Singer-songwriter Sam Buckingham has been a fixture on the Sydney music scene for many years. Now she’s taking her music to the rest of the country with shows to support her latest EP, Fragile Heart. She recently took time out from her busy touring schedule to chat about her new release, her upcoming shows, and what it’s like to be admired by some of the industry’s best.
You’re currently on the road promoting your EP Fragile Heart. What can you tell me about it?
It’s been a long time in the making and I think, more than anything, I feel like it completely sums up who I’ve been, who I am, what I’ve been thinking and feeling over a period of time, and it tells a story
I love the first single “Hit Me With Your Heart.” What was it about that song that made you want to release it?
As soon as I wrote that song (on the floor of an Adelaide backpackers in 2011) I loved it. I actually played it that night at a gig, with a lyrics sheet on the floor, because I was so desperate to show it to people. I think people love it because it’s so honest and really paints a picture of hurt and finding a way to make sense of that and turn it into something positive. It’s a liberating song
I noticed you’re playing both festivals and smaller intimate shows on your current tour. Do you have a preference?
I love them both! No preference. They’re both wonderful in completely different ways.
What do you love about performing?
I love the immediacy of it. I tell a story, people hear it and feel it right in front of my eyes. I feed off the audiences energy, they feed off mine … I love the exchange and being able to see what people are getting from the songs.
You’ve played some amazing festivals and supported some of Australia’s most beloved performers. What are your personal career highlights?
Supporting Washington at the Astor Theatre in Perth was a beautiful and musical life affirming moment. It was a huge crowd and I felt enveloped and accepted by every single one of them. It was a beautiful night. Co-producing this EP with (Australian producer) Paul McKercher was a definite highlight as well. Mostly because it felt like a very real and perfect match … to find someone to collaborate with that perfectly complements and challenges you is no mean feat and every day in the studio was both very intense and very good for the soul … we’ll be finishing off the album together as well.
I remember seeing you live at a friend’s album launch around six years ago. How do you think you’re grown as an artist since then?
Six years is a long time! I think I’m less concerned now about what others think of me and have really started making music just for myself, which I’m lucky enough to keep being able to share. So I’ve been on a big journey to learn the process of letting go of expectation and developing myself to a point where I’m truly happy with the music I’m writing and the live shows i’m doing. I think I’m a lot more humble now too; I’m very aware that there’s always a long way to go and that I’ll never stop learning and growing.
You’ve been a finalist in the International Songwriting Competition for the last three years, so you must take real pride in your lyrics. What do you love about the songwriting process?
I think, for me, it’s a very natural process. Songs often happen when I least expect it, from somewhere inside of me that I can tap into when I really want to say something. I often use songwriting to make sense of something I’m asking myself or beginning to understand, or to process a feeling that I don’t quite know how to put into words in everyday speech. I love that the lyrics can then be interpreted and made relevant for so many people in so many situations, and that, at the time of writing it, i’m actually not thinking about that at all
I heard musicians like Craig Nicholls, Bic Runga, and Josh Pyke have praised your songs. How does it feel to have artists like that appreciating what you do?
I think having anyone appreciating what you do is an incredible feeling. I guess when it’s your peers, or people you look up to, it’s a sort of comradeship and there’s something special about that. I’ve learned over the years that we’re all so different, doing so many different things in our musical lives but, at the heart of it, we’re all the same. We feel things, we express them, and we all go through the same internal stuff to find the strength to keep on sharing.
I believe you’re releasing an album next year. How’s that coming?
Slowly! But very well. I don’t want to say too much about it yet but I will say I listened back – only a few nights ago – to the songs we’ve recorded so far and I still absolutely loved them all. So that’s a good sign.
Do you have anything else in the pipeline that you can tell me about?
Just a lot of touring on the way. I’ve packed up my home in Sydney and will be moving around a lot over the next couple of years. No fixed address, just playing gigs wherever the wind takes me.
See Sam Buckingham promoting her new EP Fragile Heart at the following shows.
3 November 2012 – Notes Live, Newtown (supporting Karma County)
8 November 2012 – Mojo’s North Fremantle (supporting Mia Dyson)
14 November 2012 – FBi Social, Potts Point
16 November 2012 – Lass O’Gowrie, Wickham
18 November 2012 – The Front, Lyneham
21 November 2012 – Pure Pop Records, St Kilda
28 November 2012 – Pure Pop Records, St Kilda
9 December 2012 – Pure Pop Records, St Kilda
29-31 December 2012 – Peats Ridge Festival, Glenworth Valley
Image used with permission from Sam Buckingham