EP 1 is out now!
Image: Georgia Wallace
Last month, Townsville-based artist Winifred unveiled her debut collection of songs, EP 1. To celebrate the release, the singer has shared with MILKY five things she learnt whilst working on the body of work.
I LEARNT HOW TO DANCE
Coming into the making of this EP I had zero background in dance. I was introduced to Zoee Marsh, whose now been my long standing visual co-pilot and movement coach ever since the beginning of 2020. She’s one of those rare people you meet only once or twice in a career-span. If you had told me a few years ago that I would be dancing with backing dancers, and shooting one-take solo performance dance music videos I would’ve laughed! It’s wild to think how integral Zoee was in bringing out that freedom and confidence in me. Learning to dance with Zoee as my teacher became so much more than the act of learning to move, the whole experience was personally transformative for me. It enabled me to kick down walls I had built up around my self-perception through movement. I made the music videos for all three EP I singles, ’Into The Night’, ‘Drowning Purple’ and 'On Yr Time' with Zoee at the helm. All of the Winifred music videos have become highly expressive and dance oriented. It’s been an incredibly rewarding collaboration, every time Zoee and I work together we always remark on how lucky we are to have met and do what we do.
I LEARNT HOW TO WRITE POP MUSIC THAT FEELS LIKE ME
Having written for 15 years, and releasing music under a different project name before Winifred, I was very aware of the correlation between genre and intention.
In recent years I began thinking about the definition of Pop. (Popular music). Essentially I believe pop music to be anything that follows a set structure, intro, verse 1, chorus, verse 2, bridge etc. I think the genre is almost irrelevant! It’s about what connects. My reason for wanting to write pop music was to write songs that people get stuck in their head and can sing along too, music that makes you feel good! Written less for my own catharsis and more with an audience in mind. I get such a thrill when I hit on a catchy hook or production idea. Basically I’ve learnt that writing ‘pop’ music doesn’t mean you’re cheapening your art. It means you’re abiding within parameters, which for a song writer like me is a great exercise!
THE VALUE OF COLLABORATION
With EP I being my first body of work as Winifred it became clear to me quite early on just how important collaboration is for this project. In the past I would write all my songs from start to finish but I’m fortunate to have been able to discover the joy of going on that journey with others! Two of the ‘EP I’ tracks were written while on a writing trip in LA. ‘On Yr Time’ was written with David Ott and ‘Fallen’ was written with Tim Anderson who’s also written and produced for Banks, Billie Eilish and Solange to name a few. I learnt so much on that trip! The rest of my EP was completed in Aus with the help of One Above, Chris Chidiac and Adib Parker. That’s just the music, then there’s the visual world and your core internal team who help you get everything off the ground. There are so many moving parts, so I think it’s important to draw attention to ‘the process’ of what it takes to release music, and how collaboration in all its different forms plays such a key role.
TO NOT LET YOUR CREATIVE CONTROL SLIP.
There have been times in the past where I had to navigate holding onto my creative control because I felt it was slipping. I had to step back to gain perspective and clear direction. I believe losing then finding creative control again has made me appreciate creative freedom, return back to myself and push myself higher into new territories maybe as a way to make up for time lost, and to actively remind myself to never take for granted how precious and important it is to control your art and to steer your own ship. This first EP is the embodiment of regained personal and artistic autonomy.
IT IS POSSIBLE TO DO WHAT YOU LOVE FROM ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD.
I lived in Melbourne for almost 10 years then in 2021, I moved back to my home town of Townsville. The last few years have been transitional for everyone with normality being flipped on its head. If Covid has taught me anything it’s that we can not only function but thrive, while pursuing what we love from wherever we want.
EP 1 is out now!
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