#198 Imogen Clark
Singer songwriter Imogen Clark joins Rae Leigh in a conversation about co-writing, touring, covid lockdowns in Australia and how her one year gap year turned into a 10 year long music lifestyle.
”Imogen Clark may not have tailored her record to this era but her vibrant, bracing songs –kind of like a dip in a cold September sea – might just be one of the things to carry usthrough it.” - Divya Venkataraman, Sydney Morning Herald
“A rock gem from Imogen Clark. Her voice is incredible… I just love how raw that one is.” -Karla Ranby, Triple J
Imogen Clark is an AIR Award nominated indie artist from Western Sydney. Her musicranges from intimate to arena-ready, rock anthems with the soul of a confessional singer-songwriter. She is currently halfway through her mammoth 100 Shows in 100 Days tour. An artist who regularly performed 75+ shows in a year, Imogen has barely managed 20 over the last two. Even that number is a testament to her determination to do the only thing that for her makes life worth living – coming together with other people to put her heart on her sleeve and exhaust herself physically and emotionally making music that will move people. “I don’t know who I am when I can’t do this,” she says. “It’s not just a job, it’s what makes me feel alive. That connection with an audience of strangers, where you don’t know somebody but you know they feel how you feel, and with the people on stage bringing these songs to life with you, my life feels empty without it, so it’s time to make up for lost time”. The shows have also allowed Imogen to road test new material, including cathartic belter ‘Nonchalant’, which she headed into the studio to record between shows after the song became a standout live favourite.
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Transcript
Imogen Clark: My name's iGen Clark and I come from Western Sydney. So I grew up in, a town called the Hawkesbury and, that was kind of where I started, figuring out that I loved music. And a lot of that was because. My father as a songwriter and a great musician. So I just grew up with that, you know, surrounding me a lot of instruments in the house and I'd go and watch my dad's gigs.
And he played in a led Zeppelin cover band. So I was in the pub watching him play, you know, at a very young age, with my mom. It was very much a part of my upbringing and I'm lucky in that sense because I didn't need to find it on my own. It kind of found me without too much effort. So I, I feel very grateful for that.
I started by sort of playing, cover gigs around Western Sydney where I grew up and I would be, you know, playing in pubs and clubs and, and cafes and, things like that. And, you know, just on the weekends. And that was how I earned my pocket money in school. You know, it was my, my version of a,
Rae Leigh: You would've been one of the richest kids, I reckon
Imogen Clark: Yeah, well, you know what? It actually was amazing because I, I did feel like I was earning so much more than just your average kind of, working at Macers or working at a cafe or whatever. I felt like I was earning great money and, I really was for someone of my age. So I felt really, really.
Grateful for that. I would put aside that money and save for my own originals career. Eventually I started writing songs and realized that that those, those gigs were, harder to get. And, and generally it was, it was more of an investment and you had to sort of spend money to make recordings and, to be able to kind of tool your music, you needed a certain amount of investment.
So I would save my money from my covers gigs and I would spend it on my originals. And eventually the covers. Cover gigs kind of fell away a bit and the original stuff took cold and yeah, and that sort of brings me to today. I've, I've been, um, I kind of took a gap year after school, when I finished high school and, and that gap year turned into 10, 10 gap years, uh,
Rae Leigh: what we, what was it gonna be a gap year from? Were you gonna go to university to study something,
Imogen Clark: Yeah, I was considering it. I mean, I went to an academic selective high school, so it was very, um, they were, they were supportive of music certainly, but they were very, focused on academia as well. And so I, I really did think I was gonna go to university and I, I had a few thoughts about what I might.
Study. There was times when I wanted to study communications and, and sort of PR there were times I wanted to study law even, and, and vet science and different things that I had on my radar. But I just realized that while I was young, I wanted to really give music my a and, and sort of focus on, on trying to make.
This dream happened and that I would have plenty of time to go to uni later if I decided I wanted to. And so far it just, uh, it's just, music has keeping me, kept me. Sorry. Very busy. And it's yeah, it's been wonderful. So my, my gap here turned into 10
Rae Leigh: yeah. wow. So what, what a journey and. To, to have that sort of upbringing with a parent who's supportive. Even when the school was your parents, like, were they keen, they understood the music industry and they were like, yeah, no, we believe in you. And this is a great choice. Or
Imogen Clark: Yeah. Yeah, Absolutely.
Rae Leigh: No, that was supportive.
Imogen Clark: they were very supportive and, and again, so lucky and, that's a, that's a privilege. I feel I totally understand is not, necessarily common or, or, you know, not everyone has afforded that privilege. And so I feel really grateful because not only was my. Father in, in music. And so very supportive of, of me, um, you know, trying my hand at this career, but my mother who is, is not, you know, not in music at all, but she was also very supportive of, of that dream.
And, and it really, if it hadn't been for my mom and dad, there's no way I would have been able to do any of this, or I definitely wouldn't be. Where I am now, just because, you know, you really need, especially when you start out as a kid, you need parents that are gonna care about that stuff and help you with it.
You know, I couldn't drive myself to gigs until I got my license and I wasn't even allowed in a lot of these venues until I was 18. So my parents would, you know, cause I I've started doing this when I was 12. And so my parents would drive me around and you know, they'd be sitting with me in the pub cuz I wasn't allowed in there by myself.
They'd lend me money so that I could, buy a PA system and all that sort of stuff that if you didn't have supportive parents, it just would've been so difficult.
Rae Leigh: Yeah. And you'd still, you still need the drive, but yeah, like not having to argue that sort of that age, old argument of music is a job, with your parents is, is a blessing because that, that's probably the hardest argument to have. And I know I, I didn't have the courage to have it. I just took it
as, oh, it's not a job, so I'll go be a doctor or, you know,
Imogen Clark: right. Well, that's the thing it's so common and you get that enough from the rest of society telling you
Rae Leigh: Yeah.
Imogen Clark: isn't, isn't really a job. You really don't wanna also have to argue that with your parents. And I, I just feel so lucky in that respect, you can't, you know, you don't choose whose family you're born into.
And I, I really feel so grateful that mine were, you know, happened to be as good as they are.
Rae Leigh: they. Yeah. Yeah, no, that's, I think that's beautiful. And it is, it is up to us musicians who are making money or doing it as a career as well, to be able to tell that to kids. Like I went to an expo yesterday, which was just about that. It was like a careers expo for teenagers.
Imogen Clark: Wow.
Rae Leigh: to be able to get up in, on a, in front of all these high school kids with a microphone and say, Hey guys, I'm a full-time professional artist, and this is how I make my living from music and arts. If you have questions around that, Come and speak to me to be able to say that to a group of kids that I know probably everyone else is telling them. That's not a thing.
Imogen Clark: Absolutely. That's great. It's funny. You should mention that as
well, because I also do some work, on the side for a, brilliant, brilliant, company called talent development project. They work with young artists. New south Wales, state school students, who go to public schools here and they talk to them about, you know, making music a career and how you can do that.
And they're really a wonderful, you know, company. I do some work as a consultant for them because I went through the, the. Program myself when I was, in high school. So, you know, I, and I just I've just come off two full days working, for them at a, at a great workshop with all these incredibly talented kids, you know, between 15 and 18 years old.
And you just think the future of Australian music is in great hands, but it's wonderful for these kids to have people say, you know, well, you know what, even though we're not, even though we can't all be. As successful and famous and, and rich as an artist at the top tier like Taylor swift, we, there are a lot of careers to be had in this area that you might not be learning about in your everyday life or at your school.
So I love it.
Rae Leigh: You don't have to be Taylor swift have to be successful or, or make a living doing what you love.
And that's, it's a lifestyle that we choose to create for ourselves that, yeah, it's not necessarily taught, but I love that. And Sydney. From my perspective does have a reputation for really supporting the arts. And it's a bit of a hub for a lot of the industry as well in Australia anyway. And so I, I feel like that's great that being in Sydney on the close sort of surrounding areas, that, that that's there.
I would love to be able to see that type of education and support, you know, rural, which is like where I grew up, like really outside of any major city, where sometimes creative kids in those settings. Struggle cause I know I did you feel like a, a fish outta water,
Imogen Clark: Well, there's so few opportunities in smaller towns as well. And I understand that completely. I was lucky that my small town was at least, you know, an hour and a half out of Sydney is so very doable, even though it was a small town, but I, I definitely understand, you know, and, and that's the, that's the, situation with this talent development project is that they come these.
Children come from all over the state. Some of them come from lightning Ridge and you know, the middle
Rae Leigh: that's
Imogen Clark: nowhere. And it's great for them to get an opportunity like that. So, yes, I understand that feeling of, you know, growing up in a small town and sort of going well, what is there, here to really?
I can't really flourish in this town.
Rae Leigh: Yeah, it it's hard. Being creative in general, but being creative and isolated is, is a whole nother ballgame. I know how you got started. And I know that you wanted to give it a go. How did your one year turn into 10 years gap year? Like what, you know, you had that drive obviously to get into it and you, you worked hard and saved your money to, to do the original thing.
What was the turning point for you that made you go, this is, this is it. I'm just, this is my life now.
Imogen Clark: Well, I think, you know, in that first year out of high school, it was the first, because all the way through school, I'd been able to do these things kind of sparingly because obviously I was at school all week and, and then I'd on the weekend. I'd play some gigs and then I'd go back to school. So it was more, it was obviously.
By necessity, something that was more on the side. Whereas the first year I had out of school where I was completely free to devise my own work schedule and devise my own, um, plan for how I was going to, to do what I wanted to do. That was a freedom that I absolutely adored. And, and because I feel like I'm quite good at self discipline. I didn't just sort of sit around, go into parties and I, I wasn't actually ever really a much of a party animal or a much of a drinker or anything. So I actually didn't really do that whole. Thing of, you know, the uni lifestyle or the straight outta school, just kind of partying until you get sick of it.
I just kind of wor went straight into the world of touring. So the first tour I went on was just out of school and, I went up and down the east coast of Australia with my friend, Joe McGovern, and who's still at, you know, working in the industry, amazing artists from the south coast. And, um, we, you know, we just went on this tour that we completely organized ourselves.
No record. No agent no, no managers. Um, and it was, you know, just out the back of the car and, you know, just kind of, uh, checking into dodgy motels. And I think that was really the moment where I realized, even though we were by far, you know, we were far from traveling in luxury or anything like that, we were really enjoying. Just this feeling of being able to call our own shots for the first time and being able to sort of have the complete freedom to work as hard as we wanted towards music. And Joe was in a similar position to me just out of school. And so we just, I just sort of felt at that time, This is what I want to do.
You know, I, I have the drive for it. I have the work ethic for it, and I really just want to spend all my time on this. And I know if I go to uni, I'll naturally get distracted and want to give uni my all, but I it'll take away from the time and the effort I have to do this, this music stuff. So. I just realized, you know, as long as I, I made a deal to myself that as long as things were progressing and not feeling like they were plateauing or not, certainly not feeling like they were going backwards, I would put off uni while I felt that every year was getting a little bit more developed from the last year I would put uni off.
Rae Leigh: Right. So as long as you're seeing growth and you felt like you were heading in the right. direction, which is hopefully up in the music industry,
Imogen Clark: That's
Rae Leigh: that's good. That's good. I know. I love that. And I it's, I think it is a gift to have a bit of a sense of who you are, which would've obviously come from your supportive family and, and the environment you grew up in.
But. To know that that's the lifestyle you want and also not be distracted by, and, and I don't think there's anything wrong with it, but at the same time, I also was not attracted to it that whole, the party scene of like all of a sudden, you're a young adult and you turn 18, it's your chance an opportunity to go and get drunk and you
Imogen Clark: Yeah.
Rae Leigh: um, I, yeah, I don't think I ever understood that time of life and yet. Sometimes now, I'm like 10 years later, I'm like, oh, like, did I miss out on
Imogen Clark: yes. I know exactly how you feel.
Rae Leigh: should I have been more irresponsible?
Imogen Clark: I totally understand that because I think we feel in a way when you don't go to university, I, I feel like university is a bit of a, Sometimes, I feel like it's a bit of a, an extension of, of school. And I don't mean that to, to deme, to diminish, how great it can be for so many people in their chosen career paths.
I just, I just think that sometimes it, it can sort of feel like you're still contained in a bit of a, you're still being told like exactly when, things are gonna happen and when, when you need assignments in buy and when this is gonna happen, and there's a bit of a structure for your life. And I think so sometimes that can cause people to sort of go, oh well, I'm, I'm, you know, I'm just in school, but with some more adult freedoms and I can go out and get drunk with my friends.
And there's a real party atmosphere at uni, which is great. And so many of my friends went that route and absolutely loved it. And that's awesome. It, that sort of worked for them, but because I was.
I just kind of felt like I would be studying something for the sake of studying it rather than actually, because I wanted to make a career out of it. And then I'd be, you know, around this party atmosphere that was never necessarily. My bag. Like I love, you know, don't get me wrong. I love to have some wine. And like, I love to sort of let loose a bit with friends when it, when the time is right. But really what I was excited for. Wasn't the being an adult and being able to go to pubs suddenly, it was more just like I'd already been in pubs for most of my life.
And. I just kind of felt like the opportunity was that what was exciting for me about leaving school was not the drinking and the being an adult. It was being able to structure my own life and, and go after the career that I wanted.
Rae Leigh: the cooking. Awesome. And now that you're, you know, you're doing it. Do you do much co-writing or collaboration with other artists and, and what is
your sort of structure as an independent artist?
Imogen Clark: Yeah, I love both. So I love writing by myself. That's how I started it. I always love to do that at certain times. But I definitely have gotten more and more as the years have gone on more, progressively into collaboration. I love it. I, I, I had real trouble with it at first. As someone that started out writing quite folky.
Quiet introspective songs as a teenager. And then I suddenly had to sit in, in rooms with people I sometimes didn't know and, and tell them everything about my life and it we've got really, you know, frightening. But as the, you know, years have gone on, I absolutely adore it now and I feel so much more comfortable, uh, doing it.
And I think, you know, the reason I love it is because. I love working with people who compliment my lacking. So when you know, they, I, I feel like I can make a very, very basic, demo on pro tools, but I certainly am not a gun producer. And so I love to work with people who are, and they're, they'll bring that to the table and will build up a track as we, as we write.
And I can, it it's like a way of hearing. The almost finished product while you're at the very beginning, it's a real, I find that really liberating and really, creatively inspiring. And so I love those sorts of collaborations and I love the sorts of collaborations where you sit around two people with a guitar or a piano, and just kind of, talk through because people will always come up with a different way of saying something than the way you would say it.
And that doesn't necessarily mean it's worse or better, but it's just opening your mind to.
You know, to new possibilities and I love that as well. So I love to try all different kinds of writing really.
Rae Leigh: Yeah. And has there been sort of over the years of, you know, developing from obviously writing on your own to them being uncomfortable and then getting better?
Has there been something that you would say has been like the biggest aha moment or piece of advice that you would give people getting into songwriting? With other people
Imogen Clark: Definitely. I mean, I think one of the best pieces of advice I ever received was that everybody is on the same team. Meaning like sometimes you, I feel like you get a bit nervous in these sessions, especially when I was younger and it can be easy to feel.
Rae Leigh: to feel.
Imogen Clark: It can, it can be very easy to start feeling like that person is, is challenging.
Everything you are saying or they're, you know, or they don't like you, or they, they think your ideas are terrible and that's often just your own insecurity speaking. And for certainly it was for me and I, I think the best. Yeah. The best advice I got was that everyone is on the same team. Everyone's goal in that room is exactly the same.
And that is to make the song. The best song it can be. So if someone's suggesting something that is contrary to what you are suggesting, it's probably just because that they are trying to get to this, you know, pinnacle of what can this song be? What, how good can we make this song? And so it, you know, it's, it's not about whose ideas are better.
It's just, everyone is trying to, you know, to, to do the exact same task and make the song the best it can be. So that kind of helps me whenever I'm feeling a bit nervous, like, oh, this person thinks I'm stupid. They think my. Stupid. I'll always tell that to myself and just sort of say, no, we're all on the same team here.
We're all trying to do the same thing and, and I gotta leave my ego at the door.
Rae Leigh: the door. I love that. And, and we all have insecurities, and they come out at the, the worst times, but as we learn about them, we just keep moving. But yeah, I totally agree. That's Good advice, especially starting out. I think I used to think that like, everyone else in the room was smarter than me.
And so, you know, I would just like anything they say was like, okay, yep. Just do what you do. And that probably was just the
insecurity of like, you know, I don't have a music degree, blah, blah, blah. I'm not an engineer. Like
Imogen Clark: I know that feeling so well.
Rae Leigh: And it's frustrating though, as well, because, then if you don't speak up for yourself or speak up for what you like or don't like, then at the end product, it's like, doesn't end up being. That connected. Well, that's what I found is it wasn't as connected to me as it would've been, if I had have said something and it's, it is hard. It's so hard, especially when you're in a room with someone who's been doing It for 30, 40 years and you are like, ah,
Imogen Clark: It absolutely terrifying. And, you know, and especially like I've, I've done writing trips over to the us and when I'd barely done any co-writing and I think I was like 20 or something and I, my label at the time sent me over there. And it was just like an absolute baptism of file. Like I had no idea what I'd written.
I'd maybe co-written two songs before, and then suddenly I was co-writing with different people. I did not, I'd never met any of them every single day for about a month in LA and Nashville. And it.
Rae Leigh: That's intense,
Imogen Clark: Terrifying like I was and, and quite exhausting cuz you you're in a state of constant vulnerability. But I remember just feeling like I would often walk away from those sessions with songs.
I actually didn't didn't love because I was too green to really know how to stand up for my ideas. And I, I say that, you know, that's kind of in contrast to what I just said about, about everyone wanting the same thing. That's not to say that, that, you know, that, that just because someone else has an.
That naturally means that their idea is, is better than yours. You know, I think you should definitely stand up for what you believe in. And what you just said is such a great point. It should definitely be when your gut is telling you this just isn't me. You know, you have to have the guts to, to stand up in that moment and say, look. You know, this, that idea is great and it probably would suit another artist really well, but it's just not something I would sing or it's, it's not something I would record or perform and, you know, that's, it's so intimidating
Rae Leigh: way to put it.
Imogen Clark: Yeah. Yeah. It's really intimidating, but you, you just have to, otherwise it's a whole waste of a day, you know?
Rae Leigh: It is, and that you're wasting everyone's time if you don't, but it is, it's hard. I don't know about you, but like I tend to avoid conflict and,
Imogen Clark: Yes. me too.
Rae Leigh: and, I've had to learn to fight for my art and set boundaries and, and like you, I think the way you just described it is a really politically.
You know, correct way of going about it. It's like, it's not that it's a bad one. It's just not for me. And sometimes you don't know why, like it's a gut feeling and a gut feeling is not always logical.
Imogen Clark: That's
Rae Leigh: fact it it's never logical but you gotta follow it. Your body
always knows the truth. I reckon that's
Imogen Clark: That's right. Especially with create. Yeah, absolutely. Right. Especially with creative endeavors, like there's generally no particular, uh, tangible reason, you know, explainable reason why it's wrong. It's just, it just doesn't feel right to you and that's, and you know, really, uh, you have the power as the artist in that.
Scenario, even if the other person's been doing it for 30 years, it's good to, to flip the narrative in your own mind and go, no, hang on. I have the power. I am actually the artist we are writing for. If we've discussed beforehand that we are writing for me as an artist. And they're there, maybe they haven't done their research on you, or they're suggesting an idea that's completely outside of your genre or your wheelhouse.
That really is not your problem. That's not your fault. And that's something that really, it it's completely fair to stand up and say, Well, thank you for the contribution, but I, it's just not me. And if I'm the artist here, I have the power to say that. So it's hard to feel that way, especially if you, you know, really young and, um, everyone else is older than you.
Like, that's easier said than done. I totally understand. But, yeah, it's good to, to practice those things early, isn't it?
Rae Leigh: Absolutely. And, and setting boundaries, not just in songwriting, but in life is, is something that we learn and, if we don't learn it from our parents, it's not gonna be learned at school. And so we just have to learn it in, in the game of life. And that's fine. What, over the years of, you know, Doing what you've been doing, traveling music, live, performing touring. What would you say the biggest advice you could give to someone who's just starting out, maybe they're thinking about following in your footsteps as far as they've left high school. Should I go to university? Should I take a year that might turn into tenure gap? What do you think you would, you wish you had of known, then that, you know, now
Imogen Clark: that's a good, that's a really good question I think something that's always been really important to me is, is just this idea of work ethic. Think, I think a lot of people, especially in this age of, you know, I don't mean to sound like the oldest person ever, but like, in this age of like TikTok and that there's a lot of, great tools that weren't, available at the start of my career, which is wonderful.
And those tools can be used in such a great way. But I do think there's a, misleading sort of undercurrent there that, that there's an instant. Gratification or an instant success, an overnight success, with these apps like TikTok west, you know, someone might, might, get really lucky and, and go viral with a song in a TikTok.
And then suddenly that song is, is doing amazingly well. And that is fantastic, but I think. That's really misleading and it's not any it's, it's more the exception and not the rule within the industry. You're way more likely to be working and slogging it out for 10 years to become an overnight success.
And that's, I think that's really important for people to remember if they're starting out now, is that you just have to expect that it's gonna be a long road. Most of the time it's gonna be hard and. Someone once said to me, um, you know, you have to be whatever it is you're doing, whether it's music or something else, you have to be the first person up in the morning and the last person awake at night, honing your craft and, and really putting in that work ethic that others might even kind of turn their nose up at at and think is ridiculous.
And, and that's not to say it should be at the, at the detriment of your own health. Obviously it's important to look after our. But I think that you just have to be willing to have that mindset of, of really hard work and just doing, you know, doing as much as you can and honing your craft and playing as many shows, you know, just with the knowledge that this stuff doesn't happen overnight, and it could be 10, 15, 20 years even before you start to see returns on that hard work.
So I think
Rae Leigh: I love that.
Imogen Clark: important.
Rae Leigh: I think Tony Robbins is the one that says most of us overestimate what we can do in a year and underestimate what we can do in five
Imogen Clark: Ah,
Rae Leigh: 10, you know, like ,
Imogen Clark: Yeah, I like that.
Rae Leigh: I think that's more true in, in the music industry than any other, but there, there are so many it's like in the music industry, you are emerging until you've you're successful and you could be an emerging artist in the music industry for 10 years
Imogen Clark: absolutely.
Rae Leigh: and then become an overnight success.
Imogen Clark: That's exactly right. Like all of the people I've known who have, who have really gone gangbusters in the last few years, or, you know, they've really done amazing things in music, you know, they've been doing it for so long, you know, since they were kids even. And you think, well, just because they're suddenly on everybody, else's radar doesn't mean Naomi only just started, you know, a lot of the time they've just been slogging at it for so many years and that's great.
Because it also makes you appreciate it more when you've worked really, really hard and long and hard for something.
Rae Leigh: Mm I've also, talked to a lot of people on this podcast and there have been a few people who have had big hits on TikTok, which is great. But those people have also said that, you know, that it's, it, it it's instant momentum, but it's kind of easy. Come easy, go. And it, and as fast as you can have all the success, if you don't have something just as successful to kind of follow it up, you can lose that momentum real quick. And it's, it's almost to the detriment of their career because it, you know, yeah. It creates this false sense of like you said, success
Imogen Clark: Yeah, that's so
Rae Leigh: as it's great. Yeah, it
Imogen Clark: You have to have something to back it up. There needs to be a foundation. Like it's the same way. I
think of TikTok a little bit as like the modern version of, or the newer version of those, uh, like singing shows on TV, which is like, you see people on there and, they'll, you know, they'll.
Have, they might have like a wonderful, you know, few weeks or few months of, of being at the top of the charts and being really successful and having a lot of social media, interaction and all that sort of stuff. But if they haven't worked really hard to build, it's like a, you know, a pyramid, like they suddenly are injected at the top of the pyramid.
That's wonderful. But how long can it last without. Basis underneath that a foundation that you've built up for years and years, you know, in order to, I mean, you know, I've, I can't think of, it's been like 15 years that I've been doing music professionally and like, I'll, I still, you know, I go out to regional towns in Australia and I, I really have to build up, excuse me, build up audiences there and.
And work on, you know, you might be playing shows to very few people until you can actually build an audience. It doesn't just happen overnight. And so I think sometimes when people get the idea that they can just sort of cut, cut corners a little bit, and it just very rarely is, you know, results in longevity, in my opinion.
Rae Leigh: Yeah, no, I agree. And, and again, that is a, a common story. We've had a lot of, ex voice and idol and all that sort of stuff on the show and yeah, they've also the same thing. It's like, it's just a launchpad, but if you haven't got something else. To help keep that
Imogen Clark: Yes. Yes, absolutely.
Rae Leigh: it can be a wasted opportunity and that can be a really hard lesson to learn, but it's still just a lesson. Everything in life is a lesson that we can choose to grow from. So that's beautiful.
Is there, some inspirations that we could talk to? I like to usually ask the question, like if you could collaborate with anyone in the world dead or alive, who would it be and why?
Imogen Clark: Oh, amazing. Look, I think, I think I'd probably have to say Taylor swift. She's probably my
Rae Leigh: Yeah. Yeah.
Imogen Clark: mean, that's just the big, the big dream for me. I mean, she's, she's just a total, uh, powerhouse and she's been a huge presence in my life. I feel like I've grown up with her, you know?
Rae Leigh: I,
Imogen Clark: On her song. She's a little bit older than me, but I feel like I've kind of, um, grown up alongside her music and, and I found her music at a really important time.
It kind of came into my life around the fearless era where I was maybe in year nine at school and, and just starting to write my own songs rather than just singing covers. And so I, I felt like she was a huge, uh, imp hugely important person and remains to this day. I remain a huge fan and her music is.
So, so, um, influential to me. So I'd absolutely love one day that's that's the top of my list.
to collaborate with her, to tour with her or to, or to, you know, write a song with her.
Rae Leigh: I love that. And she must be, tough being probably the most desired person from all people
Imogen Clark: absolutely. That's right.
Yeah.
Rae Leigh: but she's definitely been a major influence and someone who comes up a lot in the podcast, not just for her work ethic. but also yeah, her songwriting and everything that she's done from such a young age and the support she's had around her. So
Imogen Clark: that's
Rae Leigh: that's always a good one to pick. So now, as far as like what you are doing, you've had a new single come out, you've got a tour
plan. Tell us about what's going on for you and what's coming up.
Imogen Clark: Yeah, thanks. I did just, uh, recently release a new single called nonchalant and, I'm really happy with it. So it's kind of, um, it, it, it's really exciting to put this song out actually, because it was, I wrote it with, Sam Faye and Demi Louise who were two friends of mine and great writers from Melbourne.
And it was just really wonderful to. To have this song come out in the world because it feels very, uh, much in the exact direction of where I want to go with my music. So I love the fact that, um, you know, it just feels like a perfect, um, perfect time to be releasing it. I've got another one in the can actually another single that's coming out later this year, which I'm really looking forward to.
I've just been on a tour, um, called a hundred shows in a hundred days, which was. Insane. Just as ridiculous as it sounds actually. And, um, lots of,
Rae Leigh: did it go?
Imogen Clark: shows. Oh, great. Thank you really wonderful. Lots of shows, you know, different kinds of shows, some of them were, uh, more sort of, some of them were festivals.
Some of them were headline shows, support, shows, little popups, little live streams, all that sort of stuff. So the, uh, the plan was to get back into it in the biggest way possible. Considering we'd had three. Oh two years, sorry, of, of, uh, craziness with COVID. So, uh, finally, you know, got to become, got to get back to what I love doing the most.
Rae Leigh: Awesome. And how did you, adjust during COVID as a musician?
Imogen Clark: Look, I won't sugar coat. It, it wasn't great for me. I did not feel like. I was the sort of artist that suddenly, uh, just used the time to write heaps. I felt completely deflated. I, I, I felt like I didn't know how to, Leave my life anymore. I felt like a real, outsider in my own body because I'm so used to touring so much.
And that's, you know, those scenarios are where I get the most inspiration for songwriting. And so being locked up in my house was not at all. Conducive to a great writing, um, situation for me. So I felt, you know, I did get some writing done towards kind of the end of, of the last, uh, lockdown that we had in, in, at the end of 2021.
But I definitely felt not at my peak creatively. I just felt very low from a mental health perspective and, and really just. Struggled to get through it. I made the most of it, I think, by trying to, you know, get back into some instruments that I haven't played in a long time, the piano was something I let fall by the wayside a little bit, earlier in my life.
And so I got back into playing piano, and I really enjoyed that cause I was preparing for my Joni Mitchell show, which I, I. Performing on and off, around my original shows at the moment. So I also taught myself to play the Demer, based on, you know, around that show. So, uh, I did use it for, you know, some productivity and some planning for 2022 that I knew I was, you know, gonna my manager and I really spent time sort of working on our plans. But as far as songwriting, I definitely. So frustrated with myself cuz I just wasn't productive. I couldn't, I just felt so I'm normally quite good at pushing through that lack of inspiration, but I just felt so hamstrung.
Rae Leigh: Yeah. I, I think a lot of us did just cuz there was so much uncertainty. I mean the music industry in general, isn't. Not very secure
Imogen Clark: Yes,
Rae Leigh: you know that so, so much can get in the way, not just a pandemic, so to have something as big as that, that impacted everyone. But also everyone was so isolated that you couldn't feel connected to others who were also going through the same thing, led to a lot of, I think, mental health. Is good. Cause it puts some awareness on it, but did you feel like you could get help or get support through that? Did you feel alone or do you feel like you did feel like everyone else was going through the same thing?
Imogen Clark: I felt kind of, I guess it sort of differed, you know, sometimes I felt like, a bit of unity through the everyone sort of shared struggles in that way. And sometimes I felt like. Maybe there was no way out of it. Like it just kind of went on swings and roundabout sort of situation. But most of the time look, I did kind of, I tried to connect with, songwriter, friends on, on zoom and FaceTime.
And I did write some songs with people over, you know, remotely, which was really helpful. And every time I walked away from one of those sessions, I always felt really, really renewed energy, you know, just because. I guess it's just one of those things where, when you're, when you're doing the thing that you love and the thing that, that gives you purpose in life, you feel really fulfilled.
And then when that thing goes away and you're doing it less. You start to question whether you're even good at it at all, you know, it can start to play your mind plays tricks on you
Rae Leigh: start? Yeah, it does. Doesn't it? That is the, the constant struggle. Cause , it always plays tricks on us. It always trade plays tricks on me anyway.
Imogen Clark: absolutely agree.
Rae Leigh: except for when I'm playing music, actually I think the thoughts stop
Imogen Clark: Yeah. Isn't that great. It's kind of like a silencer of, of your, insecurity sometimes, isn't it?
Rae Leigh: some. Yeah. Yeah. I'd never really, I just thought about that then. I was like, actually, yeah. I don't think I feel that way when I'm singing. I think that's why singing. I, I think everyone should sing, you know, whether you should be a professional singer or not, that's different, but everyone should get into it sometimes. Cause it's so therapeutic.
Imogen Clark: I agree.
Rae Leigh: I agree. Mm. Is there anything else that you would like to share before we finish up? And I,
I really appreciate, what you've shared so far, and I am gonna put all your links into the description of the podcast and there'll be a blog on the website. But the floor is yours. Anything else you'd like to share?
Imogen Clark: Thank you so much. No, I really appreciate the questions you've asked and, it's so lovely to chat to you. I don't don't think there's, really anything else I wanna say, except for, thank you for, you know, Bringing these great conversations with, with songwriters, , to, to the world, because it's really interesting and they're interesting to listen to, and I've had a lovely time.
So thank you.
Rae Leigh: well, thank you very much for becoming a part of the songwriter, family and sharing your wisdom and experience to, to everyone else who's listening. And, and for me as well, I appreciate it. And I feel like I learn something from this, which keeps happening.
And I think as long as I'm learning, I'm gonna keep chatting to other people, but we're all on our own journey. But it's beautiful to watch and support each other at the same time.
Imogen Clark: That's
Rae Leigh: thank you. I hopefully I'll get to see you. live next time. You're up Queensland way. Give us
Imogen Clark: thank you. I would love that. Thank you so much for having me.
Rae Leigh: that. Yeah, no, no problem. Thank you very much.
