I think the misunderstood thing is that people
probably do think that I came out of nowhere
If I was to meet teenage Amy,
how different is she aged 15, 16 to you now?
How much have you changed?
I was pretty, you know, intense.
I've definitely got buried issues like everyone else
and had a lot of heartache
and I won't hold back. I kind
of wear my heart on my sleeve.
Like I do with my music.
That just was my way of documenting everything.
I'm not the type to fall in love or crush on
like a million different guys at school
or anything. I would find one
and be like, "That's the one I want."
I just have this mental image of you like the Terminator.
"That one. That is the one."
Yeah.
Tractor beam.
Which sounds really creepy when I say that out loud.
But you know, I would rather give someone everything,
than spread bits of me around.
So I always kind of found someone
that I would connect with.
So when did writing lyrics come into it?
Well
There was so much that happened
when I was in high school.
I like was pretty estranged, like
I don't talk to my birth father.
I had that going on
that I was trying to work out where I fit into his life
and does he fit into mine and turns out it doesn't.
You know, I was lucky I had some really great friends.
Some not so good. Some that you get mixed up with
and you end up doing stuff you wish you didn't.
And I also had someone really
break my heart in high school and that was like
you know, my first sort of relationship
and that hit me harder than most girls.
Just the way unravelled.
And music was kind of the thing that really
sort of set me straight, I think.
All I wanted to do was play guitar for people.
I used to live in my room.
My dad called it...my step-dad called it 'the Batcave'.
I was just straight in from school, up to Batcave.
Dinner's ready. Come down and have dinner.
Back to the Batcave
Do you remember the first time
you played in front of a person?
Like you had that confidence where I'm going to
sit you down and you have to listen to me.
Yeah.
Yeah, I do actually.
And it's pretty sad because I actually I lost him
when he was 21.
It was a friend of mine.
I'd written a song.
It was pretty punk. It was just power chords.
What is this, just power chords?
Power chords are awesome.
Yeah, exactly. True.
And I played them with songs and man, that's awesome.
You know, it probably totally wasn't.
And you go through, "I'm going to erase that bit."
"Don't worry about that bit."
"Oh, I stuffed that bit up. Don't worry about that bit."
So I was super nervous and you feel it's so exposed.
But it was a rush.
Do you think that sense of exposure, that sense of
offering up something within yourself
is essential to why your music has worked?
Yeah. Totally.
So, how do you work out
what you are and are not willing to share? Like how
have you been navigating those boundaries?
Um
Do you know what's weird is
usually, when I write songs it's almost like you
are having this weird fit.
It's like, I never know what I'm going to write about.
Like ever. I never sit down
and think, "Oh, the album needs this sort of song."
Or "I'm going to write a happier song. Or a love song" or..
..like I just find a chord progression that I'm like,
that is awesome.
And then it's almost like, sometimes I feel like my eyes
just roll in the back of my head
and I'm just like, come out with stuff.
But that's what's addictive.
It's like, I never know what I'm going to write about.
I've been doing this for so long
I've had so many 'no's' and so many people
not believe in me that
it's given me 15 years
of learning this craft.
So, when you were first going out there and you were first
giving music to people, what were the first sorts of reactions
you were getting from the industry and out and about.
Um, they weren't very good [laughs]
Um, no, it was horrible. I hated the industry.
I was so bitter against it because
like, I was from a town where
everything was a little bit corrupt for a while
-The Gold Coast
-Yeah, there were a couple of people like, running the scene
and like, if they didn't like you or
you had a run in with them, they'd be like
'OK, well, we won't book Amy.'
And I was only after tiny little tours, you know
...maybe something in Brisbane
I kind of felt like I was just talking to
bullshit artists like, every day.
And
And I would get sucked in. All the time
All the time. I'm like, 'No, this person, this is going to be good!'
'It's going to be great!'
And over time, you're just like, wow, I'm exhausted
and I don't trust anybody
Like even now, my managers can't stand me.
They're just like, 'Amy, we're here for you.'
And I'm like, yeah but are you?
And it's not their fault. I've just got all these issues.
Like, um
And the industry just beat me down
The years ticked on, and at the end I was like
it's fine. I'm not meant to do this. Because otherwise
someone would have given me a break by now.
So. What changed. What happened?
I worked with this Kiwi producer, Eden Mullholand
And he added beats and percussion to
to my song, Spits on Girls,
and I was like that's it. That's my sound
And Triple J picked it up.
And I won the pop award for Queensland that year
And like, it was the best night of my life.
Because it was the first bit of recognition
like, oh my god, you're actually alright.
And my confidence just was... that's just what I needed.
So after Adore came out
you basically spent a day fielding phone calls from people that
wanted to sign you
be your manager
Had anything in the past prepared you
for that level of attention?
And also, I'm curious about where the trust issues figure into that day
as well, given you had been sort of
well yeah, kind of burnt beforehand
It was a very... hard thing to manage
Because there were people who contacted me that
had sent me quite blunt emails before
saying, like, 'No'
Did you get a Fuck You moment?
I had a lot of Fuck You moments
where I was like...
but then, I was still, wanting to do it
Yeah
So I'm like... ahh
And I'm also not a total bitch either
Like, you know, I'd had my years where I was bitter
and I kind of wanted to just really enjoy the moment
and get things going.
There's a very intense balance of
enjoying it, being in the moment
Please welcome, Apple Music's Up Next Artist, Amy Shark!
I'll always write songs. Always.
I want to do this forever.
I get asked all the time, 'Now that you have an audience
are you going to think about what you
write about more?'
Or 'are you going to filter some stuff?'
And, that would just be ridiculous.
Because I think that's what's connecting.
Amy.
Thanks so much for chatting to us.