INTERVIEW: Trailblazer AZURE speaks on her raw new single 'ten days': "There is so much to do, so much accountability to be taken. One step at a time sometimes doesn’t feel fast enough."
Australian singer-songwriter AZURE has been releasing music since 2018. Mixing dark pop, R&B, electro and indie, her music has found an worldwide audience and has featured on everything from Home and Away to Triple J Unearthed.
Earlier this year she was at the forefront of the exposure of the Australian music industry’s unsettling treatment of women and she bravely spoke up about her experience of sexual assault. Her latest single ‘ten days’ is a raw and intimate retelling of this dark period in her life. “I realised that I was hanging on to the memory of this one period of time, when things were good, and let that be the reason I stayed. I protected sexual assault enablers, abusers, even my own rapist because I was so terrified of facing what happened. I held on to these ten days that essentially meant nothing, in the name of love. So I didn’t have to admit what happened to me. So I didn’t have to lose everyone closest to me. I thought I was worth nothing,” she says.
A gorgeous, if heartbreaking, pop ballad it is arguably the strongest track from AZURE yet and testament to her talent as one of the top rising pop artists in this country. We recently caught up with her to find out more.
Hey Azure! Thanks for chatting with us. How is everything in your world right now?
Thank you for giving me the opportunity! My world is lockdown. But, I have an ideal lockdown situation (I live with my best friend and our two cats) so I won’t complain! Just doing my best to create as much as I can in this down time and stay mentally healthy.
Before we get into your new single, we just want to say a massive thank you to you for your bravery over the last few months in speaking out about the sexual abuse, sexism and appalling behaviour towards women within the Australian music industry. This must have been one of the most intense periods of your life?
Thank you so much. Yes, its been an incredibly turbulent and intense time for me. I feel extraordinarily grateful for the opportunity to tell my story however, the risk around that is as real as ever.
What was the reaction to your speaking up, did you feel supported and heard, and perhaps most importantly empowered?
I was lucky enough to have a huge influx of support when I came forward. It was completely overwhelming in the best way. I felt so connected to the women in the industry, survivors or not, I felt like we united. When I first put my video statement out on social media (following The Industry Observer’s article), I felt numb then I felt empowered and then I felt afraid. I’ve bounced between those three emotions since then. I felt publicly supported and heard; but that didn’t stop the hate, the threats, the abusive messages to me, my fans and people who support me. Honestly, every day I wake up with fear. Until we change this industry; I won’t wake up any other way. My abusers and the enabling people (women included) around them have made sure of that; they are all still thriving.
That hurts more than anyone could imagine.
In the aftermath of you speaking up, along with others such as Jaguar Jonze, do you feel we are now on the right path to making the music industry a safe space for women?
I absolutely feel we are on the right path to making this industry safe for everyone; however this move is so long overdue. The abuse is overwhelming. The abusers are still in power. Some of the support around what myself and Jaguar Jonze did is performative. There is so much to do, so much accountability to be taken. One step at a time, sometimes, doesn’t feel fast enough.
Your new single ‘Ten Days’ is absolutely beautiful, and has been inspired by the events you have recently spoken out about. Can you tell us a little bit more about what you wanted to achieve with this song?
When I left an extremely toxic and abusive relationship; both personally and in business. I kept asking myself why did I stay? Why did I let this happen to me? I kept going back to this memory of this ten days where things were bliss in my life. I thought I had a love (and loves) worth suffering for. After I wrote this song I realised that love is NOT suffering. It was NOT my fault. I NEVER chose what these people did to me. I didn’t even realise I was blaming myself until I finished the demo of this song, got into the car and cried for two hours. I want people to listen to this song and realise that whatever their ‘ten days’ was or is….. it doesn’t justify abuse.
Can you talk us through the creative process for ‘Ten Days’
I wrote ‘ten days’ with Nick Delahoyde, whilst Joe Delahoyde produced. We’ve worked together a whole lot of times in the last three years; they are both incredibly talented as well as amazing at making me feel safe. We actually wrote it SO fast. Maybe a couple of hours? I already had a lot of it detailed in my notes before I got there, I thought I wanted to write a love song and was channelling that time again for inspiration, until of course it turned into what it is now. We kept the scratch vocal on the final product because the emotion couldn’t be replicated. It felt like a nod to how far I’ve come. I didn’t want to make it perfect.
Do you have a music video planned for ‘Ten Days’ and if so what can you tell us about it?
I’m working on it as we speak, its amazing and I am so proud of it. It will help tell the story the way that feels right to me. No date yet, I don’t want to rush it. This song is too important to me.
What advice do you have for young women who want to pursue a career in music?
My advice is surround yourself with people you trust; this is really hard. You may mess up a few times but you will eventually get it right. Stay true to who YOU are as an artist; don’t listen to anyone that tries to put you in a box. You’re the bomb.
Write music with anyone/everyone and go to every live show you can! You can learn something from every single musician and performer. Lastly, stay safe and stay aware. Never stay in a room you aren’t comfortable in and if something happens that isn’t right…. TELL SOMEONE. You’re gonna kill it baby.
What’s up next for Azure?
Super exciting stuff! I have a show on July 22nd at Oxford Art Factory as a part of the Breaking Sound showcase (if the rona gets lost). I also already have my next single ready to roll that I am SO proud of. It’s gonna be a hell of a year.
‘ten days’ is out now, You can download and stream here.
To keep up with all things AZURE you can follow her on Instagram and Facebook.
Listen to our 2019 podcast with AZURE here.
