Amber Carly Williams on her debut EP ‘21 Roses’
Ōtautahi-based indie-pop artist Amber Carly Williams releases her soothingly captivating new body of work ‘21 Roses’, with beautiful soundscapes that recall the likes of Alix Page, Lizzy McAlpine and The Japanese House.
Hey Amber, thanks so much for taking the time to chat to us! First of all, we'd love to know about your musical journey from when you first started singing & making music?
I've been playing guitar since back when I was about 9 years old. After a few years I realised that I wanted to do more with it so I started singing and then whenever I was singing, I was playing guitar and whenever I was playing guitar, I was singing. Even now I still always write on my trusty guitar and am always performing with it. When I first started writing songs, I actually found it so hard to find what I was trying to express and didn't really enjoy it at all. But now it is my favourite part of creating music - it just took a while to feel like I was getting somewhere. Music has been my biggest game-changer, and I constantly wonder what I'd be doing if I didn't have that as my outlet. It's tied up in everything I do now and I just love it so much.
That’s amazing! And congrats on your mesmerising new debut EP '21 Roses'! What are the main themes you lyrically delve into in this project?
I'm a very honest writer and I find that whenever I'm writing, it's about personal experiences or situations I've witnessed. These songs dive into my childhood, personal relationships and anxiety. I find that my writing can be quite honest and straight to the point, so I'm sure anyone listening to any of these songs will know the gist of what they're about, but I like that people can then take the songs and interpret them however they may personally relate to them.
What were your artistic influences going into this EP?
This project was inspired by many artists I look up to. Lyrically and sonically my biggest influence was Phoebe Bridgers, and then also The 1975 and Holly Humberstone too had big sonic influence. I more recently discovered Alix Page who now I like to draw a lot of production and songwriting inspiration from, which came through towards the end of working on the EP.
You start off with the stunning song '21 Roses' and it's one of our favourites from this project! Can you tell us a bit about the concept of this track?
This is the first song that I had written out of all the songs on the EP. It feels like the most mature song and it developed a lot over the years, changing verse lines and the chorus as a whole and adding the bridge. It was a completely different song when I first wrote it, but it has grown with my writing. Phoebe Bridgers was definitely my biggest inspiration for this track. I love the subtle intricacies in the guitar parts and the atmosphere particularly in ‘Garden Song’, and I wanted to create that feeling here. ‘21 Roses’ is written about memories I have with my mum before she passed, and the 21 roses represent all of the roses my dad gave her on Valentine’s Day as they were together for 21 years. This will always be a very special song to me, and I am so happy with how the music video came out. I had to go through so many hours of family videos to edit it down to what it is now, and it was very emotional editing through it all, but it was all worth it!
Absolutely stunning. And 'Kids On The Internet' is another beautiful track showcasing your impeccable songwriting abilities! What was the inspiration behind this track and the writing/production process?
I remember writing this song after watching one of the kids in my family constantly grasping for any sort of device. What doesn't help is that all the adults around her will resort to their phone when they’re bored (including me). I wanted to write this song about how sad it is that kids are already addicted to technology. I'm only 22 and I had such a different childhood to the kids of today. It's such a fast change and even since I wrote this song a few years ago, AI has been developed. I tend to write about sadder topics but I like how this one and ‘Life Of The Party’ are a bit more upbeat to contrast with the ideas of the songs. The production for this song was so fun to put together with my producer Terry (Terence O'Connor). It took a long time to get the sound that we were after but I'm stoked with how it turned out. Not to mention the fun little key change at the start of the bridge! I was after more electronic vocals for the bridge, and my favourite part of the recording process is always coming up with the the backing vocals. I think melodies and harmonies are my strong point and we made them super auto-tuned to give that 'internet' aspect.
What were your main highlights working on this EP?
Working in the studio with Terry was honestly so much fun. We got along so well, so a lot of the time it didn't feel like work at all and it was such a safe space to get any ideas out. He's such a talented musician and really knows me and what I wanted to portray. Like I said in the last question, I loved recording the backing vocals. That's definitely a really fun part of the process for me once the song is coming together.
Who are some of your favourite NZ artists right now and are there any songs in particular that you especially love?
There are some incredibly talented artists and bands from Christchurch such as Agnes Aleesy, The Knews, Mim Jensen and Julius Black that I look up to for sure. It's so awesome to be able to call them my friends and get to watch their musical journey.
What are some of the biggest lessons you’ve learnt in your career so far?
Being able to love my own music and know that the 'stats' or 'how well it does' does not define me as an artist or a person. Learning to separate the art from the outcome has been an important step that I'm still learning to do. As much as I'd love to make a full-time living off of my own music, that might come one day but for now I'm just very much enjoying the journey and growing.
Lastly, we end every interview with this question - if you could say one thing to every person in the world, what would it be?
Go for your big dreams! Not everyone is fortunate enough to be able to have this amount of creative freedom, but I think if you are you shouldn't let it go to waste. None of us really know what we're doing but just make the most of your time and figure out what makes you tick! I never would've dreamed that I'd end up as a musician releasing my own music, but I'm so glad I did, and if it all goes south one day then I'm sure I can figure something else out down the track! Live in the present!!
Thanks so much Amber! Make sure to keep up with her on Instagram, Facebook, Spotify or Apple Music.
