Although it's coming close to a half-decade since Meg Washington released a new album of original material, the ARIA Award-winning singer-songwriter has not spent 2024 under cover of darkness by any means.
In fact, she's probably been busier than ever – not least of all because her debut as a screenwriter, a film adaptation of Paul Kelly's 'How To Make Gravy', has been one of the country's big talking points in the lead-up to its release next month."Like everybody, I grew up loving the song and have always loved Paul's work," Meg says. "It wasn't until Christmas time in 2019 that the motivation hit.
"At first, we wondered if it was even possible – so, we contacted Paul's manager, who invited us to come see Paul at The Riverstage in Brisbane to talk to him about it."
The date Kelly played The Riverstage? The 21st of December. "There we are, standing in the rain with 10,000 people all crying to this song as it's being played," Washington recalls. "Nick [Waterman, the film's director and Washington's husband] and I looked at one another, and we knew we really had to try to do this."
2024 has also seen Washington release a pair of new singles – the lush, spacey 'Honeysuckle Island' and the pensive electronic pop of 'The Hook'. The former is part of a new studio album that Washington has been working on in tandem with 'How To Make Gravy', and is set for release at a tentative juncture in 2025.
Working with longtime producer and collaborator Ben Edgar, Washington describes the as-yet-untitled new record as being "a little bit country" – by her standards, at least. "My mum absolutely loves Willie Nelson," she says. "That led to my love of artists like Hank Williams and Patsy Cline.
"I don't know what you'd call it. . . kerchief country, perhaps? Either way, that was a big inspiration for me to explore within my own songwriting.
"I guess a lot of music right now, to me, feels very gridlocked and AutoTuned and quantised. . . polished, really. What my soul is craving in music is something a bit more feral, a bit more organic."
As for 'The Hook', the Petit Biscuit-sampling track is one of a handful of original songs that Washington wrote for the 'How To Make Gravy' soundtrack. Having already been in songwriting mode while working on the album, Washington recalls that several songs were "swirling around our apartment" in Gravy's creative process.
"Nick was actually the one who suggested putting some of these songs in the film," she says. "I had some songs in there already that were arranged for a male choir, and they're performed diegetically inside the movie. He felt they'd work really beautifully. The whole process, if you'll pardon the gravy pun, has been a real melting pot of creativity."
Washington is planning to share a slew of this new material on her tour, which begins this month and brings her back to the live stage after an extensive period of hunkering down on her litany of projects.
She's excited to share everything she's been working on, and is excited by how her recently expanded horizons have allowed her to approach the creative process in a way that feels fresh and interesting to her.
"I once got a really cool piece of advice: Most people think they can't get worse," she says. "We get so ingrained in this endless upward climb of our routines.
"It's so important to stay in the playful space of creative experimentation. You've got to ensure making things remains the most fun part of your job."
'How To Make Gravy' film is released 1 December.
Meg Washington 2024 Tour Dates
Sat 23 Nov - The J Theatre (Sunshine Coast)Wed 27 Nov - Sydney Opera House Studio
Fri 29 Nov - Trinity Sessions (Adelaide)* sold out
Sat 30 Nov - Trinity Sessions (Adelaide)
Thu 12 Dec - The Princess Theatre (Brisbane)
Sat 14 Dec - The Events Centre (Sunshine Coast)
Wed 18 Dec - Altar Bar (Hobart)
Fri 20 Dec - Frankston Arts Centre
Sat 21 Dec - Forum Melbourne
