Matt Corby: Turning Tragedy Into Magic
Singer-songwriter Matt Corby has come a long way since appearing on Australian Idol. Four albums deep into a career spanning almost two decades, Corby discusses his new release Tragic Magic, working as a producer and how being a father has changed his outlook on music.
Words Emily Wilson // Image Maclay Heriot
Matt Corby’s blue eyes are striking, even through the haze of a laptop screen. Over a Zoom call in the midst of gearing up to release his fourth studio album, Tragic Magic, he explains, “I guess I’m always evolving. I think my mindset’s changed a little with making songs and presenting them in a production format. I think on the last couple of records, I was really hell-bent on trying to seem like I knew how to write a song, knew how to play things, and with this one, I felt like I put a lot of that to rest, and I was really just operating on what felt good.”
He wasn’t trying to impress himself, or a hypothetical audience with decisions that exhibited technical flair, he was focusing, moment to moment, on letting intuition guide the ship.
“It was just a feel-based exercise this time. I just really wanted everything to flow and for it to be nice to listen to without any tricks or cleverness when it wasn’t necessary.”
He prioritised feeling in the studio, but he is not complacent. He is still aware that the relationship between musician and audience is ever-present and often volatile.
“I think music’s a fickle career. I think you always have a lot to prove. I always want people to like my music. But I think I feel comfortable making decisions now without triple-guessing if things are going to work for others. I feel more confident being like, ‘I like that, cool, done.’”
Corby’s music has a sort of timeless quality, an ease of style and cohesion of sound that allows it to transcend eras. Perhaps, then, it is no surprise that he doesn’t listen to much modern music.
“I think all music is derivative of something,” he explains. “It’s evolving based on what’s happened previously. People are taking things that they like and morphing them into something unique. Or that’s the goal anyway, to push the art form forward.”
He continues, “You know, they say whatever goes in comes out? I’m intentionally withholding from indulging in too much current music because I don’t want it to come out of me. In order to forge your own path creatively, it’s wiser to not have so much input of the things that are working right now for other people.”
Tragic Magic is a smooth, foot-tapping record, the kind that sonically simulates the experience of sinking into a warm bath; it’s groovy, relaxing. The persona that Corby exhibits on the record is confident, charming. Does this kind of confidence come naturally to him?
“It hasn’t before,” he admits. “I think the older I get, the less I’m worried about feeling good about my decisions musically. I’m always pushing the limits on what I think is possible, what I think I’m capable of, what people can stomach from me.”
READ MORE: Lime Cordiale: In a Shade of Lime Green
The record is mellow, but the word ‘tragic’ is in the title for a reason: it draws on tumult and pain – his partner’s mother’s brutal battle with pancreatic cancer, friends grappling with the loss of a baby, the growing pains of fatherhood.
Using these moments as creative fodder – moments that have affected those around him as well as him – is a complicated thing. “It’s not like I’m taking advantage of someone else’s pain. I am really mindful of that, because you don’t want to be affecting those around you that are really suffering.” He cocks his head, pondering. “I don’t know if I’ve navigated that well or not. I think it isn’t for me to decide.”
The ability to be vulnerable, however, is, he believes, crucial to the pursuit of making music. “I think people can tell if you’re faking it. If artists and songwriters and creative types can’t be vulnerable… like, we’re communicators. Emotional communicators. It’s part of our job.”
Corby, in between writing his own music, has recently spent a fair amount of time in the producer’s chair, working with the likes of Genesis Owusu and Tash Sultana, amongst others – an experience that he says has been extremely helpful. “I see a lot of myself in other artists. And when you’re working closely with other people, you pick up a lot of what’s good and a lot of what’s bad psychologically in that period where you’re recording.”
He is notoriously hard on himself in the studio. “Anyone who’s worked with me and cut vocals with me is scared at the end of the day that I’m going to have a fucking nervous breakdown,” he laughs. “Psychologically, I’ve gotten better since I’ve been producing because I’m hearing other people doing the same thing when they’re totally smashing it. Their expectations of themselves are too high. Everyone brings their own flavour that I get to absorb and learn from.”
Fatherhood, too, has greatly affected his relationship to music.
“It’s given me a bit of hustle, for sure,” he says. It has also straightened out his priorities. “I also just think that music is not the most important thing. It was for twenty years of my life, I would spend every waking minute thinking about it.”
There is, now, less fear of judgement – less fear in general. “It definitely gives you a massive shift in perspective in terms of how to treat others and how to react to others. It definitely gives you a lot more patience.” He smiles, at peace, teeth blinding. “Everyone’s just a kid in a big body.”
Catch Matt Corby at Thebarton Theatre on Wednesday 3 June. Tickets on sale at ticketmaster.com.au.
