Few musicians can connect with people instantly. A singer-songwriter who began writing her songs at the age of 15, Felicity, is one among them. Culminating her uplifting highs and challenging lows, her debut You Take Me To Dinner But You'll Never Feed My Soul is out now! In an exclusive interview with The Skadoosh, Felicity shared her journey with us.
You decided to pursue music very early on. How did your early songwriting at age 15 shape your career?
I was not a good student in high school - I just didn’t take an interest in it and writing songs on the piano was the only thing I was doing that felt right and like something I would never tire of. Now as an adult that feeling hasn’t changed, it’s one of my constants. Writing songs all the time for a decade teaches you a lot about your creative process, style, and flaws. I found my sound over time and through that process I met the people who helped me get to this point.
What or who inspired you to make music in the first place?
When I was about 14 or 15 my neighbor had an upright piano she didn’t have space for in her home anymore so she kept it at our house and I started tinkering around on it and just teaching myself basic chords. Rihanna’s Unapologetic had come out around that time too and I remember learning the Stay piano part and writing different ideas over it cause I didn’t know anything else. I really just fell down the rabbit hole from there.
Your journey from Perth to Nashville has been quite an adventure. How have your global experiences influenced your music and songwriting?
Well I think being lucky enough to see different parts of the world at a young age allows you to be exposed to such a variety of individuals and their stories, I think I was always collecting funny anecdotes or comments made in tongue and cheek. I also don’t know what the alternative feels like, sometimes I wish I had one place where I could call home instead of always feeling like a bit of an outsider but, hey, it’s fun being the new kid too.
Your EP title, You Take Me To Dinner But You'll Never Feed My Soul, is quite evocative. Can you tell us more about the inspiration behind it?
Thank you! It’s the first lyric in the bridge from I Prefer You In My Head (the first single off
of the EP) and it’s one of my favorites I’ve ever written. The meaning encompasses the feeling of going numb due to a lack of inspiration - whether that be in a relationship or someone I’m working/ creating with. Before I started writing this record I was beaten down and nothing/no one lit my fire, if anything life was stomping the embers out of me. I had to write about those experiences with people I loved and trusted again to truly therapize and process the last few years. From that, the EP was born.
Can you share the story behind your debut single I Prefer You In My Head and its tense, confessional nature?
It’s actually the only song on the project not about me. I wrote it with one of my best friends
who at the time was going through a really hard breakup and she came into the studio with
such deep emotion, it was so true and raw. She laid face down on the floor and said “I
don’t know man, I just prefer him in my head.” The song wrote us - not the other way around.
How did bartending and working multiple jobs influence the themes and energy of your music on this EP?
Working all these odd jobs over the years has really made me appreciate the privilege of being able to create music as a career. While I’ll always hold bartending near to my heart, and it made me the money to finish my record, it will never feed my soul.
What was the most challenging song to write or record on this EP, and why?
Honestly, none of them. I write as a form of therapy and find that my first response is usually what am I going to write about this, not what am I going to do about this? The songs are usually written themselves. Writing is impossible when I have nothing to say… Luckily I couldn’t shut up.
What do you enjoy the most when it comes to performing live?
Definitely the quiet moments and connecting with people in the audience. When I perform I Prefer You In My Head the room goes quiet and we all just get to be in this moment together at the same time for all different reasons. There are also moments when girls will come up to me after a set and discuss a certain song or lyric with me and talk about how they’ve been through the exact same thing and that makes my heart sing, building a community on songs I wrote in my loneliest moments.
What do you hope listeners take away from You Take Me To Dinner But You’ll Never Feed My Soul?
I hope they can find comfort in it. I wrote of flaws in myself, other people, and the state of the world and I want this EP to be an escape from all of that while reminding you that what you’re feeling is totally normal and okay.
What advice would you like to give anyone who'd like to pursue a career in music?
If you’ve got something worth saying then say it, you never know who might need to hear
it. Be bold, stick to your guns, and surround yourself with trustworthy people that light your fire.