Australian audiences were first introduced to Brooke Addamo as a fresh-faced teen on Australian Idol. She’s done some growing up since then, and adopted the stage name Owl Eyes. With the release of her debut EP Faces, it’s time to reacquaint yourself with this talented young singer-songwriter. I caught up with her recently to chat about her stage persona, Faces, and her upcoming launch shows.
It’s not so common for a solo performer to take a stage name. What was behind that decision for you?
I decided to go with a stage name to separate myself from my normal self. Having a different name helps you create a stage persona and let’s you be more creative.
And why Owl Eyes?
I feel owls are such a good representation of my music; it’s that combination of light and darkness, pop music with some substance behind it. Among many other reasons I choose it after going through some of my favourite songs and came across Devendra Banhart’s “Owl Eyes,” and it just sounded right to me.
If local audiences think you look familiar it may be because they spotted you on Australian Idol. How was that experience for you?
Australian Idol was fine. I mean I was 17 at the time, so it was a good experience for me to go through. It really did make me realise what I didn’t want to be and made me a stronger person in the decisions I make. I feel it actually makes me work harder because people have these preconceived ideas of what I am so I have to constantly prove myself as a serious artist but when good things happen I’m more grateful because I know how hard I worked, so it all balances out in the end.
There can be a bit of a stigma around appearing on a talent show like that, particularly when you’re a songwriter with independent leanings. Did you feel that, and if so how did you overcome it?
I have felt that at times but I have been pretty fortunate that once people hear my music they kind of discard the stigma and judge me purely on what they hear. The fact that I didn’t go very far on the show has actually benefited me in the long run and similar artists have set good precedents and I think people are more forgiving towards artists like myself and see it more as an awkward teenage stage or a learning curve, rather then something that defines the artist.
Clearly you’re well on your way with the upcoming release of your debut EP Faces. What can you tell me about the recording?
Well I actually wrote the five songs and did 99% of the recordings in five days with Jan from Jackson Jackson. It was a pretty painless process which is quite rare.
I had worked with many different musicians and producers but I felt that they never quite got me or didn’t understand the kind of music I wanted to make. With Jan, we both had similar taste but very different backgrounds and we just had a great musical connection and our backgrounds and influences fused together to create what you hear as the EP
You’re playing some launch shows in Melbourne and Sydney this month. Are you looking forward to showing these songs to people?
I’m really looking forward to the shows. I’m performing the whole EP and a few new songs i’ve been working on with a full band. It’s also the first time I get to play around with things like costume and set design so i’m super excited!
You’ve supported some great acts in the past few months, including Katie Steele and Custom Kings. What did you learn while supporting them that you can apply to your headline shows?
I have been lucky so far. I also got to support Oh Mercy who are one of my favourite bands at the moment. I think just watching those bands gives you a real understanding of what people are wanting when they come to watch the headline act. Every act has a real sense of self and their own vibe. So what I take away is to really hold my own because it’s my show.
What do you love about being on stage?
I love the connection that you have with the audience. Sometimes it’s with people who know your stuff or people who are purely hearing it and hearing about you for the first time. Also when playing your songs live they obviously always have a different feel to the ones you recorded, so I like playing around with that and connecting to them in different ways.
You recently added your vocals to “It Can Wait,” the new single from hip hop act Illy. His music is so different from yours, so why did you want to be involved in the project?
I think Illy is great and I love the idea of collaborating with styles so different to what you are doing. I like to work on things that push me and if I like it and think it’s a credible piece of music, why not try it?
Once you wrap up these EP launch shows, what’s next for Owl Eyes?
I have already started writing for my second EP and I’m always playing gigs around Melbourne. I’m also doing a national tour early next year which should be really fun.
You can see Owl Eyes launching her debut EP Faces at Fitzroy Workers Club on November 12 and Melt Bar in Sydney on November 19.
Image used with permission from Shiny Entertainment