Romanie: Learning to Feel While Finding Hope

Earlier this year Naarm/Melbourne-via-Belgium artist Romanie released her sophomore album, It's Not That Funny.

Coming in at #14 on the Australian ARIA Charts and nominated for the Australian Music Prize, the album was a personal undertaking that finds Romanie wrestling with her inner demons, trauma and isolation.

Critically acclaimed, the album also marked a crossroads in Romanie's career, with the singer-songwriter temporarily quitting music before rediscovering her passion while traveling overseas, announcing a tour that hits a slew of intimate venues across the country from September to November.

Before she embarks on her most extensive tour yet, which includes her very first time in Adelaide, Romaine spoke with The Note about the experience of writing It's Not That Funny, collaborating with other artists and the Melbourne music scene.

Hey Romanie. Let's start with this year's It’s Not That Funny. Where did the title come from and how does it reflect the songs on the album?

It's Not That Funny stemmed from a conversation with my therapist. I used to brush and laugh things off very easily as a way of deflecting feelings and never really getting to the actual core of a feeling or problem. It's Not That Funny is a reflection of sitting with yourself and actually dealing with the discomfort: learning how to feel. The topics and songs were at times hard to write and record, but they gave me so much; it's a record about growth as much as it is about pain. It's about the chaos and the calm and community vs loneliness.

You've described It's Not That Funny as being a much darker and more vulnerable record than your debut. What changed in your life or your approach to songwriting that allowed you to explore these more personal areas? 

I think my personal growth has had a lot to do with learning how to dig deeper into myself to unearth those songs. I write mostly for myself, in order to process things or learn how to understand the world around me and even myself. I think writing this record was extremely important for my personal development, as much as I want it to be relevant to other people dealing with similar stuff.

It's about being a woman in a music industry and society where we oftentimes feel (or get told) we don't really have a space, and I think being bolder or more older maybe made me learn to speak up about things a bit more than in my first record? I'm still very much learning and evolving (thank god!) so who knows what comes next; that's the fun part, the dreaming.

Did you find it a cathartic experience writing this record, and what did you learn about yourself during the making of it?

Absolutely. I think I've met myself a couple of times throughout this whole process of writing, recording and releasing this record. It has felt like the record was the mirror I was holding up to myself. At the start I was terrified of looking back at it. I never thought I would be brave enough to put it out or even show anyone else. I'm proud of myself that I did and I think there's so much growth in even saying the word "proud" in relation to myself. I've always seen myself as an imposter – I'm just a girl from Belgium with a big dream.

Despite some dark and serious themes, there's a sense of hope that runs through It's Not That Funny. Is that a fair reflection of who you are and where you are at in life?

100%. I think hope is the biggest act of activism and love that we can show right now, so I'm trying to practice this daily. It really works, though. I've always had a bit of a dark side to myself, struggling with mental health, but I'm learning that hope is a practice and something you can actively learn. I'm not saying I want to diminish hard things or not call things out in the world, because we definitely need to keep giving voices to people and things that don't have one - but I think it's really special to be kind and hopeful and soft. I hope that this record can reflect both sides.

The album features collaborations with artists including Hamish Mitchell, Tom Stell and Adam Hyde. How did these collabs come about and how did they shape the album?

I love co-writing and making new friends, and these songs sprouted from all of that. Hamish and I met at Purple Wayne through Gormie when we recorded my first record, and we wrote 'Uh Oh' during a really crazy time in my life. It was such a fun afternoon, and we basically created the bare bones of the song in a couple of hours.

Tom and Adam I met at an industry event where I was performing and mentored by Angus and Julia Stone. They actually approached me after I performed 'My Eyes Don't Light Up When I Look At You', asking if I wanted to record and write with them, and a few months later we were in the studio for a few days writing songs. One of them was 'I Won't Yell', and the other one was Keli Holiday's 'Ecstasy' - so fair to say we were very productive!

If you had to choose one song from It's Not Funny that captures the album's essence, which would it be and why?

I think I have to choose 'I Won’t Yell' as it's a fun-sounding song on the surface, but it's actually about me often not feeling heard as a woman, as non-English speaking, as an independent musician.

READ MORE: The Lazy Eyes: Finding Beauty in Simplicity

Let's talk about your upcoming tour. You're doing something a little different which involves writing songs with your support acts and performing them live at each show. Where did this idea come from and how excited are you for this challenge?

I have been wanting to do this for SUCH a long time. I first trialled the idea a few years ago (not knowing this was going to be a thing) when I played a residency at The Wesley Anne in Naarm. I was renting a friend's studio at Milney's during the days and invited friends in to come write and play covers, and we played them in the evening. It was so pure and chaotic and exactly what I want music to be like: a gathering, a real moment and real feelings.

I always struggle to finish fast things because I overthink literally everything that I say and do, so this is a good way to push myself to be more vulnerable and direct. I love co-writing songs with artists so much, so this idea was a no-brainer, really. The fact that you can develop a friendship through sharing songs and stories is so special, so why not share that joy on a stage with a crowd immediately after?

When the tour hits Adelaide, you’ll be supported by local favourites Oscar The Wild. Why did you pick them to play with you and how much are you looking forward to collaborating with them?

I actually wasn't meant to stop in Adelaide initially. I've never been to South Australia before, and I was a bit scared to make the jump. But then I did the Seed Fund in May and met Ariya from Oscar The Wild, and we instantly became friends. I just had a gut feeling that I wanted to come play and that Oscar The Wild should be a part of it - and now it's actually happening. I'm so excited; we're going to drive from Melbourne and will stop by the giant haunted Koala, and I want to sightsee, and I can't wait to come play at the Grace Emily and write with Oscar The Wild.

Is there a chance these songs you are creating will be compiled on an album at some point? 

If the government wants to support my next grant application, we can have a further chat about this. I would love to make that happen.

What do you hope people experience when they come see you perform songs from the album live as part of this tour? 

I want people to connect, not only with each other in the crowd, but I want to draw them into our worlds and connect to our music - and also the song that we'll write and the stories we tell. I love going to live shows so much myself, so maybe I'll inspire someone in the crowd to start to make music or go to more gigs? 

You’ve spoken openly about becoming frustrated with the demands of the music industry and even questioning whether you wanted to continue making music. Has making this album changed your relationship with being a musician? 

It's funny because I technically quit music when the album came out. I was so stressed, had given my all, and my mental health took a bit of a tumble putting the album out. I had pencilled in this tour a little bit earlier and decided to not go ahead, and instead I took my first holiday in years and went to Mexico. Alas, there I fell madly and deeply back in love with music and storytelling and culture, and then when I got back home I did the Seed where I felt so held within a music industry community that I hope I will be surrounded by until the end of time.

As someone who was born overseas, how accepting have you found the Melbourne music community, and what impact has the community had on your journey as an artist?

This community has had such a deep impact on me personally and musically, and I think we’re so so lucky to be working and living amongst so many talented musicians. It blows my mind every day that I can discover my new favourite song at a bar down the road. I'm obsessed with all my friends' music, and I think the way people support each other in the grassroots venues here is something you can’t really find anywhere else.

What advice would you have for anyone who wants to become a musician? 

Don't let anyone tell you that you shouldn't or can’t do it or that you need to find a real job. Music should not be an afterthought. Yes, it will be hard at times, and you will have to make a million sacrifices, but if you do it for the right reasons, it's so fulfilling.

What’s next for Romanie? 

Giving my 100% for the tour and then seeing what happens in three months!

Catch Romanie performing with support from Oscar The Wild at the Grace Emily on Saturday 10 October. Tickets on sale via romaniemusic.com. Listen to It's Not That Funny here.