Naarm-based artist Monnie on touring with Thelma Plum and the release of her cathartic EP, ‘Lately’
PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRIANNA DA SILVA
Words by Emma Roberts
“I was really excited by the possibility of pop music.”
Naarm-based singer/songwriter Monnie is no unseasoned rookie in the Australian music industry. With credentials that boast a lengthy stint as the bass-player accompaniment to Australian artist, Thelma Plum, and an accoladed involvement in indie rock band Sweater Curse, Monnie’s musical prowess is palpable.
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A bubbly infectiousness and undeniable warmth hint that her new EP, Lately, is just the beginning for the Brisbane-born talent. I had the pleasure of sitting down with Monnie to discuss the inspiration behind her EP and the lessons she’s learnt so far.
You’ve recently launched your solo project with your single ‘Tell Me Something’. How did it feel commencing this project after working in a band for so long?
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I was really excited and also scared… I mean, no shock there! I loved working in a band but I wanted to start this project because I felt a little held back by the confines of the other kinds of genres we were working in… which was no one’s fault, it was just the way I felt. I was really excited to be a little more flexible.
I was really excited by the possibility of pop music and things that are more open to interpretation… I’m really excited to see how it goes and where else it can go, you know?
The single was also written in conjunction with Forrest Claudette. How was it collaborating with another up-and-coming Naarm-based artist?
I’m very used to collaborating when I write because in the band, we would almost always write together. Turns out it was not super different, it was just like a different setting and a different agenda but I suppose the actual practicalities of it weren’t [different]. I love writing with people. I think working with people who you have similar tastes and goals to is one of life’s most pure joys.
Working with Forrest Claudette was awesome because they are an amazing artist and an incredible musician… I really love working with people, especially someone like Forrest who as you said, is another Naarm-based artist, so it’s really exciting to be able to do something together.
Your solo venture has come after years of touring with artist Thelma Plum where you featured as her long-time bass player. What lessons have you learnt from touring that you will take with you into your solo project?
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Touring with Thelma is amazing, I love her so much… playing her music is a true privilege… this project is actually going to be quite different to what I’ve done in the past because it’s just me… I’ve learnt it’s really important to be open and patient, also to communicate clearly with people on tour because it’s generally a high-stress environment. Sometimes I get stressed out… I’m just going to try and go into it with really open, loving vibes which is what I want to bring to the project itself as a whole.
Your first official video for your next single ‘Bored’ will debut on April 21, what inspired the lyrics for this single? How was the experience filming it?
I was so excited about this song coming out because it is amazing, if I do say so myself. I got to work with a really great team on it… I wrote the lyrics in 2021 and it was kind of like about how I love rock music but I was over it, I wanted to try something else.
And this is not to bag out rock music at all, because it has a massive place in my heart and my head and my personal history… I just wanted something else, something a bit more fun and less serious… I feel as though I am interested in so many different things.
Even the dichotomy between rock and pop music, I love them both, I wanted to be able to do them both… I don’t want to feel as though I can only do one or the other and I, unfortunately, feel that way about a lot of things in life… no one should be confined to liking one thing.
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This song is sort of a celebration of all of those things together, the lyrics are about liking lots of eclectic things and how liking all of these things might not always make sense to some people, but that shouldn’t dictate what we do or don’t enjoy.
I’ve read that you make music for people to find their tribe. What kind of community would you like to see come together by listening to your forthcoming debut EP, Lately?
Community has always been really important to me. I grew up in a really big family in Meanjin, Brisbane and I spent a lot of time working and hanging around 4zzz, the community radio station which has a really long and cool history with music, culture and politics. I have always thought that it’s so important that people have a place to go, a place to share their experiences and their feelings.
… There’s already so much amazing art that exists in the world that inspires me and of course, art doesn’t exist in a vacuum. So what I’m hoping is that… anyone that is listening feels like they can be themselves, that they can have a dance, they can connect with other people and feel comfortable and safe. That is the kind of environment that I want to create, where there’s no pressure and people get a little bit of catharsis out of it…
You performed at Bigsound last year, how was that experience?
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Bigsound was really fun, I feel really lucky to have been able to play there for one of my first-ever shows. I had two of my friends on stage, we choreographed some moves for the shows… it’s so fun collaborating with my friends… I have terrible performance anxiety and stage fright, so it was great to have people who love me around.
Lastly, What’s next for Monnie?
Well god, I don’t know… let’s get this EP out first and then we’ll circle back! Definitely more fun things to come though… maybe one day let I’ll everyone know that I want to be on a cooking show and that I can cook as well.
Monnie’s EP Lately will debut later this year. In the meantime, keep up with Monnie here.
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