INTERVIEW: Quinn Karter releases incredible new single 'Overdramatic'

Brisbane producer Quinn Karter today releases the single ‘Overdramatic’ featuring vocals from Bryar. A gorgeous, atmospheric electronica track that builds in intensity cumulating in a chorus with distorted beats and sublime melodies, all presided over by Bryar’s restrained but powerful, emotive vocal.

This is Karter’s second release after her debut single ‘Moshi Moshi’ in July and she says of ‘Overdramatic’: “This track came about pretty quickly after having a realisation that I wanted to explore more than just the club bangers. I unlocked a new side of me and wanted to write a track that takes you on a journey, feels good and is uplifting. It started with basic chords and evolved quickly, the drop just happened so organically after feeling super inspired”

Karter has been musical since the age of two when she started learning the piano, and was switched on to electronica at age 14 when she discovered music software Logic. After remixing the Odd Mob song ‘Bad Moon’ earlier this year, she launched her own solo career.

With its swirling synths, the journey between moods as the song progresses and most importantly full of heart that directly connects with you, ‘Overdramatic’ is an outstanding track which heralds the arrival of an incredible new talent. We recently caught up with Quinn to find out more.

Hey Quinn! So great to chat. How has life been for you over the last few crazy months?
Hey! Honestly, I’ve been embracing adjusting to the new normal. I live on the coast in Sydney and have been enjoying the simple things, like waking up for sunrise over the ocean and then just focusing on writing as much music as I can, while I can.

Congratulations on your new single ‘Overdramatic’, it is a brilliant track! Can you tell us a little about the inspiration behind this song?
Thank you! This track was out of the blue for me. My focus had been solely on the heavier club bangers and I had always loved more melodic electronic tracks and suddenly realised, I need to explore that side of my creativity and this track poured out in a matter of hours.

How did the collaboration with Bryar come about?
The collaboration was organised by the label, I had sent them the instrumental and they sent me back a couple of top line options, but as soon as I heard Bryar’s, I was like, oof, that’s heavy. When you know, you know.

What was the creative process for this track like?
The track started with some moody chords that got me feeling super inspired and evolved pretty quickly. I’d say the foundation for the track was down after a few hours and then a lot more work went into the drop etc. then once I got the top line back, I tweaked it around that but after having my focus solely on heavier tracks and writing this, it felt super cathartic and right for my project

You have been musical from a very young age, what are your first memories of music?
Well, both my parents are musicians but my mum actually brought me up on classical music such as Bach, Mozart etc. and I started playing classical piano from a young age. My main motivation would be when my mum would tell me I couldn’t learn a piece, then I was determined to prove her wrong, it’s the only way I would learn and she knew that – she tried to give me lessons, but being a kid, that never worked!
She also was and still is, heavily into techno, so I also grew up listening to the likes of David Guetta etc. – even now, she prefers the heavier music I make ha!

I understand you were introduced to Logic at age 14, was this when you decided that you wanted to pursue music as a career?
Not as such, I messed around with it for a few years, but then started going out, doing things teenagers do, and then had an epiphany a few years later that I wanted to be a DJ and naturally after that wanted to stop playing other artists tunes out and make my own and decided to take it seriously and started studying it at university

Who are the artists that inspire you, both when you were growing up and today as a professional musician?
Growing up and even now, my taste in music is so vast – I’m definitely inspired by electronic acts such as Flume, Troyboi and people within my realm, but then I also listen to the likes of SOAD and Parkway Drive that have an influence on my music as you’ll see with more releases, then the classical element comes through at times from having grown up listening to Bach, Chopin. It’s forever evolving and I’m constantly searching for new inspiration outside of what you’d expect to try and keep it fresh.

There has been so much debate on gender equality in the past few years in the wake of #metoo. What are your thoughts on gender equality and sexism in the music industry?
It’s an ongoing battle but it’s being addressed more and more each day which is a positive. I was previously part of a duo and we actually named ourselves “ghosted” because of the stigma that all girls are ghosted – a term in the music industry that means you’ve had someone else make the music for you. This was our way of addressing that stigma but in a comical way. Overall I think we still have work to do, I think we just need to keep trying to be better.

2020 has been a disaster on so many fronts, what do you think has been the one positive amongst it all?
Soooo many fronts, but I think there are a few positives have come from it, but one I’ve definitely noticed is people’s appreciation for the simpler things in life and the art of slowing down.

What’s up next for Quinn Karter?
Good question! Depends on the state of the world, but I’m ready to play again, dust off the decks and have a good time! Also keen to release more music sitting on my laptop and keep working on some new music!

’Overdramatic’ is out now via Central Station Records. You can download and stream here.

To keep up with all things Quinn Karter, you can follow her on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.