INTERVIEW: Chelsea Warner releases debut single 'How Come You Don't Pick Up Your Phone'
Chelsea Warner may be young - she’s just 18 - but she is one of the most insanely talented newcomers to appear in music so far this year. Today she releases her debut single ‘How Come You Don’t You Pick Up Your Phone’, a gorgeous combination of soul, jazz and 90s R&B with the slightest hint of dancepop in its jittery beat couple with smart lyrics and Warner’s honey smooth vocals. Written and produced entirely by Warner, it’s a whole vibe you can sink into and happily lose yourself in for days and augurs well for her debut EP due out later this year. Welcome to your new favourite singer.
We recently spoke with Chelsea to find out more about her career, her music and her current studies at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.
Hey Chelsea! So great to be talking with you. How is everything in your (probably very restricted!) world right now?
It’s pretty good! I’m not feeling as useless as I could be, I’ve got loads of writing and producing to be doing which is actually really nice. I’m enjoying the forced downtime.
What are your first memories of music?
I wrote my first song when I was 2; I think it was about a feather. I remember dragging my younger brother onto makeshift cardboard stages that I had made, dressing him up, and having performances. Some might say that was duress, but I saw it as inspiring the next generation. I was consistently seeking attention through things like this as a kid, so these performances are probably my earliest music related memory!
You have been writing and playing music almost your entire life – was it always a given you would pursue music as a career? Or did you have other ambitions?
It was pretty much always music. I got singing, piano and guitar lessons and then started out busking at markets and shops. I never remember not thinking music was my future, except for the odd moment where my career path changed drastically for a hot minute. There was a point in early high school where I decided I should be a marine biologist (I wanted to save the whales), and another when I graduated a couple years ago where I considered studying law. I’m so glad I didn’t. I think I just liked watching Suits.
You are currently studying at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. How are your studies going, and is there one particular area of music you are focusing on there?
I love it there. My course is quite flexible and allows me to push myself however I see fit. I’m focusing quite solely on studying Jazz, as I want to get my theory knowledge and instrumental skills where I’d like them to be while I’m there – that’s my main goal. I love learning and am a huge nerd, so music theory, vocal technique, tech stuff and reading academic musicology is all so fun to me! I’m using what I can learn there to supplement the writing and producing I’m doing on my own accord.
Your debut single ‘How Come You Don’t Pick Up Your Phone’ is out today and is absolutely gorgeous! Firstly, is there anything more annoying than someone who never answers their phone, and secondly what was the inspiration behind this track?
Thank you! In a weird way I actually think I’ve started to become that annoying unreachable person sometimes, I’m reclaiming it… so I’m a hypocrite if I besmirch the name of serial non-answerers. But indifferent, apathetic people, especially in close relationships, are super discouraging. I’m a turbo, ‘let’s-do-everything-immediately’ person, so I find it hard to adjust to indifference! In the context of the song, this was at a time in my life when I had just started my first year outside of high school and was still detaching from that weird, social acceptance oriented mindset.
I’ve always gravitated towards close relationships, but even in these strong friendships and relationships I was finding myself quite reliant on other people for a sense of self. I was waiting what I thought was an absurd amount of time for a text back from somebody, but I also realised that I had found myself, as I’m sure everyone does, in this super trivial but super disheartening situation. So the track ended up exploring the perils of external reliance as opposed to emotional self-sufficiency. It started with the chorus. In the verses I drew from the reality that the only reason I felt so frustrated at the hands of other people was because I allowed them to have that power over me. So, I acknowledged my own part in my unhappiness.
Can you talk a little about the creation of the song?
I wrote the chorus while on a trip to Melbourne and just saved it as a hook idea in the voice notes on my phone. When I got back to Sydney I revisited the idea, writing the verses around the hook. I love writing this way, I feel like it’s a great way to concisely communicate your message. At the time I was obsessed Erykah Badu’s Baduizm and 90s hip-hop like De La Soul - particularly Bionix which is an album I can only find on YouTube, recommended to me by my friend Jarrad Rogers who actually mixed the track - A Tribe Called Quest and The Roots. That influenced the style the song took on. I had the piano chords and then added the old-school style beat and moog-esque bass, and these sonic choices were definitely the product of what I was listening to at the time. I wanted to combine the musicality of acts like Thundercat with the way artists such as Badu, Amy Winehouse and Noname tell stories, while also taking influence from hip hop production like Tyler, The Creator and Mac Miller. Once I decided I wanted to release the song, around 6 months later, I touched up the production as well as recording extra vocals and trumpet.
Is there a particular message or theme you like to project in your music?
Not consciously, but I think my music is a healthy mix of self-deprecation and self-appreciation. I tend to write retrospectively about times where I really needed to grow and back myself, and I always write from experience. So I like to project self-awareness and assurance in my songs, because I often draw from coming of age and finding my footing in the world. Overall it would be cool if people can reflect on how the lyrics might relate to them, but also just be able to pre-drink and have a good time while jamming along.
I believe you have plans to release a debut EP later this year, have you started work on it yet and if so can you reveal anything about what we have to look forward to?
I’ve been working on it for years! Right now how the tracklisting stands, it contains songs that I wrote 2 and a half years ago, so the record will well and truly reflect my experience becoming a fully fledged individual in the big ol’ world and coming into my own, both as a musician and as a person. I hope I can tinge these experiences with a little bit of humour and insight. The tracklisting isn’t 100% decided as I keep making tracks that I feel represent me better and better each time, so we’ll see how much of the older stuff makes it on!
The music industry has traditionally been a male dominated industry. What are your thoughts, both as a music student and an artist, on gender equality and sexism in music?
I’m a newcomer to this industry as I’m super young, so while that means I haven’t been around long enough to really experience all facets of the industry, it also means I haven’t quite cut my teeth enough to earn universal respect. I completely get this and understand the process, however I’ve definitely had a few moments where I’ve felt small or uncomfortable in the presence of people who are “more experienced” than me and wondered if it had anything to do with me being female.
When I first started doing co-writing sessions for my project, I remember feeling like the least experienced, least worthy person in the room for a good while, and this lead to me really having to back myself in the way that most men I know do without even thinking about it. I’m not sure exactly why, but I feel like women are huge perfectionists and won’t claim themselves to be something if they haven’t achieved absolute mastery, which is exactly what I did with production. Even though all of my songs were self-produced, I didn’t consider myself a producer until I got invited to be a part of KLP’s Ricochet Songs writing camps mid/late last year as a producer, not a writer. I’m not sure how much of this has to do with my age and sex and how much is just my perceived lack of knowledge coming from my own perfectionism, but I certainly struggled to back myself as anything other than a singer. In terms of music being a male dominated industry, it definitely is in most ways, particularly, in my experience, in production.
The only time I’ve ever met and worked with other female producers was at KLP’s initiative, as it was created specifically for female and non-binary people. So there’s definitely a shortage there and I eagerly await some statistician or cultural academic to analyse why very little female producers present themselves confidently! But I know there are awesome remedies out there – Ricochet is absolutely phenomenal, such a supportive environment. Women In Pop is a sick initiative too, and even my publishing A&R team are all female, which is a super cool and nurturing energy. I still struggle sometimes feeling like I can 100% cut it as a professional producer and eventual mix engineer, but I’m not completely sure what is a product of patriarchy/the industry, and what’s just my own head.
Do you have any tips or suggestions on how to navigate this new and sometimes scary world of self-isolation and quarantine?
I’m 100% one of the lucky ones in this scenario, because I haven’t really had my life negatively impacted at all. I’m in a super secure situation but I really ache for everyone who isn’t. Definitely keeping a routine is allowing me to stay sane. Feeling productive is something that I genuinely need to get through the day, even in the pre-apocalyptic world, so I’m making sure I’m ticking off to-do lists every day and seeing every possible silver lining in this time!
I’ve taken up yoga and am getting back into learning some Spanish, which is awesome. We also now have time for all the things that never seem to slot into the day, like reading, and I’m really enjoying being able to relax and do these things. But uni and work is all online, so I still have plenty to do! I’m also working on my follow up single and EP, so I’m kind of hardly feeling the extra down time! Keeping busy is, at all times but especially now, my mantra.
What else is on the agenda for Chelsea Warner in 2020?
Heaps! A year of self-growth, awareness and sharing the creative projects I’ve been sitting on! I’m currently focusing my technical skills with my voice and instruments at uni, practicing as much as I can while also writing and producing any spare second for either myself or other artists. I’m sitting on heaps of demos at the moment, so 2020 will see more releases from me.
This year if everything clears up, I’d love to hopefully play shows across Australia, and I’m definitely making a goal of releasing my debut EP, while having it all feel very true to me. My biggest focus at the moment though is learning and growing, both personally and as a musician, so I want to hone my craft while also creating as much as possible. I’m feeling strong at the moment and really blessed by the people and opportunities - like this interview! - around me, so I feel really hopeful from the future.
‘How Come You Don’t Pick Up Your Phone’ is out now.
To keep up with all things Chelsea Warner you can follow her on Instagram and Facebook.
