Teischa's new single, Be Alone, is out now! We chat to the singer about her music and more.
Image: Supplied
Last month, Fremantle-born artist Teischa dropped her new single, Be Alone. The song will feature on the singers new album, due out later this year.
Moving away from her moody, dark pop comfort zone, Be Alone marks a sonic turn in the singers discography. The intimate track is more stripped back than Teischa's usual production, relying more so on piano and acoustics. The piano led song features stripped back acoustic guitars, lyrically navigating the feeling of knowing a relationship is reaching its breaking point, yet the singer is apprehensive of the isolation and loneliness that follows a breakup.
Teischa recorded a demo of the track a couple of years ago, but the song ended up on the cutting room floor. She returned to the track during a time where it suddenly felt important to the singer. “I came back to this song after years of it just existing on our hard drives as a demo, and all of a sudden it was very relevant and important to me." She continued, "I was going through a time where I was watching my relationship fall apart in front of my eyes and there was quite literally nothing I could do about it. I’m definitely one of those people who likes to feel in control of any situation I’m in and when I’m not it’s super scary!”.
The songs accompanying music video comments on our increasing dependence on technology and the idea of modern love through technology. How we can feel connected whilst physically distant, an idea that speaks volumes with the world in isolation due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Read our full interview with Teischa below!
Tell us a bit how you started your musical journey…
I honestly just fell into playing music. As a kid I loved writing and would always have a journal on me, noting down random thoughts and feelings. it wasn’t until I was about 10 when I decided to teach myself to play piano and guitar. Writing songs just naturally followed. It became an outlet and a way to get what I was feeling off my chest.
Your new single Be Alone navigates trying to salvage a relationship and the loneliness and isolation that follows a breakup. Could you tell us about the song and the importance of exploring these themes?
For sure! I came back to this song after years of it just existing on our hard drives as a demo, and all of a sudden it was very relevant and important to me. I was going through a time where I was watching my relationship fall apart in front of my eyes and there was quite literally nothing I could do about it. I’m definitely one of those people who likes to feel in control of any situation I’m in and when I’m not it’s super scary!
Be Alone takes a turn from your previously released music. It’s a very intimate track and more stripped back than your usual production, relying more so on piano and acoustics. What prompted you to explore this avenue and is it an indication of where your future releases are heading?
I’ve had a bit of a fear of moving out of my moody, dark pop comfort zone for a while now. Creating my EP, momentary, was my way of taking everything into my own hands. Not being afraid of producing my own music, writing words that just need to get off my chest, and avoiding relying on other people in the process. Sometime not knowing exactly what you’re doing opens doors you didn’t realise were even there. Be Alone felt like the perfect follow up to that release as it pushed me out of my comfort zone again, but in a slightly different way. It’s not necessarily an indication of what the future releases are going to sound like but more just an introduction to the kind of experimenting I’ve been having with making music recently and my way of avoiding feeling confined to a specific genre/sound.
What messages do you hope listeners take away from the release?
To try diving into their loneliness when it comes upon them and not run away from it. It’ll momentarily feel like shit but can be worth it in the long run.
The accompanying music video is intimate yet powerful. It comments on our increasing dependence on technology and how we can feel connected whilst physically distant, an idea that speaks volumes with the world in isolation due to the COVID-19 pandemic. How did you conceptualise this idea and how involved you are when it comes to planning the visuals for each track?
Creating visuals for my music is something i’m super passionate about. I loved the idea of the film clip lightly touching on our current climate during covid but not necessarily be focused on that, as the idea was formed before isolation was a thing.
I was in a long distance relationship for a couple years and a lot of that time was spent looking at his face, as well as my own reflection, over FaceTime. The Be Alone clip is based around the idea of modern love through technology, how we’ve learnt how to feel close to people who are far away and finding comfort in the distance, which I think many people can relate to and perhaps have struggled with during this isolation period.
Did the pandemic affect the desired outcome for the clip?
Surprisingly not. The concept was written at the very start of covid, before strict social distancing was in place. However, because of the nature of the clip we only needed a small team to create the intimate vibe we were going for. The timing became a coincidence, and something that I think worked in our favour in the end!
What was it like working with director Luna Laure?
Luna was so great to work with. She really took the concept of my initial idea and bought it to life within her own personal style. It can be hard to hand over that responsibility and trust to someone else, especially when the topic is so personal. But she played such an important role in truly getting this story across to people.
Could you tell us a bit about your creative process when writing and recording songs?
I used to be involved in a lot of co-writing and collaborating but have recently preferred the process of writing by myself in my bedroom, then taking full songs or the base of songs to the main couple of producers who I've build strong connections with over the years. I feel like this process has allowed me to tap into an even more personal approach to songwriting.
How do you feel your music speaks to listeners?
I feel like it hits people differently but allIi can really hope for is that it makes them feel something, sparks an emotion of some sort. Even if it’s not exactly from the same point of view as what i wrote it from.
Australia has a diverse and vibrant music scene, who are some of your favourite Aussie acts?
Totally agree, I love how much incredible music comes out of our country! At the moment some aussie artists I’m loving are Miiesha, Kaiit and Kllo.
What has been the most challenging part about creating music during the COVID-19 pandemic?
Probably just not knowing when you’ll be able to share it in person again. We’re crazy lucky over here in WA as gigs are kicking back off again, but it feels like it’ll be a long time until we’ll be able to tour/travel anywhere else any time soon.
Can fans expect an album or EP in the near future? If so, what can we expect in terms of the sonic sound of your future full-length release and if you are continuing to experiment with any new sounds?
There’s definitely a longer length collection of music coming soon! You can expect some moody RNB jams, collaborations and some of my favorite tunes to date.
You’ll be playing a show in Fremantle later this month! What can audiences expect from a Teischa live show?
You can expect a bit of a rollercoaster ride of a journey through our live set. I like to showcase the process of how songs start in the writing stages to where they end up post recording and production. It’s fun to give songs a new life when playing them live with the band, giving them an opportunity to go to a different place then where it ended up in the recording.
RAPID FIRE
Biggest influences?
Frank Ocean and Lianne La Havas.
Dream collaboration?
James Blake.
Album that has had the most impact on you?
Frank Ocean - Channel Orange.
Best song of 2020?
rosier/punk2 - brakence (this whole album gets best album of 2020 for me).
If you could create the soundtrack for any film, which one would it be?
I’d love to do a full instrumental soundtrack for Into The Wild or something like that. Super dramatic and cinematic.
The best/most memorable show you’ve ever performed?
Primavera, Barcelona 2018.
Album you would listen to on repeat on a road trip?
Anderson Paak - Malibu.
Best concert you have been to?
Bjork at Primavera Sound, 2018.
Last concert you went to?
I watched my friends The Southern River Band play a wild show in a warehouse in Fremantle last week.
Guilty music pleasure?
Justin Timberlake.
If you could support any artist on tour, who would it be?
I know this is my answer for so many questions but, James Blake.
An artist you think has had the most influence on the music industry?
Billie Eilish.
What advice would you give yourself a year from now?
Be present.
The moment you knew you wanted to be a musician?
I don’t think there was a specific moment, it just was always a thing that was going to happen.
Be Alone is out now!