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Interview with
NEAV

(18th November 2022)

Interview by Dave Bruce

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Photo – Nick Langley

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Praise for NEAV

Say Goodbye: “NEAV’s clearly got the voice and the songs keep getting stronger with each release too!” Declan Byrne, triple j

Say Goodbye: “It’s still super early for NEAV but already you can hear a clarity and purpose. It’s emotionally charged throughout.” Dave Ruby Howe, triple j Unearthed

Say Goodbye: “Hands down the strongest (and my favourite) release of yours yet. Consider my heart wrenched!” Abby Butler, triple j

“Big vocal from you here NEAV amidst some subtly clever production.” Tommy Faith, triple j Unearthed

“The future is extremely bright for NEAV”  Rolling Stone Australia

“It’s a rollercoaster of musicality, one which her vocals do justice to all the way through” Life Without Andy

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Have you always wanted to be a musician? When did you get the song writing bug? 
I am a very creative person, always had a weird way of thinking and going about things. My family are big music lovers, and even though they aren’t musicians themselves, I’ve always been surrounded by a range of great music. Ever since I could, I’ve be dancing about and singing, making my own little tunes. I started writing proper songs when I was about 11 or 12 and ever since have used writing as therapy. I think I knew I wanted to be a musician once I started getting comfortable on stage, singing my own songs and falling in love with expressing myself in that way. 

How would you describe your sound? Why do you think people resonate with your music?
I love to create music that makes you feel something and represents the emotion or event I’m trying to express. Production wise, I lean more towards alternate and dark pop genres. I love integrating atmospheric and cinematic instruments and sounds to add drama to my music. I hope that my songs are surprising and interesting in the way they progress. I think that because I write songs as therapy, the subject matter can be related to a lot of different circumstances and people.

Which artist’s music and/or performance, past or present, inspires you today? 
David Byrne inspires me. My dad is obsessed with him and so from a young age I was brainwashed essentially. I was fortunate enough to see his American Utopia tour and I’ve been so inspired ever since. His songs and the way he creatively adapts himself as an artist and creative person has always been so inspirational for me. 

Your new EP ‘Elegy’ has just been released! Describe its origin and evolution. 
ELEGY came to fruition almost by accident when I wrote the first song on the EP called Silence Song. From there, the songs I created naturally fit with the EP theme of going through issues and challenges and getting through them. The EP reflects the transitionary period that I am in in my life. 

What are the signature tracks from the EP, and which is your favorite?
I released 4 singles from the EP before the EP was released but I would say the last single “Say Goodbye” is the signature track. I think it’s definitely one of the most reflective songs that I’ve created so it’s pretty special to me. If I had to pick a favourite from the EP I think it would have to be “To Love”. It’s definitely one of the most vulnerable songs I’ve created and released and I remember the writing process flowed really well. The production and finalising process of this song was really satisfying to me. 

Any tours or events coming up soon? What are you looking forward to, and what can the fans expect?
We haven’t got anything set in stone yet but we are hoping to have a full band show to celebrate the release of the EP at the start of next year (2023).

If you could perform with any music artist, Alive or Dead, who would you choose? And why? 
I feel like Prince would be so much fun to perform with so he immediately comes to mind. An absolute dream of mine however would be to perform or write with David Byrne though, that would be insane.

What are your long-term aspirations as a music artist and how are you progressing towards them? 
I would say, being able to make a living from something I love doing is the ultimate goal always. Whether that’s performing, writing or releasing my own music and sharing my form of personal expression, that’s my aspiration. I’d love to continue to work creatively to make my ideas and concepts come to life through songs, videos and art musically. Broadening my audience and gaining more experiences with collaborations and performances is the goal continuously. I’m already so grateful and proud of what I’ve created or achieved so far. 

With that in mind, what piece of advice would you give to an artist starting out? 
Something I always remind myself is, in a world where you can do anything, why wouldn’t you spend it doing what you love. If you put your all into something and be authentic, it will pay off. Take every opportunity as one door can open two and so on and always be kind cause everyone knows everyone in the industry. 

What is the best thing about performing to a live audience? What’s been the career highlight so far?
Performing live is so much fun and the adrenaline high the band gets is so awesome. I would say a highlight of performing is definitely how my music connects to the audience. Getting people reaching out and letting me know that they liked a certain song is always so lovely to connect to people through my personal expression. I would say a couple of career highlights for me so far would be being featured in Rolling Stone Magazine, MTV and being played on Triple J. I also have loved supporting artists like Cousin Tony’s Brand New FireBird and Greta Stanley. 

Finally, a few questions for some quick answers –
FAVOURITE:
Album –  I can’t pick just one! I have a couple favourites: “Aurora” by Bea Miller, “If I can’t have love, I want power” by Halsey, “Born to die – paradise edition” by Lana Del Rey, “30” by Adele, “Stop Making Sense” by Talking Heads, “the bends” and “ok computer” by Radiohead” and “Last night in the bittersweet” by Paolo Nutini 
Artist – Adele, David Byrne, Radiohead, Lana Del Rey and BANKS
Movie – Shrek, Brave, Pirates of the Caribbean, Cat in the hat or Pulp Fiction 
Place to visit – Japan 
Venue to play – Drifters Wharf, Gosford 
Food – Sushi or sour patch kids 
Drink – peach iced tea or for alcoholic drinks my favourite right now is an amaretto sour
Person in History –  Robert Burns (1700 Scottish Justin Bieber)
Tattoo – (If you don’t have one, what would you get?)  I don’t have one but I would get something music related like a David Byrne lyric or something or my families handwriting or drawings. 

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Follow NEAV
Official Website – Facebook – Instagram
Twitter – Youtube – Triple J Unearthed

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Press Release 18th November 2022 (below) HERE

NEAV
releases her cinematic
pop debut EP
‘ELEGY’ 

Featuring the new single
‘To Love’

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AMNPLIFY – DB