Foreign Obstacles is out now!
Image: Supplied.
Singer-songwriter Mvlholland recently shared her new single, Foreign Obstacles. We caught up with the artist to chat about the release and so much more!
Could you tell us a bit about your background in music and what led you to pursuing a career in music?
I’ve always loved music, even when I wasn’t really good at it. I loved the story telling and the way lyrics can speak to you in a way that’s different from any other. I think when I realised that I was capable of writing it just seemed like there wasn’t an option, I had to do it.
Your new single Foreign Obstacles documents the roller coaster emotions of new love. What inspired you to pen this song?
I was falling in love really hard and really fast. I was so terrified of getting hurt but also so excited to love someone and feel the things that I did. I think this song explores both sides of what love is, the unexpected and the fear but also the joy and anticipation.
The song is built upon your own vocal samples manipulated to create the overall soundscape. How did that experimental exploration of sound come to be?
Lach and I had only done two sessions prior to this one, 83 and But I Like It. With But I Like It we kind of set a goal, to write a song in two time signatures. The day we wrote Foreign Obstacles I was feeling pretty stuck on what to write next. Lach came up with the idea to try and create a whole song made up of vocals. It gave us the chance to focus more on the lyrics and melody and just build from there.
The release arrives alongside an official visual. Talk us through your process when it comes to conceptualising the visuals and imagery surrounding your music…
I think that when I write songs I usually have a visual that goes with it from the beginning. Foreign Obstacles was created through memory, almost every shot was something that happened in my relationship and made it what it was.
If Foreign Obstacles was a piece of pre-existing visual art, which artwork would best capture the song? (excluding the album artwork and accompanying visuals)
The Kiss, by Gustav Klimt
Is there a particular line or lyric from the song you’re most proud of, or one that you return to more often than the rest?
“I don’t want to be anybody when you’re gone.”
You grew up between New York, L.A, London, Bali and Australia. How do you think each location helped influence and shape your artistry and sound?
I don’t really know how it has influenced my music yet but I can definitely feel a little bit of each place in the person that I am. I think moving so much makes it very easy to adjust to new people and surroundings which is such a big part of the music industry.
Will fans be able to catch you on tour, and what can audiences expect from one of your live shows?
I actually just did my first ever tour with The Rubens! They can expect a lot of me ranting, singing unreleased music and just having a good time.
RAPID FIRE
Biggest influences?
Lorde, Micheal Hutchens, Julia Michaels, Taylor Swift, Gracie Abrams.
Dream collaboration?
Julia Michaels.
Album that has had the most impact on you?
Pure Heroine - Lorde.
How do you define your musical style in 3 words?
Pop, alternative, visual.
Best song of 2021 so far?
Midnight Love - girl in red.
If you could create the soundtrack for any film, which one would it be?
Captain Fantastic.
Hannah Montana or Miley Cyrus?
Mikey Cyrus.
What was the first song you loved to sing?
Wonderwall by Oasis.
A song you would love to cover on tour?
I Touch Myself - The Divinyls.
Album you would listen to on repeat on a road trip?
Fine Line - Harry Styles.
First concert you went to?
Katy Perry ‘California Girls’ tour.
Best concert you have been to?
Katy Perry ‘California Girls’ tour.
First album you ever bought?
Life In Cartoon Motion by MIKA.
Would you rather be a Spice Girl or a Backstreet Boy?
Spice Girl.
If you were a Spice Girl, what would your spice nickname be?
Sassy Spice.
Most memorable show you’ve ever performed?
Probably my first ever show, it was at a friends house on the front deck with all of my friends and family.
Guilty music pleasure?
Anything early 2000’s pop.
If you could support any artist on tour, who would it be?
Lorde.
An artist you think has had the most influence on the music industry.
Billie Eillish.
What advice would your current self, give your future self, for a year from now?
That you should always be proud of the place that you're in because you have worked so hard to be exactly where you are now.
The moment you knew you wanted to be a musician?
I knew I was serious about it When I sang at my dad's 50th birthday in front of all of our friends and family (I was 17).
Foreign Obstacles is out now!