Singer Meg Mac's Perth date sold out so quickly that within days she'd added an extra four dates. Scoop caught up with her to chat about making her new album sound real, spending time in Brooklyn and exploring Fremantle.
You say you were aiming for a 'live sound' and felt it was important to leave 'mistakes' in the record, why did you want to create this atmosphere?
Yeah, it’s the reason I made the album with Niles City Sound. I wanted it to feel real – I think music can be more powerful when it is unedited. I chose my takes based on my performance, not how perfectly they were sung – so you can hear mistakes throughout the album but to me that’s all part of it.
What's your favourite song on the record and why?
One of my favourites is 'Ride It'. Recording this song is what inspired me to pick up the guitar, so when I was finishing off the album in New York I went out and got my first electric guitar.
How was recording this album different to the processes you've used in the past? Was there anything that you found particularly challenging about using this method?
When I started I was just recording songs, I didn’t have a plan at all to make an EP, it just happened. But I went to Fort Worth with all the songs for the album and with a plan to make the album. It was different and it was hard but it’s meant to be.
You say the record is meant to be like an 'internal pep talk', can you expand on that? Where did that idea come from? Why did you feel you needed a pep talk?
For me, writing songs has always been like that, I do it by myself – it’s very personal. So a lot of the songs on the album came from me figuring things out, wanting to be stronger, wanting to stand up for myself and not knowing how to. There’s a song called 'Brooklyn Apartment' which is probably the first time I’ve started to tell someone else’s story. It was written about the time I spent living in an apartment in Brooklyn.
The song 'Low Blows' is about standing up for yourself and about feeling uncomfortable but not saying anything, is there any moment or situation you had in mind when you were writing this?
I find myself in these situations more than I’d like, but I’m working on it.
Writing and recording an album must be an emotionally exhausting process, how do you relax while you're working on a project like this?
It was my first time making an album and I was overseas by myself for most of it, so it was nice to Skype home and just find out what was going on with everyone.
Your tour date in Perth sold out so quickly, we're glad you've added extra dates. Are you looking forward to coming to WA?
Yes, I’m now doing five shows in Perth!
Is there any one thing you like to do in a city while you're on tour? Do you get much time to go out and explore?
When I was in Fremantle on a tour, in between soundcheck and the show I went exploring and found a hat and wore it that night and for the rest of the tour. I like doing stuff like that.
Meg Mac is at the Rosemount Hotel on October 4-8. Find out more.