Crying in the club: Romy chats community, creativity and her debut solo album, ‘Mid Air’

“The people I met and the music I heard made me feel more alive and less alone.”

Rugged up with some friends in a cozy bar on Brunswick Street, I made a passing comment about the British musician, Romy. As a long-time fan of The XX, I had heard whispers of her solo debut album, Mid Air, within the Fashion Journal office and thought the new release may be of some interest.

One of my friends gawked. “No way – her band [The XX] played during my first kiss!” I’m in awe of the way music segments chapters within our lives; memories and experiences shared between artist and listener.

Discover more about Australia’s musical talent in FJ’s Music section.

Dancing between euphoria and melancholy, Romy’s Mid Air album is a love letter to the queer clubs where she found community and connection. Below, we chat about touring, identity and her creative process.

Romy, you’ve just released your debut solo album, Mid Air, this September past week. How are you feeling?

I’m really excited [and] of course, I’m nervous too. I think I was really craving trying something new, challenging myself and getting out of my comfort zone – and I definitely feel like that right now!

Mid Air is an album that deals with love, grief, relationships and identity. What does it mean for you to be able to speak on these things honestly through your music?

I’ve always gravitated towards writing songs as a form of self-therapy. When I was a teenager, I found it pretty hard to talk about how I was feeling but then I found a huge amount of healing and connection from songwriting. Finding the queer community in London when I was a teenager had a huge impact on me, the people I met and the music I heard made me feel more alive and less alone. It feels beautiful to be able to celebrate queer joy in my music now.

 

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The creative process can be a temperamental one. How do you combat creative blocks, and where do you find your inspiration?

I get a lot of inspiration from DJing, [from] listening to music so intensely to learn the tracks and know[ing] where I can mix in and out of them and what songs work well together. It’s actually very creative. I loved testing out some of the album tracks in my DJ sets and making changes to the production based on the way the dancefloor reacted.

You released your latest single ‘The Sea’, produced by Fred Again [and] you also collaborated with him on ‘Enjoy your Life’, alongside bandmate Jamie XX. Who would be your next dream collaboration and why?

I would love to collaborate with Fever Ray, I recently saw them play live in Paris and they were unreal.

You previously said that ‘Loveher’ was the song that made you feel ready to create an album. What would you say your favourite song on the album is?

Oooh such a hard question to answer. ‘Loveher’ holds a special part in my heart as it was the song that ignited the spark of this album. I can also sense a nervous excitement in the music that takes me back to the early days of collaborating with Fred [Again] and the start of our friendship.›

What was the first song or album you remember really loving?

I remember recording Daft Punk’s song ‘Around the World’ off the radio onto cassette when I was pretty young and playing it over and over.

You recently performed at Glastonbury and Coachella and were just announced for the Beyond the Valley lineup. What’s life like touring out on the road? Are you excited for your upcoming Australian show?

Touring has been a huge part of my life. I’m so grateful to have had the chance to travel and have so many adventures and experiences so far. This new live show I’m working on makes me feel like I’m starting out all over again, which is actually very refreshing.

I’m really looking forward to coming back to Australia – touring there with The XX was one of my favourite touring experiences. I know Jamie’s spent a few New Year’s [Eves] in Australia playing festivals, and it always looks so so fun. I can’t wait to experience it myself, hope to see you there!

Listen to Romy’s debut solo album Mid Air here.