#120 Hello Jane
Hello Jane is a new folk singer songwriter who dreamed of being a teacher and studied at JMC Academy in Southbank. She fell into songwriting and loves the art of being simple yet emotional with her music and we get to delve deeper into her life and goals with music in this chat.
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Transcript
Rae Leigh: Welcome to a, song where to tryst with hello, Jane, is that what everyone calls you? Hello?
Hello Jane: Yes.
Rae Leigh: Okay.
Hello Jane: It's so strange. I know
Rae Leigh: I'll have to ask you how you actually came up with that.
Hello Jane: Yeah. Do you want me to tell you
Rae Leigh: go on tell us the story? So
Hello Jane: there's actually two stories. Yeah.
Rae Leigh: and
Hello Jane: The story that I there's one real story. And then there's one that people like the story better.
So I'm going to tell you the one that they liked better, which is very traced as well. So my sister, her name is Taylor Jane, and growing up, we'd call her Janie. And I realized when I was trying to work out what name I wanted to use as a songwriter, because I didn't enjoy using my own name. I realized that anytime I'd write a song and I recorded it as a voice memo, I would send it to her and I'd be like, Hey, can you tell me, what do you think?
And she would respond. She'd be like, I love it. Best song ever. Or I don't get it. Like, it doesn't make sense. Like, she's really honest like that. Yeah. And so hello, Jane comes from that and then it also, yeah. Yeah. It's nice. And she's my biggest fan. I would say. It's really sweet. And the other part, it came from the idea of playing Jane, where I really am passionate about songwriting being simple and not complicated.
And I mean, playing Jane kind of has a negative context, but I think it has a positive one as well. And so it comes from both of those ideas about being simple, but then also the story about my sister,
Rae Leigh: but you're not simple. but your songs
Hello Jane: I am simple. I try to be, maybe I'm more complex than I think, but yeah.
I want music to be simple. I think it needs to be. Just stubble for people and not kind of for my music that I like writing. I don't like it to be riddled in metaphor. And what is she trying to say? Like it's pretty,
Rae Leigh: you want it to, if it's a metaphor, make it obvious.
Hello Jane: Yeah, I think so.
Rae Leigh: I actually agree. And sometimes I think some people get really caught up in trying to let their ego shine, with like how complicated the words.
can be. But yeah, I agree. It's like, it's, I think it actually is complicated to make the song Simple enough that children can understand it. And pop along to it.
Hello Jane: yeah, I agree.
Rae Leigh: And sometimes I reckon Disney do this the best. is that children love it. But there is something that only adults would understand and that they actually can go together. like dance monkey. Oh my gosh. Like my kids love that song. I have no idea what it's about.
Hello Jane: Yeah. It's insane. How talented it takes to be simple yet, I guess, original in your idea or something.
Rae Leigh: Yeah.
Hello Jane: But I'm really passionate about that. Yeah.
Rae Leigh: All right. So that's how you got your name. So Tell me a little bit about who you are and where you come from.
Hello Jane: from. So I am I'm a songwriter by night, I guess, and a retail worker by day.
And I started music pretty much when I started studying it. So what happened was about six years ago, one of my auntie, she passed away and she was pretty young. She was like late thirties. Yeah. That's okay. And she, that experience like we were quite close in a way, cause we grew up like hanging out with my auntie and.
I think when she passed away, it was really a shock for me. Cause I was like, wow, life is really short and you never know what's going to happen. And it was one of those moments that really made me think.
Rae Leigh: holy
Hello Jane: Crap, what am I going to do? And I didn't know, I was working full time. I had thought I wanted to study, but then I stopped studying because I wasn't trying very hard.
And then I thought, okay, what do I really like? What is something that I love? And I thought, oh, well, I like to sing. And so maybe I should try to study music and maybe I could be a music teacher. And so then I went and I applied to the school and I got in this university and. Then I studied music and I was like, yeah, I'm just going to do this and be a teacher.
And then halfway through, I got suggested that I should do songwriting. And then I did, and it evolved from there and I wrote songs and then my teachers liked it and the peers really were impressed by it. And I was like, oh, this is a bit bizarre. People are liking my songs. That's really weird. I didn't think I'm very good at this.
And then it's just evolved from there.
Rae Leigh: That's beautiful. And sometimes it does take us to someone to say something encouraging.
Hello Jane: Yeah, it's funny actually, because I remember thinking, wow, I'm not a songwriter, so I can't do it. But also there was a subject called rhythm and improv that I knew was really hard. And if I switched to songwriting, I didn't have to do
Rae Leigh: that.
Hello Jane: subject. So it was both worlds actually
Rae Leigh: you were avoiding
Hello Jane: going to, yeah.
I was like, I don't want to do that. So I'm going to go to the songwriting.
Rae Leigh: stream. Okay. So you had a bit of an old ultimatum
Hello Jane: Kind of, yeah.
Rae Leigh: yeah.
Hello Jane: Yeah. It's pretty insane.
Rae Leigh: Yeah. Cool. All right. And it was JMC. You went to, and you enjoyed it there. And when did you finish that?
Hello Jane: I finished in, I think 2018.
Rae Leigh: So it's pretty recent. Yeah. So What was your journey from, okay. I'm going to be a teacher to now. I'm a songwriter. Actually. I'm a damn good songwriter.
Hello Jane: Well, still waiting for that part.
Still waiting for that.
Rae Leigh: enough to go. I'm going to start releasing my music is that's a bit of a, it's a mindset.
Hello Jane: Aye. I've graduated. I thought, okay, what are you going to do now? I thought, what am I going to do? I have two choices. I can go. I actually did an internship as a singing teacher at a music school in Brisbane. And I thought that's what, like, I thought that's what I wanted to do. And then I had the experience of doing it and I thought, oh, I know.
I think I would like to do that at some point in my life, but I was like, I don't think that's what I want to do right now. And I was like, holy Dooly, that's my plan. I out of the equation. And then I thought, okay, well, if you want to sing there, maybe you should try sing your own stuff. And then I just thought, well, give it a whirl, give it a good crack because I'll regret it.
If I don't, I think, and I still come back to that. When I feel a bit exhausted or I'm like, what is the point, honestly, like this is too much.
Rae Leigh: am I doing this? Yeah.
Hello Jane: And I just go, well, you'd regret it later on. If you didn't really try and do what you're doing. So
Rae Leigh: the very least think about the experience and the knowledge that you're learning, that you can, then give to your students when you do become a teacher, If that's something that you go down, you know, like that's not something that every teacher's going to be able to have that experience to be able to and knowledge to pass on.
Hello Jane: that's a really good point. And no one has actually ever pointed that out, but that's a great, yeah. All of it is really informative for, if I do become a teacher,
Rae Leigh: everything we learn is something that we can teach someone else I reckon like we can inspire other people and being a mum, like that's something that I'm always thinking about.
so right, just give it a go. That's what teachers do. Right. You say, they say, give it a go. And don't like, And it's really hard to say that to you.
So Sometimes. but When you think about it, it's like, just give it a go. Because even if you fail, you're going to, you're going to be able to pass that knowledge on to someone else.
and show them what Not to do it, even if and that's still valuable. Okay.
Hello Jane: So
Rae Leigh: tell me about the first song. you ever wrote?
Hello Jane: The first song I have a row. I have two memories and I don't know which one came. No, I do know which one came first. This is song that I wrote. My bedroom, which most of my songs were written in. And I think it was called everybody move.
And I don't remember how it kind of came. I know, I think it came about as I was just playing the guitar and I just started singing, which is generally still how I, my song writing process goes.
Rae Leigh: and
Hello Jane: I was really mad at my brothers and sisters. So I was like, everybody move, like you've got to move out. And so I think, yeah, it was so anxiety.
But it's still actually quite in the style that I, right now, like it was kind of folky, but anthemic at the same time. So that was one really strong memory that I have. And then another one is when I started playing the ukulele. And that's when I really, that was when I shifted into the songwriting stream at my studies.
And that's when I really started writing songs. And it was this cute little love song called carried away. Yeah.
Rae Leigh: And were you in love?
Hello Jane: I thought I was, I thought I was in last for someone that was overseas. Yeah. It was a really interesting story.
Rae Leigh: as hot, isn't it? But that's like, that's the standard answer I get most of the time with people for like first song, heart was broken or, I'm in love with it.
Like I, you know, I met someone and
Hello Jane: I don't really write love songs.
Rae Leigh: but
Hello Jane: It's a really cute song. I still think of it now. Actually, I don't play it much because I don't get on the uke when I'm playing my shows, but yeah.
Rae Leigh: Yeah. that's cool. And so are you single now then? Oh, hello boys girls? I don't know which I've always been, whatever.
Hello Jane: Yeah, honestly, life it's a very busy experience being a musician and a songwriter. And I'm an emerging one at that. So yeah, lots to do
Rae Leigh: emerging
Hello Jane: forever. Honestly, I will be emerging forever
Rae Leigh: someone said that to me, like last year. and I was like Really excited. I'm like, oh, emerging, like up and coming. or yay. That sounds really cool.
Two years later, still emerging. up and go, Oh, okay. I get this
I'm starting to understand what this means. It means you haven't done anything of note worthy yet. Once you've done that
Hello Jane: I like being emerging or up and coming. Cause it kind of feels like, yeah, I. I don't have to be a certain thing. So I really enjoy that.
Rae Leigh: you get to continue to
Hello Jane: yeah, and I think they also think it's quite useful. I think people think that I'm like 21, 22 sometimes when they're talking to me and then someone asked me the other day, they're like, how old are you?
And I was like 29. They're like, oh, I didn't expect that. I thought younger. I was like keep that
Rae Leigh: Yeah. that's cool. Whatever it Doesn't I'm 30 something. And I thought I was going to die when I hit 30. I wanna, Like I did not think I would live Into my thirties. Just That was my brain was bright and brain's way of thinking. And I think that's actually, I come from a, quite a traumatic background and I think that's a pretty normal thing to think when you're suffering is that you don't want to have to suffer.
for much longer.
Hello Jane: Wow. Fair.
Rae Leigh: But actually I think my life started when I turned 30. If I want to, like Everything shifted and I am a different person than I was in my twenties. much better
Hello Jane: Oh, I
Rae Leigh: so much more fun in my thirties.
Hello Jane: I think when I hit 27 was when I felt like a bit more steady and a bit more stable. And I think in songwriting, my songs have gotten stronger from that too.
Like, that's that steadiness?
Rae Leigh: spent my twenties.
Hello Jane: Yeah, I didn't, I spent my twenties dating losers, but they provided great songs. Absolutely. And I do think about that sometimes when I think about, oh why did we make those decisions? And I think actually, what would I have to sing about? Yeah.
Rae Leigh: really?
And you're going to meet the right person?
And then you're going to have a whole album. of emotions. and so I was.
Hello Jane: who, cares? Like I think,
Rae Leigh: All right. So when you are writing a music and you're not releasing it, do you have like and I know that this is going to be changing because like we just said, when you were emerging, you kind of grow and develop and find your sound and you get to try different things.
And no one cares because you haven't got that sound yet. What is it that you want to connect to? when you're releasing music or you're writing a song and you're getting someone to. hear it. Is there something that you want people to know? Yep. This is hella Jane and this is what she's doing. as a whole.
Hello Jane: I feel that I can only kind of talk as if I was a listener to someone else's music and how I would want, how I feel when I listened to music that I love.
And I guess I would like people to hear it and think. That it's like, it's a true story. And that there it's a real like a rawness to it in a way. I feel like songwriting is where I have the bravery to put in things that I wouldn't tell people just on like a really tell a stranger. I wouldn't tell a stranger about my heartache or how I wish things would have been or that sort of thing.
So I hope that they kind of.
Peer the intimacy. But I really hope they just, it makes them feel something because I think anytime I have a doubt about whether this particular career path is beneficial to me, or if I think about like what is the purpose? I always come back to, if someone is. If someone hears my music and they can feel something, then that's a real benefit.
So whatever that is. Yeah. Feel more of themselves, I guess. So whatever the, whatever they're feeling. Yeah. Yeah.
Rae Leigh: I think that's good. Like you said before, there are conversations that we just. don't have. Like when the checkout chick says, how you doing. You don't be like oh, just go broken up with someone, like
Hello Jane: at a tough time.
Rae Leigh: at a tough time. you'd be like, yeah, I'm good.
Thanks. You could literally be suicidal.
and be like, yeah, I'm fine.
Hello Jane: Yeah. I hate that conversation.
Rae Leigh: saw it. I mean, you know, like, are you okay? For someone with struggles with Mental health? like Hugely. I hate that question. Like, are you okay to me feels like a sh like just a UGK. like, I don't want to, you know, whereas like, for me, I'm like, if someone really cares, like, how are you feeling? That's the question. I want someone to ask me.
Hello Jane: Well, what's going on for you? Like what's going on in your
Rae Leigh: Yeah. Not like, are you okay? He's like, Yeah, I'm okay. He's like, all right, let's keep
Hello Jane: yeah. Fine.
Rae Leigh: Yeah.
Hello Jane: I'm going to work today.
Rae Leigh: Yeah. Oh, you say I'm good. Good. It's not an emotion. You know, and it, music is a way for us to connect into emotions in a world that. doesn't Usually give a lot of space for emotion. And I thought as well, like, we needed to connect to these emotions and they're gonna kill us, but it gives that gift to other people, like when I was saying before, it's like, I get a sense of a deep breath and space when I listened to you, And that's a gift.
that you could just do that,
Hello Jane: I'm always really surprised. I guess when people tell me how they like their emotion that they feel when they listen to me, I'm like, that's so bizarre that someone singing can make someone feel that way. And it's almost like how bizarre that, that is what you feel when I open up my mouth and sing. I don't know.
Maybe it's a bit, yeah.
Rae Leigh: of,
Hello Jane: I don't
Rae Leigh: So your spirit comes through
Hello Jane: I think so. I think it just, the rest of the stuff doesn't matter. And it's just, this is a song and
Rae Leigh: and it's an intimacy closeness, that everyone needs, we all need intimacy. We only closest And especially like with COVID and everyone being locked down, we still need to feel like we're close and we're connected.
And I think art and music is a real way that we can do that. And when he hears something that you connect to it. it can bring you into a new place. And sometimes we need a new place, in our minds and our hearts to go to and yeah, that's really cool. What about co-writing? What Have you done much of it?
Hello Jane: I have done a lot of co-writing actually.
When I was at uni, they really encouraged co-writing and I thought it was the most terrifying thing ever. But then I did, I started co-writing with a lot of the people that I studied with Camille trail. So we did a lot of co-writing together which is really fun. And.
Rae Leigh: it's a really
Hello Jane: Bizarre vulnerable experience.
Co-writing because you. You have to be open enough to say stupid ideas or to say, this is what I think. And then, but also be open for it to be moldable and change. So I really lacked the kind of relinquishing all of the controls. That I have as a control freak.
Rae Leigh: Good skill to learn.
Hello Jane: it is really difficult though. Hey yeah, so I, I still do a lot of co-writing.
I write with a Brisbane songwriter called Maisie Taylor, and we write a lot still. I really keep thinking, I want to get into more co-writing with new people, but it's just hard finding the time with everything else.
Rae Leigh: Yeah. Work in and then also trying to record and release. And then I know I've spoken to songwriters in America who like they write three four songs a day
Hello Jane: and, oh my gosh, I wish I could do that
Rae Leigh: Yeah. Like by the time that within three months they've written more songs than I've ever written my entire life.
But that's there that's how they dedicated times. So it's doable. And like someone asked me the other day. How do you find the time to do everything? And I'm like, We will have 24 hours in a day No, one's got more time than anyone else. If I wanted to write 300 songs in three. months, I Probably could because there's that time for that,
But, you know, it takes choice and you've actually decided how you want to spend your life, because like you said, life's too short.
you know,
Hello Jane: I'm actually reading this book of what's it. Oh, I can't remember, but it's about how to kind of develop more creativity in your life. I wish I could remember it's by PIP blinks. Can I think, and it was saying pretty much about how you should become a morning person and I usually am a morning person, but.
Read it last night. And I was like, oh, I need to get up earlier. If I just can't get up at five o'clock, then I'll have two more hours of my day. And I mean, I don't have kids, so it's,
Rae Leigh: Choice of getting up at 5:00 AM.
Hello Jane: Right. But for me, there is a choice and maybe I can be a bit more efficient with my time. Yeah. Yeah.
Rae Leigh: Early starts can be really good.
And
Hello Jane: they, so are,
Rae Leigh: I used to be a personal trainer.
Hello Jane: all the time.
Rae Leigh: Really early to train and work with clients. And then moving into the music industry. there was a lot of late nights, like last night I was at a key music networking event and you know, you don't get home until 10 30 and then you've got to wind down kind of from being social and sort of energetic around other people.
It's been a big shift for me cause I'm, I prefer to be a morning person and I'm feeling grubby.
Hello Jane: Yeah. And I had a show last night in Brisbane. Afterwards. I wanted to watch the next act. So then I stayed and I had a beer and then, but you don't get home til late and you're right then you're tired. And then I can feel the one beer in my body too.
Rae Leigh: right? Yeah. And it's yeah,
Hello Jane: honestly.
Rae Leigh: This is when you show your age, I've had one beer
Hello Jane: Yeah.
Rae Leigh: terrible.
Hello Jane: like that since I was 23. So it's the same
Rae Leigh: I've never been a good drinker. I'm a two, Ken Sam, one. can champagne,
Hello Jane: Yeah,
Rae Leigh: one glass of champagne. I am on the floor and that has happened. I went to a university gig once and I had a glass of champagne and I fainted, and Went home within maybe 20 minutes of this university ball where like, we'd all been waiting for ages to get dressed up and go out.
It's like a hundred and something dollars ticket. I had one class. of champagne
Hello Jane: Wow.
Rae Leigh: and I was gone. I think I must've eaten that day. I don't. know. But Yeah, alcohol. is not good for me. All right. Tell me. Actually I was going to ask you about the pushup challenge cause I'm doing the pushup challenge this month. and It's tuna.
Heck, Do you know how many pushups? we're supposed to be?
Hello Jane: I think it's 3,300 and something
Rae Leigh: And
Hello Jane: read in my email,
Rae Leigh: the number of people that committed suicide.
in 2020?
Hello Jane: Yeah. Something
Rae Leigh: Yeah. Which is huge. Why are you doing it? I was going to ask.
Hello Jane: My sister messaged me and was like, do you want to do a pushup challenge? And I saw it and I thought this looks like a good cause. And also. Something to, I don't know. I always find my mind being that excited about exercise, but I know it's so good for my own mental health.
So I thought, yeah, I'm going to do it. But then I skipped the first day and I thought, Maddie, you need to be better.
Rae Leigh: Oh, I'll keep you accountable. That's fine. I'll be like Jane. Jane. Have you done yours? because I'm doing mine actually. Cause I'm in a team cause I'm a part of it. charity that is all about suicide and mental health awareness, mainly suicide prevention. but We run markets and I've kind of handled the music side of things. It's it's called steps and it's about connecting people with the right programs to help them.
through whatever they're dealing with. had my own mental health stuff and everyone has a low time, you know, EV everyone at some point. in their life Goes through something where you feel like, can I keep going, And that's so normal, but if you don't know that it's normal, it can make it worse because you don't talk about it. And then it gets, you know, it blows out of proportion, So that's kind of like what we're doing and that's they, were all doing it.
And so now we've got this team and we're all, everyday. we can see who's done it. And so, because Someone else has done it it kind of makes me go, I have to do it. And my husband's doing it with me as well. So we're like before bed, but like oh, it's still going to do.
50 pushups. so I'm feeling the pain
Hello Jane: feeling the pain. Yeah. I'm a bit achy.
Rae Leigh: today's day three. Isn't
Hello Jane: It is day three.
Rae Leigh: Ouch. Anyway,
Hello Jane: 50 after this
Rae Leigh: we can do it together and I'll put that on it,
Hello Jane: but yeah, sounds good.
Rae Leigh: But it is a good cause. And it's I was curious as to like whether there was a more of a personal reason for you.
Hello Jane: I just think mental health in any kind of discussion around is really important.
Because the world is a bit surface level sometimes. And particularly actually I find in the music industry, or kind of not, maybe not the industry in the whole, but if someone says like, how are you going in your car? And you're in the middle of a release or something, it seems bizarre if you're like, actually I'm feeling trash.
Like I'm not feeling good because it kind of seems like you need to be really excited and you need to have this kind of face on. And I've really felt that recently actually, because there's like, life is ups and downs, you have like a rollercoaster of things. So I just think, yeah, anything that brings more awareness and more conversation and more openness about mental health in any capacity is really important.
Rae Leigh: I totally feel you like I had an AP release last month and it was only delayed because of COVID. But we finally had the show and the week before I was in hospital The whole week before and during my husband was in the hospital and the day before my six year old was in hospital. And
Hello Jane: so like, so you were feeling really excited.
Rae Leigh: Like, yeah, like I didn't really do much it's premiere, you know, you've messaged all your friends. Like I didn't get to do any of that. Still had amazing support show up, which was, I was just so grateful, but I was on stage and I'm like, do you know what I've had the worst week? ever,
Hello Jane: Yeah,
Rae Leigh: but for me, that's why I do music because when I have the worst time and I'm not feeling great, that's when I, that's what I need to sing. And that's actually, I think I bring that in. And Sometimes I feel guilty because I'm Like I feel horrible and I'm letting that all of my horrible emotions through my voice while I was singing and it's good because it doesn't seem to land in that negative way on people, which is great.
Hello Jane: I agree. Yeah.
Rae Leigh: I couldn't do it if I was doing, if I felt like I was burdening, the world, but sometimes it's such a good thing.
Hello Jane: it is a beautiful ally.
Yeah.
Rae Leigh: Yeah. So you've had a single.
Hello Jane: Yes, I have. It's called something else. It was released on the 23rd of April. And yeah, it's been a really awesome experience. It's the first time I've used publicity for it, which pay publicity working with Jules from wild hearts. Yeah, she's awesome. So I've done so many radio interviews and it's the first time I've been talking about myself and my music, which is just so bizarre.
Rae Leigh: 15 minutes getting, tell me what your
Hello Jane: It's it's.
Rae Leigh: I don't.
Hello Jane: I like it more than I thought I would. I thought I would really struggle with kind of expressing myself because it just, it's so bizarre to me that we write these songs and these songs kind of feel like, well, for me, they come out of nowhere. And some are written with intention and others just form out of this kind of be who knows what it
Rae Leigh: and you feel
Hello Jane: but then you, yeah.
And then you take credit, but then you have to really define what the song is about and they ask what it's about. And yeah. It's funny with this song. I feel like it's what I say it's about is true, but I didn't actually really fully understand that meaning until I had to, till it was really central, I had to start talking about it more and I was like, yeah, that really actually makes sense, but I didn't fully intellectualize that before.
So it's been a really interesting experience for me.
Rae Leigh: I like that. I had a song like that. last year and It was recorded and released before I had any idea where it came from. And then people were asking me interviews And my interviews were terrible because I was like talking about how it went from being recorded in my bedroom to being online really quickly.
Yeah. they're like, no, but what does it mean? Like where does it come up? I'm like,
Hello Jane: I don't know.
Rae Leigh: it took about Six months of singing and performing in and having that song played on radio before we go. oh, I know. I know what that is.
Hello Jane: get it. I get it.
Rae Leigh: But I didn't get it at the time So I totally relate to that timing is everything.
Hello Jane: Yeah. But it's been an awesome experience and it's just like another little step forward and yeah.
People really enjoying it. That's all that matters. Really?
Rae Leigh: Just enjoy the journey. absolutely. And it is all about divine timing and we do need amazing people like Jules from wild heart publicity to help us get that music out there because it can help people And if that's what you're doing it for, then it needs to be heard. Otherwise what's the point.
Hello Jane: Yeah. I also didn't realize how much confidence it would get me from someone else rallying behind my music so much. It's really quite shocked me. I'm like, whoa, what are you doing?
Rae Leigh: Yeah. Someone believing in
Hello Jane: Wow. Yeah. And she's really amazing at doing that. So, yeah. Shout out
Rae Leigh: She is lovely jewels, you know, she's amazing and only has the best Reputation in my eyes and from everyone I speak to, so, yeah, she's amazing. Tell me what's the best advice that you've ever been given today?
Hello Jane: I think the only thing that comes to mind is not actually someone, it's not something that someone told me, but there's a
a pop musician Aurora, do you know of her?
Yeah. And I became really obsessed with watching her videos cause she's so quirky in how she performs. And I watched one of these interviews of her and she said that her mom told her, so I'm going to steal her thing is that music that can help people should never be kept for yourself. And I wrote it down and I always remember that.
Rae Leigh: because
Hello Jane: It's a bit of a, like, what, why should I release music? You know, those sorts of moments. And then I come back to that and I go, that's so true. Yeah. Music that should help people should never be kept for yourself.
Rae Leigh: Yeah. I would, I was definitely keeping music for myself
Like music saved my life. Literally. That's like the intro of this podcast. Like, and it was one of those things where it's like, hang on a second. If this music do that for me. Maybe it could do that for someone else. And if we could do it for someone else I have to do it now. It's like, as soon as that, kind of clicked, I was like, what am I doing? This is a gift. And not everyone
Hello Jane: it. Yeah. My mum once said to me, we had a house concert a little while ago.
My mom's a pretty, like she's very straight and she'll, straighty 180 and she'll tell you whether she thinks it's good or not. She's like really straightforward.
Rae Leigh: And
Hello Jane: She said to me, she was like, look, Marty, I don't Halle Jane. I don't know if encouraging, cause my brother's a musician as well. If he encouraging you guys to do music was a good thing.
Cause I guess she sees the struggle in it as well, but she says there's something that happens to people when you open your mouth and you sing. And that's another thing that I never forget. So yeah, those two,
Rae Leigh: They're the moments I remember now. as well, when someone connects, Someone says I didn't kill myself Cause I heard you a song. Oh, like or I'll just end it, stuff like
Hello Jane: Yeah.
Rae Leigh: you're like,
Hello Jane: Yeah.
Rae Leigh: You hold onto those moments because they're the reasons he did another song and another
Hello Jane: you're tired, you get up and you keep going.
Rae Leigh: Yeah. You get up in the middle of the night and Do whatever you have to
Hello Jane: do.
Rae Leigh: and you pay. It's not like I don't, I work ridiculous. I've never worked so hard in my life. but at the same time, I don't feel like I'm working at all. This is like my retirement lifestyle. Isn't that good?
Hello Jane: Yeah. So good.
Rae Leigh: Okay. So if you were to speak to someone younger, and this is probably in a bit in alignment with what you, your mum just said. What would you say if they were like, what do I do? I want to be a songwriter too. I want to get these songs that I have out. Where should I start?
Hello Jane: I would say fine. I feel is different about yourself.
Like what you feel you contribute differently to maybe other people around you and keep moving forward with that. And also just.
Rae Leigh: just.
Hello Jane: Just keep planning things and put those things into place. I feel like that's a really big difference between I think people who progress and people who don't progress.
And I don't know if this is true because I'm really fresh, but you have to do things and you have to, as a particularly, I think being a songwriter and being an independent songwriter, you have to do the things yourself. And if you don't, no, one's going to do them for you for most of the parts. So yeah.
Find your uniqueness. And move forward with that. I think that's what sets people apart. Yeah.
Rae Leigh: Don't procrastinate.
Hello Jane: Don't procrastinate. Yes. Yeah.
Rae Leigh: Fantastic. That's really good advice. I mean, I'm the queen of procrastination. but Yeah. Advice me probably all need to give ourselves at some point and then just do it.
Hello Jane: Yeah. Just do something, anything. Yeah.
Rae Leigh: Do some pushups,
Hello Jane: do some bloody pushups.
Rae Leigh: Okay. If you could collaborate with anyone in the Dead or alive. who would it be? and why?
Hello Jane: I would have to say there's a, an American singer who she passed away from cancer a little while a while ago, named Eva Cassidy.
And the reason why is I. Was stumbling across videos on YouTube. And I found a documentary about her and I didn't know about her before, and I heard her sing.
And when I heard her sing, I thought, oh my gosh, maybe some people are meant to sing. Maybe that's like, maybe this is a thing. And when I heard that, not that I thought that I sounded like her at all. Like that would, that's not it, but I
Rae Leigh: just
Hello Jane: thought maybe there are some people that should be doing particular careers.
And that kind of led me further into me. So yeah, Eva Cassidy or Missy Higgins. I grew up listening to Ms. Hagans so I, yeah, that would just be,
Rae Leigh: Quite a bit of a Missy Higgins vibe about you
Hello Jane: yeah. Is it my short hair?
Rae Leigh: I don't know, even just, I don't know, your vibe and everything.
Hello Jane: Yeah. That's a great compliment because I think she's cool.
Rae Leigh: she's very cool. Yeah.
Hello Jane: Thank you.
Rae Leigh: Yeah, you're cool.
Hello Jane: Thank you.
Rae Leigh: I don't, know if my opinion means right. I'm the dorkiest person you'll ever
Hello Jane: dokies. Fine. I love it.
Rae Leigh: anchor and I was a nerd in school and
Hello Jane: Yeah, absolutely.
Rae Leigh: don't know what it is to be cool.
Hello Jane: I look cooler than I am. Like, this is what people think they're like. Yeah, you look cool. And I'm like, just because I have short hair and I dress kind of like funky, I guess.
Rae Leigh: I think this is part of like Why a lot of us become musicians because we feel like as soon as we pick up a guitar, it makes us look cool
Hello Jane: Oh, I hate that. I hate carrying around my guitar, actually my boss at my day job, I had to carry my guitar into work. And I was like, I hate this because I hate eyes on me. Oh, it's horrible. And they're like, you're a performer.
That's weird.
Rae Leigh: Yeah. You kind of need to have eyes on you.
Hello Jane: But I don't like it.
Rae Leigh: Yeah. I think the best feeling, if I'm going to send this is our new, I've only had done it twice through all three times traveled with my guitar through an airport And walking through an airport with a guitar that's it actually feels kind of cool. because everyone has got like just normal luggage, but you have an instrument.
And then I check it in and then I blended in and become Like everyone else, And then I get to pick it up and then it starts again. I'm on my way out of
Hello Jane: an hour after everyone else has got their luggage.
Rae Leigh: Come on baggage claim.
Let's do this way. Don't lose my guitar.
Hello Jane: I don't, yeah. I don't like the attention. I don't feel so. Yeah. odd.
Rae Leigh: Yeah. I'm an old one. what would you use it, I guess is the goal to actually be a teacher or like, what if, you know, people like no, we love you and we want you to sing forever.
Hello Jane: Yeah, I would, the goal is to be able to write songs and play, play, play shows wherever I can. I really have like a passion to travel to like all over Australia, like rural parts, small communities
Rae Leigh: I'd love to do.
Hello Jane: do. Yeah.
Yeah, let's get a bus,
Rae Leigh: a bus,
Hello Jane: And travel around. Yeah. Yeah. Amazing. I'm such a fan of finding love sin.
Oh my gosh. I'm such a fan go. And do song writing workshops and do, I don't know, just all that sort of stuff. That's my dream. I don't want fame. That is not what I want, but if I can make a sustainable career in that little music world. That's the dream. Yeah.
Rae Leigh: Allan Caswell always said that it's not important for you to be famous as a song writer.
It's important for your songs to be famous.
Hello Jane: Yeah.
Rae Leigh: and That's where you're gonna make the money as well.
Hello Jane: That's true.
Rae Leigh: and it's the money that helps you. continue it?
Hello Jane: I think fame would be horrible. In terms of, I really like my privacy. I like this. There's too many things that I feel my person wouldn't be suited for it, but sustainable careers, what I would love, but keep listening to my music.
That'll give me the dollars.
Rae Leigh: and like write songs for other people, with other people. So that
Hello Jane: But I love singing to see it's very convoluted my situation. Yeah. It doesn't make sense, but it doesn't have
Rae Leigh: she like, she doesn't really like, is it say that No one really knows.
Hello Jane: Everyone knows who Sierra is now, but as a songwriter
Rae Leigh: as a songwriter, but like, I dunno if she's revealed herself, but initially no one knew. what she looked like or who she was.
Hello Jane: think there's only a few photos online of who she looks like.
Rae Leigh: Yeah. it's mostly Just it's illusion. I think that's actually more doable, and more pit. and they even like, marshmallow, like the, DJ is like, no one actually knows who that is. it could be 10 people.
Hello Jane: could be, I reckon it is to be honest. I don't think it's always the same person.
Rae Leigh: It can't be but that's the beauty of a brand. you know, and being able to just. Cause you know, it happens, in all industries where it's something creative, The brand becomes more than just the human behind it, the one person. But often it can be the name.
So,
Hello Jane: Yeah. I mean, who knows what the future holds? I don't sometimes I think we don't really have a choice in what the future holds. So
Rae Leigh: I think the reality is we never have a choice. in what
Hello Jane: We never have a choice. So,
Rae Leigh: made that very clear.
Hello Jane: yeah, that's so true. It is what it is, but yeah,
Rae Leigh: I'm a bit of a believer that security is an illusion that it's kinda like the matrix, people choose the red pill, the blue pill.
It's like, you want to live in the illusion of security or not, and the reality is nothing is secure and you only ever have now. And make the most of now
Hello Jane: very wise.
Rae Leigh: It's not always easy. to do, but
Hello Jane: Absolutely. yeah.
Rae Leigh: So what have you got coming up this year? What are your plans?
Hello Jane: My plans are, I've got some shows coming up in July across Queensland.
It's a new series. I've curated called friends of folk. So it's some of Queensland folk acts that I really like that I'm friends with. Yeah. And I've organized some shows for us. So I'm really excited about that. And there will be more music coming out. To be announced. Yeah. I've just had a really huge run of like I did a tour in March and then I had the release and now I have to shows and I thought I had left enough space to kind of unwind.
And I didn't realize it would be so crazy. So yeah.
Rae Leigh: I'm learning.
Hello Jane: yeah, I think I need a bit of unraveling time and then, but yeah, I I have some songs in the works that will be coming out.
Rae Leigh: Yay. That sounds amazing. You're like, you're just doing it
Hello Jane: You gotta do it. Yeah.
Rae Leigh: I've been terrible at organizing shows and stuff, but I think it's all about timing and learning and just doing the next thing in front of you.
and
Hello Jane: I F I find if I don't do shows, then I. I F it's so easy to forget why I'm doing it because you can't feel what other people are feeling with your music. Yeah.
Rae Leigh: I hate it when there's like a big gap between performances.
Hello Jane: yeah.
Rae Leigh: So I need to.
go check out this city thing that you talked.
Hello Jane: Yeah, city sounds. It's fun. You just got to make your own shows is what I
Rae Leigh: feel
Hello Jane: like make your own tours book. Other people will come on it. That's what I'm trying to do now. And it's really awesome.
Rae Leigh: Yeah. And It is about collaborating. with people and just working with other people that are in the similar vein. You're gonna be able to help each other.
And it's about just funding it, how to do that and what to do and having fun. But as long as you can do it, I think like but some people. It takes time to learn the craft of performing as well. And there's a whole nother part of the industry That can be very challenging if you don't like people looking at you. challenging.
Hello Jane: that's true.
Rae Leigh: No uncommon. Like I've spoken to people who've been doing this for years and they hate being the front person.
Hello Jane: I don't mind
Rae Leigh: who they are.
Hello Jane: Like if I'm singing that it feels okay for some reason. Cause it's. About me in a way. Yeah. It's about the song and then not thinking like here's hello, Jane, singing to them. Like it's not that experience. No. Yeah. True. It's when the song stops and you have to talk. And I just go, oh my gosh,
Rae Leigh: see, I'm the opposite.
Clearly talking is one of my other greatest strengths. and
Hello Jane: I don't feel bad at talking cause I've worked in retail for 12 years, so it's fine. I just find it bizarre is the
Rae Leigh: people did tell me to shut up and sing, but my dad was a preacher, so like, Oh, I remember one of my first shows, I just assume into people. like it was, I was like, Shut up. and Just tell me to shut up and sing with you, So I try to get better. And even when I hold back, I still like to look back and I'm like, I'm still talking. he's but I'm definitely trying to get. Shut up and sing. Yeah, pretty much, but I That's why I enjoy this. And like during crave, it turned me not snapping out and talk to people, probably drove my husband more nuts because I was talking his ear off. And I think everyone should have a podcast. cause we've all got something to say and it's a nice, safe place to, to talk about what? we love. And I'm a little bit
Hello Jane: It's really nice.
About these, like have these conversations yeah. With Australia too, which is even nicer, but not, you're not Australia, but you know, like someone
Rae Leigh: we were, no, we're not
Hello Jane: I know, but that's really nice. Like you just instantly form some sort of friendship
Rae Leigh: There was a bit of an instant rapport that happens just by
Hello Jane: knowing
Rae Leigh: the process of songwriting, Like, because it's a unique feeling and it's also a unique thing to release it And to be able to go with someone else and be like, you know, and I know and we can note together what this is. Like, and it's not all sunshine and rainbows and red carpets that people kind of,
Hello Jane: it's not.
Rae Leigh: It's so not sorry to burst your bubble.
Hello Jane: Damn it.
Rae Leigh: And It's good to have that reality Yeah.
Hello Jane: though.
Rae Leigh: Because then you got to actually ask yourself. Why am I doing this? Because It's not for fame and it's not for money. And you see the people come in. Cause they think that's what it is. And they realize that's not what it is. And then it's like, okay, can you find another reason why you're doing that? And
Hello Jane: You've got to have another reason.There's gotta be another
Rae Leigh: Yeah. You can't wait every, Even 12 months, you know, for the party.
Hello Jane: Oh my gosh,
Rae Leigh: enough if that's what you're doing it for 10 years,
Hello Jane: 10 years for the party to come along.
Rae Leigh: 10, 10 to 12 year careers that they say it's a marathon that's for sure. But it's. Yeah, So you gotta know what you do.
Hello Jane: Yeah. And you've got to like it. Yeah.
Rae Leigh: I'm going to put all of your links and songs in social so that people can follow you,
Hello Jane: That would be
Rae Leigh: not start you.too much
Hello Jane: please. It's fine. If the photo is taken, it's there
Rae Leigh: And get, you know, get your music and just follow your shows and hopefully come and see you live.
Hello Jane: Yeah, that'd be
Rae Leigh: But Is there anything else you would like to say.
Hello Jane: Thanks for having me for first. Yeah. Not really. I mean, if they want to stay in touch, I have a newsletter that they can subscribe to at hello, jane music.com.
I also have a blog if they want to get some insights into my mind. It's a bit quirky. But yeah that's about it. They're like music. Thanks for listening to it.
Rae Leigh: Well, Thank you so much for sharing. It's another beautiful story. And it's your story and it's going to grow because you're only just beginning,
Hello Jane: just beginning
Rae Leigh: you have to tell me all about I'll be following anyway. I'll support what you're doing. And I think it's amazing. And it takes a lot of courage and bravery to, like we said, step out and do it so well done. Cool. Thank you.
