A career musician and songwriter with two decades experience, Western Australian Holly Norman was living in Melbourne and had recently become a mother when lockdowns disrupted everything.
That stoked her desire to return west with a longing to again be surrounded by the land around the Derbarl Yerrigan/ Swan River catchment area.Once settled back home with her young family thriving both personally and professionally, Holly began working with a number of former collaborators as the seeds of new songs inspired by her move home began taking shape.
The result is the six-track EP 'Matilda Bay'. "The concept for this record came into my head fully formed late last year when I stumbled upon a stunning cultural map at the Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery at UWA – right across the road from Matilda Bay.
"The mapping project was led by Noongar artists and aimed to integrate ancient and place-based knowledge of the Crawley area – a place where I often spent time as a young child.
"During the early years of the pandemic, I frequently dreamed of the river and the ocean in Perth. These dreams kept me afloat while I navigated the enforced distance from my home state of Western Australia and the experience of new motherhood in Melbourne.
"When I moved back, my first job was at the Perth Festival office right across the road from Matilda Bay and I took a lot of solo walks by the river, connecting back to the area and processing our relocation.
"The penny didn't drop until these river walks in early 2022 that I had unwittingly given my daughter Matilda the same name as this bay area.
"These songs are extremely special to me, and I'm thrilled to share them with you. I have been incredibly fortunate to revisit some long-term musical relationships in making this music, as well as cultivating some brand-new creative collaborations with phenomenal local artists."
Holly is a serial collaborator, having worked with Black Swan State Theatre Company (2018), producing and leading the award-nominated Fringe World show 'Good Songs For Bad Lovers' (2016), and touring west coast of the US as a core member of Junkadelic Brass Band (2015).
As a frontwoman and bandleader, Holly recorded her debut EP in 2011, two EPs with gypsy jazz-rock outfit Joe Black Trio (2011-2016), and currently leads her own original quartet occupying the dual role of singer and drummer.
You've said your new EP 'Matilda Bay' is a 'musical coming-of-age' release for you whereby you also became a mother during Melbourne lockdowns and yearned to return home to Western Australia; can you expand on that with some deeper insights?
I've been making music for quite a while – close to 20 years – but this record does feel like a new era for me in the way I identify as an artist.
My background is pretty diverse; I was classically trained as a percussionist, then went back and studied jazz drumming. At the same time, I was writing songs in the pop idiom but I always felt a bit of self-stigma about trying to combine all those different parts of myself creatively.
This EP project has been the first time that I've let myself just relax and think, 'f... it, I'll just roll it all together'; they're all parts of me and the way I show up as a musician and as a collaborator.
Across the six tracks you cover a range of genres: folk, pop, electro, jazz. Did you let each song inform you which direction to take sonically or was the range of styles more related to working with a different collaborator for each song?
Great question.
Each of the collaborations was very different and the process for each tune was unique, but I started with the seed idea for each of the tunes and then brought other artists into the picture. I did have an intention with this project to stretch myself and experiment with writing in different styles beyond what I usually do, and I feel like I've achieved that.
The people you collaborated with on this project; what did they bring to the finished product?
I think everyone who was involved with this project helped me to clarify the sentiment behind each of the songs, and tell the stories I wanted to tell, which is all I could have hoped for.
Everyone involved is not only a wonderful musician but also a great communicator, a great listener, and has a genuine interest in and commitment to storytelling. I was extremely lucky to work with the people I worked with.
This is your first solo EP in more than a decade; given the other creative projects you've been involved with during that time, how have you evolved as a musician and how did that shape the direction of this EP?
I've continued to play a lot for others in the past decade, but I think the main thing that has influenced my creative growth across that timeframe has been the volume of music I've consumed as a listener.
My day job for the past few years has been in music festival programming and production, so I've been really lucky to be exposed to a massive amount of new music and best practice live performance in a large variety of genres.
I've been extremely inspired by some of the people I have worked with, by the vulnerability of other artists and that has shaped my intentions for this EP.
Is there a particular 'Matilda Bay' song you have a stronger connection to?
Yes. I love 'Derbarl Yerrigan' (the Noongar name for the Swan River). That track feels like the spiritual home of the record.
I had a very clear picture of how I wanted it to feel and sound, and it came to life in that exact way thanks to the other artists on that song. I'm proud of it.
You've described yourself as a 'serial collaborator'; what draws you in to collaborate so often?
I'm obsessed with stories, and with people's backgrounds and perspectives, and finding the points of commonality to create a shared narrative together.
Music is a weird industry in that often you show up to play a gig with someone and don't know them that well. Some of the musical relationships I treasure the most have evolved over many years. It can take time to get the gold out so to speak, and to develop a relationship to a symbiotic point. I love that process.
You'll be launching the EP with a home-town show; will that be a full-circle moment to bring these songs to the stage to be shared with some of your closest and dearest friends and family?
I hope so! I don't do a lot of my own original music shows, which is a deliberate choice – so the rare shows I do are definitely special to me. There will be some guests jumping up and I'm excited to share their talents and contributions with audiences.
The lure and love you have for your WA homeland; how tangible was your need to return home after a number of years living in Melbourne?
It was like a magnet. I've always had a strong connection to this part of the world. It goes beyond just having family and friends here; as a colleague once said, 'it's the size of the sky'.
Having said that, the time I spent living in Melbourne was amazing for me and ended prematurely to a certain extent. I grew into myself living there and it took time before I felt ready to really close that chapter. Writing the music for 'Matilda Bay' has ultimately helped me to process that transition.
Aside from music, you're also a yoga teacher and wellbeing advocate; how have you managed to bring these passions into your music world?
I try to operate intentionally with everything that I do. I'm naturally very multi-passionate and get extremely enthusiastic about all sorts of different projects, which is both a blessing and a curse.
So I try to keep track of my 'why' at all times; the reasons behind an investment of time and energy. Aside from that, I have a daily wellbeing practice that consists of yoga, time outdoors, and cooking/good food without which I think I'd lose my mind fairly quickly.
The wellbeing of musicians has changed significantly the last few years with a lot more positive conversations and general appreciation for people to look after themselves and not face social stigma. But what still needs to be done to capitalise on these shifting community attitudes?
Gosh, that's a very tough question to answer.
I think there are issues within the broader infrastructure of the arts industry that still need to be addressed. Funding is a massive issue and luckily we're on the right track now with a more arts-geared government. I try to interact with the problems on a macro level and just look after myself and those closest to me the best way I can. That helps me to avoid becoming overwhelmed.
When you look back at the journey you've undertaken as a musician, what comes to mind? Are there specific moments or experiences that are instantly cherished?
Honestly, I think working on the music from this EP is up there. It's been so brilliant and creatively satisfying and very healing.
Aside from that, these days I deeply cherish the conversations I get to have with people about music. Being on the same wavelength as other people creatively and getting to turn that into a jam, or a gig, or just an excellent heart-to-heart chat is something I can't seem to take for granted after the last few years.
What is next for you musically?
I'd like to write and record more, and to continue refining the process of co-writing and working with others. Expanding that into other disciplines (dance, theatre) is something I'm really keen to explore.
Holly Norman launches the 'Matilda Bay' EP at Lyric's Underground (Perth) 30 March.
