INTERVIEW: Sage Mellet on Approachable Members Of Your Local Community's new single 'Just Say It'

Sage Mellet recently joined Melbourne indie-pop band Approachable Members Of Your Local Community and today the band release new single ‘Just Say It’. Mellet’s second single with the band sees her take on solo lead vocals for the first time after sharing vocals with band member Josh on previous single ‘Strong Enough’.

‘Just Say It’ is an infectious ear worm, that glides along with joyous hand claps and a gentle yet pulsing electronic beat that merges with joyful guitars all presided over by Mellet’s lush vocals.

"In this interconnected world, with computers and the NBN, one thing is clear to the Members: now is the time for the nimble communicator; the reformist collaborator,” the band say of the song. “Don’t bottle things up. Just say how you feel. We can change, and quickly – what we do, who we see, what we care about. But how do you keep your friends along for the journey? When people start to feel insecure in a relationship and turn things over in their head, things can get out of hand. 'Just Say It’ is about that tension – and breaking through it, the only way the Community knows how: honest and open communication.”

Mellet, sister to singer Troye Sivan, has built up an impressive resume despite being only in her early twenties. She founded the podcast Preach The Peach which focuses on sexuality and female empowerment, and also owns and runs Peach Pack, a subscription service that provides sustainable menstrual hygiene and self care products. Now, after joining Approachable Members Of Your Local Community, she has added music career to her accomplishments. We recently caught up with Mellet to find out more.

Hi Sage, lovely to see you today. What a delight to grab a little bit of your time. How are things with you and your very newly poptastic world?
Things are great. We recently got out of lockdown, I'm doing well. There's a few exciting things happening. Our next single ‘Just Say It’ is out and since the lockdown ended we've been having fun getting the music video ready and some other little content pieces so it's going great.

‘Just Say It’ is an Aussie summer ice pop poured through a speaker kind of track with your incredible vocals. Can you talk me through the creation of this one?
Thank you! Sam, who is the drummer and also happens to be my boyfriend, he sent through the instrumental one day to me and I just loved it. I love the baseline I love how it’s so groovy and then one day we sat down together and I had a concept idea, during last lockdown I was going through some things with friends and communication and I allowed those thoughts to ride with me. Sam and I sat down and wrote the lyrics together, but the boys came up with the instrumental. It's definitely a groovy, hopefully some form of summer anthem.

It's a total summer anthem. I must say having your very beautifully feminine vocals on this Approachable Members Of Your Local Community track, it's just shifted in a really beautiful way. And I just want to know, this is this is quite new for you but I imagine you've always sung and just never thought you'd be doing it like you are now. So where does this passion for music come begin?
It's a great question. Like you said, I have always been surrounded by music. In my family we have my brother Troye, he has been in the industry for a long time, my younger brother Tyde’s in the music industry, my mum growing up was a singer and was in Broadway in South Africa. So the family is engulfed in music and I've always grown up, just singing, you know, singing around the house. I did do singing lessons and performed at some school musicals, but besides from that I never thought it would be something that I pursued in terms of a career. But then last year during lockdown, my boyfriend who’s in this band that I've always loved, they were starting to write a new album, and he's always wanted me to sing. One day he was like, ‘we're planning on doing a duet, just this one song will you just sing on it for now just so we can gauge what it will sound like’. And I was like, okay, you know, bored during lockdown, so we recorded it and he sent it to the band and Mickey was like, ‘Who is this and does she want to join the band?’ I love singing, always have, just because I never thought it was something that I do as a career or pursue in that sense, doesn't mean I can't have fun with it and make it a hobby. [Music’s] always been a part of my life and I'm excited now that I have this avenue to have fun with it.

And what a beautiful introduction to your voice, it's like a perfect pairing. You are an incredible hard worker with integrity as your cannon, your rocket fire. You’re an influencer, a podcaster, a business owner. You are the co-founder of the wonderful and very necessary podcast, Preach The Peach. If you were to coin through line of your creative and business endeavours to this point, what do you think it would be? What's your driving force? What's the thing you're always championing?
It's a really good question. What drives me is being able to help other people and be truly authentic to myself. I have some strong values of wanting to create change, and not accept social norms and being true to yourself. With the podcast, with the band, with all these different things that I'm doing, I'm trying to encourage people to have important conversations and do what's best for them. Often we get caught up in social norms, and what people expect of us but we forget to look at what we truly value and what we truly want to be doing with our lives. I try to implement that in all these different avenues that I'm taking and that's how I'm navigating everything.

And do you think coming from a social platform background and then moving into the pop industry, do you think that's only going to make you stronger as an artist? Or do you think it may possibly even get in your way?
Hmm, good question. It's definitely helpful in knowing what I want to do and the type of music and content that I want to create. It's important being with four other boys in the band, we really feed off each other and have a really great balance of things we want to write about, things we want to produce. I'm grateful that I have that background of knowing what my values are, and knowing what I want to work towards. But I do think it's also important to hear what others have to say, and I'm excited to continue with the band and to bounce ideas off each other and have different perspectives through this whole process as well.

Gorgeous. And on that, who were some of the women that you emulated as a child, who were your sheroes of pop?
Oh great question. Pop to me is…I'm obsessed. I've definitely grown up with Ariana Grande, I was like an OG fan when she was on Nickelodeon. She has just the most incredible voice and I don’t think anyone can compare maybe Adele actually! In terms of vocals, Ariana Grande and Adele, I could just listen to them on repeat. As I've grown up, I am so inspired as well by Australian and New Zealand artists. Benee from New Zealand is like a queen to me. Love Tkay [Maidza]. Growing up I was much more focused on the American pop scene, but now being immersed in the Australian industry I'm really inspired by a lot of Australian female pop artists

Australia has historically been quite dudes-with-guitars heavy, to put it nicely. Do you feel with this generation it's getting better? We see so many of our artists here, particularly female artists, moving abroad and then getting discovered and the Australia goes, ‘Oh, no, we really liked her too’. Do you see that getting better or do you think it's something we're still struggling with?
It's a good question. I don't know if I’m living in some sort of bubble, but I have this playlist on Spotify called Grl (Girl) and it's strictly for female artists. So I personally am only listening to like, Australian, American and international female artists. But when I'm listening to the radio and Triple J, I do think things are changing and we have incredible artists but I definitely think we have a long way to go. But I'm seeing some really great change.

We're hearing a little more. Your vocals are so shit hot, I know it's just the beginning with the band, but is this a thought of ‘oh, maybe I can do something a little solo?’ Have you already started to think of that?
Being completely honest, no, I haven't. Only because I'm so immersed in this band right now. I'm glad you mentioned the contrast between my voice and the sound of the band, because I personally love the way they compliment each other so I'm just gonna ride that way for as long as I can. Maybe maybe in the future if the people want it, I could do it, but I'm definitely enjoying being in the band for now.

If the people want it. I love that! And lastly, before I have to leave you what is coming up for you?
’Just Say It’ is out, you can go and listen to it. There's an awesome video clip, kind of DIY video clip that we've done. I really like it, I hope you guys do too. Personally, the podcast is releasing episodes weekly and I'm actually about to finish my undergrad degree. So that's exciting too.

‘Just Say It’ is out now. You can buy and stream here.

Approachable Members Of Your Local Community will be touring the east coast in February. Tickets are available here.

TOUR DATES:
4 February - The Lansdowne, Sydney
5 February - LaLaLa’s, Wollongong
11 February - The Barwon Club, Geelong 
12 February - Corner Hotel, Melbourne
18 February - The Zoo, Brisbane

To keep up with all things Sage Mellet you can follow her on Instagram.

To keep up with all things Approachable Members Of Your Local Community you can follow them on Instagram and Facebook.