For the past ten years, Australian singer-songwriter and performer Shoeb Ahmad has created a rich catalogue of diverse and idiosyncratic original music.
On her latest album 'quiver', Shoeb delivers deeply personal songs that explore the interconnected themes of identity: gender, race and religion.
At the heart of the narrative is Shoeb's own journey of self-acceptance in coming out as trans and identifying as femme. We speak with Shoeb to discover more about the new album.
Your latest album 'quiver' was released in May; have you been happy so far with the response to the record?
I'm pretty happy with how it's been received and seeing how people react to the new music and the themes, both on the record and then also as my band and I took the album on the road.
One of the most rewarding things has been how interested in the narrative people are and how it's helped shine a light on these matters, especially at present when the world's outlook is somewhat worrying.
How did you approach writing and recording 'quiver'?
The music was written at least two, three years before the narrative came to fruition. I set out to write music that was inspired by people like PJ Harvey, Tindersticks and The Temptations – really soulful, very mature and oddly sophisticated.
A lot of the writing was done on the guitar but also sitting at the piano, which was a first for me.
A lot of things that were written as guitar parts were adapted to vibraphones and strings instead, creating layers around the same melodies and harmonies but with different instrumentation to make it sound lush. Weirdly enough, I ended up recording the drums last, which I would recommend never to do.
As my journey with identity came to the fore I knew I had something to say, even if only as therapy for myself. Not having written words for music in years, it was surprising how easily they came to me but I guess that has to do with having genuine inspiration and thoughts to convey.
What makes it such an important album for you?
I've always been more comfortable creating stories for singing and music that helps create a mood, so to place first-hand experiences through the first person in song has been quite the challenge for me and something that has allowed me to take strength from my vulnerability.
It's a big step to admit that you are vulnerable in the first place, but being able to own it and not show it as a weakness is a bold thing to do.
Can you tell us more about the cover artwork?
The artwork for 'quiver' was made by my long-time visual collaborator Adam J Bragg. We've worked together on many a release for the label I run, hellosQuare, so it's no surprise that we've continued our creative conversation with this record.
He creates these beautiful paintings in his spare time as he works mainly as a graphic designer. The piece used for the album cover is something he created in response to the narrative and album concept. For the zine edition of the album, he created collages using the painting and double-exposed photos of me he had taken to create hypnagogic, dream-like imagery for the packaging.
The album is said to be 'built upon the trinity of identity – gender, race and religion'; how have you navigated these aspects to become comfortable in your own identity?
Thinking about identity isn't something we always do, but it's amazing to think that we are all on a journey and they are all very different from one another.
So much of my journey has been about being aware of who I am, realising what I've been hiding away and not being ashamed of all the intricacies that make me 'me'. Self-acceptance and knowing your self-worth is key to being comfortable in who you are.
Do you think the Australian music industry is improving in terms of access for LGBTQI+ and non-binary performers?
Sure it has to some extent but at the same rate, so many of the pathways for one to find their way into the industry is still driven by cis-gendered, white men who are only looking out for what will make them into a 'somebody'.
The thing that excites me is seeing DIY movements continue within music with a goal of creating safe, inclusive spaces for performing, releasing music and developing connections with like-minded people.
These are the collectives and communities that need to be supported in providing platforms for people from all walks of life and to help support one another because being a creative being is a total crap-shoot, even before considering what could make you 'different' to the norm.
You've also been on tour with Tangents recently; how have those shows been going?
The tour went really well and it's been great getting on the road with Tangents because a. we've not done an Australian tour before and b. we're a big band to organise and haul around both coasts.
So much of our best playing comes from being able to improvise live on stage and lock into the connection between our five distinct musical backgrounds - having this stretch of performing together has really made us think about crafting new music.
How does your work differ between various projects? Do you have a signature style or sound that carries through all of your work?
A lot of it has to do with me thinking 'how do I fit into this project and what space is left?'.
The worst mistake one can make is to overload a musical space with too much of something to soothe your ego when a more subtle approach can be more rewarding on the whole, both as a musician and a listener.
For example, my role in Tangents is to create harmonies and textures most of the time, but this means when I do break out into a more melodic moment, it really gets the chance to shine and give listeners something to hook onto.
That feeds itself back into my style and sound really - I'm really content with nice, layered guitar parts and things that build into an emotional state rather than showy solos; sounds that hits the subconscious on first listen and leaves the idea lingering on in the listener's mind for a while longer.
What can we expect from your show at Brisbane Powerhouse?
The show for Livespark will be a special stripped-back performance without the band, just me singing and playing guitar. I will be playing songs from 'quiver' but I will also play some new material that takes the recent songwriter direction into a more ambient place.
You always seem to be working on something; what's coming next for you?
I have started work on a live electronic project under the guise of 'Alicia Sparkles', but will be starting work on some of the aforementioned solo music as well as return to the studio with Tangents.
Where else can people see you perform live?
This will be my last show in Brisbane for the year and only a few more in Melbourne (Eastmint Studios in September, Not Fest in November and Arts Centre in December) and Sydney (Hollywood Sundays in October) - it's been a productive year but I'm definitely looking forward to making new music and thinking about future plans.
