Q&A: CLOUDY

Opening up her next chapter of music, Kiwi-Austrian alternative/indie singer-songwriter Cloudy gives us a taste of what’s to come on her upcoming EP with her latest single ‘Worth It’! A dreamy indie-rock piece with stunning melodies and the raw, glittery sound of a live band, she chats to us about the track, her new music on the way and more.

We’d love to know a little bit about your musical journey so far from when you first started making music!

Music and writing has always been a part of my life but for most of the time I kept it very low key and any singing or songwriting was very private. It wasn't something I really shared or told people about - writing songs was just sort of something I did in solitary and it was my way of expressing myself and processing things going on in my life.

Wasn't till around the end of 2018 that I really dived into music more seriously. I’d graduated from uni and was working my day job figuring things out. I was surrounding myself more and more with musical friends - my big brother was also in a band so seeing them gig and put music out was very inspiring and feeding my craving to do the same. I got taken along to an open mic that year and shared my music for the first time which is something I would have NEVER imagined myself doing but realised it was something that had been missing for me and nothing had ever felt more right than doing music.

So from then on I haven't stopped. I began writing a lot more, playing gigs and recording/releasing music and now here I am 2 years later - I’ve got a band and I’m about to start making my second EP in the coming year.

Amazing! We love your latest carefree track ‘Worth It’ - such an amazing song to rock out to that also has an incredible sense of timelessness to it! Can you tell us about the meaning of this track and the inspiration behind it?

I think I want to leave the song's meaning to each individual's own interpretation, very cliché to say I know but I like to think that when people listen to my music they find their own meaning in it. I wanted the song to have a sense of nostalgia so hopefully it takes everyone who hears it to their own place in their minds! 

What was the writing & production process for ‘Worth It’ like?

I’d written the Acoustic version of ‘Worth It’ which had taken me a good part of the year to finish. I then brought it along to a ‘demo/writing session’ with Harry Charles who has produced most of my music so far. I laid out all my ideas/vision for the song during the session. We worked away at ‘Worth It’ that day and the song really took shape to the point it almost felt complete then and there. Harry really got what I wanted for the song and he is so talented in what he does.

Eventually I was going to revisit the track with my band to record the final version but then the lockdown hit and things got put on hold. The whole bump in the road ended up being a blessing in disguise though because the track was already in a really good place so we ended up finishing it during the lockdown. The process really didn't go how I imagined it would but it was for the best. It was a real team effort between Harry, Morgan Allen and myself to get it to the finish line. The track was then mastered by Luke Finlay (Primal Mastering) and then shipped off to sea! 

Awesome! Another favourite of ours is your song ‘I’ll Stay’ which is absolutely stunning! What were your main highlights working on the song?

‘I’ll Stay’ was a really explorative process sound wise for me and showed me that you can do so much more than just sing along to your guitar. It also made me realise that I liked some of my music sounding a bit bigger and bolder. Before recording ‘I’ll Stay’, I was a lot more minimalistic with what I wanted in my music/sound. I owe a lot of thanks to Harry (producer) who really pushed me out of my comfort zone with the production of it in the best way possible - I learnt a lot from the process of making this song.

Do you have more new music on the way soon? If so, what can you tell us about it?

YES! As soon as we are out of lockdown, I am heading straight back into the studio to resume the work on my next EP. I'm really excited about recording these new songs as they are some of my favourites I’ve written. I will be taking a bit of a different approach with this project by having the band involved in the recording process. The band has really allowed me to step into new waters and push my songwriting in a more honest and raw direction. Now that ‘Worth It’ is out and opened this new chapter, I really can't wait to get into more of the new music I have in store.

Who would you say are your biggest inspirations in music?

My biggest inspiration is not necessarily a person but rather life and all its highs and lows and in betweens that come with it? Anything that triggers a strong emotion for that matter is inspiring to me in music. I can really relate to people like Kurt Cobain and Billie Eilish who are artists that have faced personal struggle and made very authentic art out of that. 

Who are some of your favourite NZ artists right now and are there any songs in particular that you love or connect with?

There is a lot of awesome music coming out of NZ atm … but most recently I’ve been listening to The Beths and Molly Payton. I really like ‘Little Death’ by The Beths and I love ‘In Your Arms’ by Molly Payton, she has such a unique and beautiful voice. 

What do you love most about living in New Zealand? Do you have any favourite places to travel to or local spots to visit?

Definitely all the nature we are surrounded by and you don't have to go very far to escape into it. I think a lot of people take how beautiful our country is for granted. I love going out to the vast West Coast beaches and also exploring bush walks. Driving up north to places like Mangawhai Heads is a favourite of mine too. Oh, and I also love our coffee here in NZ, we do have the best.

What are some of the biggest lessons you’ve learnt as an artist so far?

Never to let fear or doubt stop you and that being an artist can be very liberating. You can literally do or and say whatever you want through your art (so long it's not harming anyone of course). But your art is your space.

Lastly, if you could say one thing to every person in the world, what would it be?

LIVE while you can. Read books, listen to music, eat good food and stop dreaming of what you want to do, rather go DO IT in some shape or form because life is too short. Also don't be an idiot to other people and know when to mind your own business :)

LOVE THAT - THANKS SO MUCH CLOUDY! MAKE SURE YOU KEEP UP WITH HER ON INSTAGRAM, FACEBOOK, SPOTIFY OR APPLE MUSIC.