KARMEL JAGER’S

The Top 5 things I’ve learnt

from being a Classical Musician

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Top 5 things I’ve learnt
from being a Classical musician
– Karmel Jager

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Be True to Yourself
When Gershwin asked Ravel to give him composition lessons, Ravel refused, saying he’d just turn him into a second-rate Ravel when he was already a first-rate Gershwin! Much as we can learn from others, it’s important to be yourself and bring ‘you’ to everything you do. Not everyone will like or ‘get’ what you’re doing but that’s ok. Even Beethoven said to the baffled musicians rehearsing his music, “Don’t worry, this is music for the future..” 

Practice Practice Practice
It’s the old joke.. “How do you get to Carnegie Hall?” “Practice, practice practice!” I still think there’s a tendency to hope that one day the phone will ring and you’ll suddenly get your ‘big break’. I know in the classical world that it’s rarely the case. I’ve seen how hard everybody works to get where they are, even those at the very top. Having only recently started producing my own music, it is like starting at the beginning all over again.. But I think just knowing that hard work is a big part of reaching your goals makes it easier, and it certainly helps when I’m frustrated and hate something I’ve just made! 

Don’t compare your beginning to someone else’s middle
Everybody has to start somewhere. I’ve seen a lot of now-successful musicians who had to hang in there and do the hard yards, even though they had to watch some of their colleagues surpass them along the way.. Very few become famous and rich, and very few have a straight path to success. There’s a lot of nay-sayers out there unfortunately (ignore those people!), but sometimes you just have to carry on and find where you fit into the bigger picture. A couple of friends come to mind – they weren’t always the first one chosen to begin with, but kept on working hard, and just recently performed at La Scala! Of course in the early days you’re not where you want to be, and it’s easy to just see those people further along their journey. I see people now like Alison Wonderland and Anna Lunoe and think, that must be an impossible place to get to.. But those people were also at their beginning once, and I find that to be an encouraging thought!

Don’t forget the joy you felt when you started out
There’s something transcendent about music. It can make us feel something out of nowhere, and bring up emotions we didn’t know we had. When I was 5 I saw my first classical concert and was so struck by the music I went to my parents crying and begging them to get me a violin. Those moments should never be forgotten and they can keep you going in the hard times. We all started out making music simply because we loved it. When we realised if we were going to do it for a job we’d need to figure out how to ‘monetise’ it, it can completely kill that love. I had a friend who dropped out of the Sydney Con after just one year saying ‘They just killed it for me’, and I think that’s just so sad. I’ve heard a lot of negativity from musicians, and those people usually don’t get anywhere, or at least their careers are hindered because of their attitude. I think coming back to what you really love about music is really important, and that way you can still at least do it on the side and still find joy in it.

It IS possible to be a full time musician, it just might NOT look like what you thought it was going to look like
The more I look, the more possibilities I see. In London it’s called a ‘portfolio career’, and many of my friends there would describe their jobs as a ‘live performer/ session singer/ conductor/ teacher. The ratio of these things might change over time as they excel or pick up more work in one field over another. Now moving into electronic music I see how it is possible to juggle DJing with producing, working in an electronic music store, teaching private students and doing live sets. Had I not seen the variety of work possibilities in the classical world in London, I might not have recognised the wealth of opportunity there is here in the Australian electronic music scene. Just as London is a hotbed for choral music, Australia is a hotbed for electronic music. And I feel pretty luck to be going from one to the other.

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KARMEL JAGER

trading BACH for BEATS

with eccentric new track

‘Trafalgar Square’

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Classically trained Sydney artist Karmel Jager has turned over a new leaf in her career, experimenting into electronic music on her new single “Trafalgar Square”. Trading Bach for beats, Jager has moved from her London base where she recorded film scores and performed in world-renowned concert halls to the unorthodox and eccentric rhythms and pop vocals of her new project.

Karmel explores her developing musicianship and artistry across a wide variety of genres, likening her sound to Roisin Murphy mixed with Robyn. Initially honing her craft as a classical singer at the Sydney Conservatorium and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama (London), Jäger’s sonic journey into the electronic scene has seen her flourish into a versatile artist. “Trafalgar Square” sees her explore the different genres of bedroom electro-pop that helped to cement artists like Elizabeth Rose in their early years. Glitching synths, smooth basslines and distorted percussion meld into a unique sonic form as Jager’s sublime vocal floats above.

Spending three years abroad in the UK from 2014, Jäger has gained notoriety in the classical sphere, performing throughout Europe and Australia in notable venues including Sydney Opera House, Royal Albert Hall and The Barbican. Appearing on soundtracks for films, TV and video games, and recording extensively at AIR and Abbey Road Studios, she lent her voice to the likes of BBC’s Sherlock, Marvel’s Avengers and World of Warcraft.

Her return to Sydney in 2017 has seen the artist land firmly on her feet, moving swiftly into the electronic music community and releasing her debut single “Back of You”, to critical acclaim from triple J Unearthed and KISS FM. Charting at #2 on the Dance Charts and #7 on the Electronic Charts, this “knock out first track” and “classic-feeling anthem” is just the start for this budding producer.

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“Trafalgar Square”
is available for purchase and stream
on all platforms now!

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Follow KARMEL JAGER
Facebook | Instagram | Unearthed | Spotify

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AMNPLIFY – DB