Three million streams. That's a large number. It's the amount of times Woodes' debut EP has been streamed so far.
That's impressive for the Melbourne-based singer-songwriter and producer. After showcasing at SXSW in the US earlier this year, and with a new single 'Run For It' to promote, Woodes has an east-coast tour in July.
Tell us about your new single, 'Run For It'. The song's about calling things out that don't sit right with you, right?
[Woodes] Yeah, the lyrics stem from excusing certain behaviour based on gender. The song started as a battle between the wolves and the birds in a dense jungle. I see a dark fairy tale with eyes lurking around a protagonist, making their way through the dark.
How did the song first emerge? Was it part of a larger batch of new songs you're working on?
I’ve been working on the next release pretty much since I put the last one out. I have more than an album’s worth of new songs but am currently fine-tuning it into an EP for now; sitting on so many songs. This particular song stemmed from working at a writing camp in Bali.
It was a really beautiful week where we were invited to write and collaborate with writers from around the world. It can be really dependent on the partnering, how it all ends up working. A lot of the new tracks have been starting with larger drums and bass.
You've remained independent as an artist… how fiercely do you protect this status?
There are positives to staying independent and positives to signing, if the partnership is right. Woodes has always been a project that I love being in control of: I do production, creative direction, co-direct film clips, produce the live videos, style the project and assemble my production members for release roll out. There are a lot of options with being an independent artist in outsourcing marketing/ PR and distribution, so for now it’s working for me. I’m open to growing the partnerships and labels when it feels right.
What is the most important element of being an independent musician?
There are a bunch of things: organisation, trusting your gut/ holding your ground and lastly, assembling a strong team. Doing everything 100 per cent on your own is extremely exhausting. As time goes on I’m getting better and better at managing my time and relying on a close team of creatives in creating Woodes… similar to how one would be in a label.
Everyone’s roles are important, but it takes a while to build those relationships. Even if you don’t have management/ booking etc. yet, your team can be friends or advisors/ chasing down mentors in the industry to run things by. For me, having management setting me deadlines and giving me direct feedback and representing me is extremely important.
When you read stats like 3 million streams for your debut EP, charting on iTunes in 7 different countries… does the mind boggle when you consider how far your music is reaching?
It’s so exciting. I’ve held off travel to pursue production/ songwriting in my 20s with the internal promise that if I worked hard, music would take me to other parts of the world with purpose. Sometimes you follow those internal promises pretty blindly. I’ve watched other friends backpack around the world and see so many beautiful things. To be able to go to the UK/ Europe, Iceland or the Netherlands due to music would be a dream come true. A long-standing dream. It’s feeling a lot closer.
Your trip to SXSW earlier this year; were the showcases a success? Anything concrete that has since emerged from contacts you made?
Definitely a success! We had the best time. I didn’t really know what to expect, due to the project being in early stages. I didn’t really expect to be at SXSW a year after releasing my first song. One of our shows in particular will stay with me for a long time; everyone walked in that we’d been having meetings with all week and the tent filled right up. It was the Sounds Australia BBQ and it was one of my favourite shows to date. It’s pretty awesome to have shared a stage with Kucka, Oscar Key Sung, Vera Blue and Japanese Wallpaper all in one afternoon. Felt extremely grateful.
In terms of contacts and outcomes, I met a bunch of people that are helping with the PR/ marketing and distribution in the USA/ worldwide. I also met a bunch of new collaborators and saw Sigrid and Maggie Rodgers play on really intimate stages. It was great.
As an artist in a foreign country who is touring… is that still a surreal experience for you?
Definitely. It was made even more special having my band with me. We had a really memorable time travelling together. It was our first, international band trip. We came back and it was like that feeling when you come back from school camp. So keen to do more of it.
Best memory you can recall from you travels on the road?
SXSW was probably the best trip to date, so many nights discovering new music and hanging out with Australian artists in another country. One of my favourite moments was watching Zane Lowe’s keynote. Inspiring.
You have a three-date east-coast tour in July; what can fans expect from you at these shows?
Big drums! Bigger arrangements and previews of my next release. There are five or six brand new tracks. It’s also my debut tour, so I’m planning some special collabs and arrangements.
Ash Hendricks is the main support at all three shows; what can you tells us about Ash?
She makes really beautiful music you can get lost in and she produces too. Her stuff reminds me a lot of Daughter/ Soley. I really like the way she integrates the vocal chops/ live machine and the way she creates lush atmospheres.
Rest of 2017 for you; what is the plan?
Keep finishing this EP/ next release. America in August. Put out more music and play more shows. Some exciting collabs on the way, too.
Woodes Shows
Sat 8 Jul - Workers Club (Melbourne)Fri 14 Jul - Black Bear Lodge (Brisbane)
Sat 15 Jul - Brighton Up Bar (Sydney)
