aware I needed. Both the studio and live performances give me too vastly different energies, I don't believe I have a preference.


Question: Which is your favourite song to perform live and why?

Saph: Honestly I believe Bee's By The River may take that mantle. I love the groove of the song, and the constant starting and stopping of the loop gives me a lot of free reign to improvise and have fun with it.


Question: If you could have anyone, in the world, attend a show, who would it be?

Saph: My best friend Laura, she's always been my biggest supporter and the main drive behind me creating music. To have her at a live show of mine will always be my number one priority.


Question: Which music/artists are you currently listening to?

Saph: I've just recently discovered Stella Donnelly, her song Tricks has been my go to at the moment; though I'm always listening to Tash Sultana and The Wombats.


Question: What or who was your inspiration to go into the music industry?
Saph: At the beginning of this year I attended a Tash Sultana concert. My friends and I got right front and centre like we always do, it was amazing. Being in that moment, seeing Tash on stage, and hearing all of her fans (myself included) filled with so much joy and love for the art she was creating really touched me. I knew in that moment that I needed to be there, where Tash was standing; I needed to get serious about my music.


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

Saph: I'd love to collaborate with Dodie Clarke, she's so incredibly talented and it would be such a fun experience to create and to learn.


Question: What's a typical day like?

Saph: If I'm not at work, I'm either at home jamming out in my bedroom, playing whatever videogame has captured my attention for the month, or every season of modern Doctor Who.


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

Saph: Everything I've learnt from my own abilities as a musician, to studio and mastering skills, and even the networking elements. As an artist and as a musician I've learnt so much and I can't wait to find out what I'll learn next!


@saphlazuli
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Interview by Brooke Hunter