Rising Sydney Singer-Songwriter Nick Ward Announces Debut Album
The news comes after the ‘Aubrey Plaza’ singer was announced as support for Troye Sivan’s upcoming Australian tour.
Image by Joe Brennan
There’s a big buzz behind Sydney’s Nick Ward ahead of the release of his forthcoming debut album, House With the Blue Door, set for release on Friday, October 4
The rising singer-songwriter has been garnering praise from tastemakers across the globe and was recently confirmed as the support for Troye Sivan’s highly anticipated November tour of Australia.
Ward finished recording House With the Blue Door before his 22nd birthday and has said in a press release it was inspired by an exhibition of Swedish artist Hilma af Klint’s paintings at the Art Gallery of New South Wales that Ward visited.
“It’s about family, childhood, and the difficult relationship we have with the past,” Ward said about the album. “I think your early twenties is about coming to terms with your childhood, especially after finishing high school and experiencing more of the world. Starting therapy really made me realise how much emotional baggage I was holding onto, and this record was made while I was unpacking all of that.
“I finished this album right before my 22nd birthday, so it felt nice to encapsulate my adolescence in one statement. For a while it was hard for me to listen to, just because of the headspace I was in while making it, but now it brings me a lot of joy and it gives me closure to finally release it.”
The album was written and produced by Ward in collaboration with a host of amazing individuals, including Gab Strum (Mallrat, Allday, Gretta Ray), Golden Vessel (1tsbp, BAYNK, Emerson Leif), Len20 (Lil Nas X, Kid Cudi), Tim Nelson (Cub Sport) and many more.
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Along with announcing the release date for House With the Blue Door, Ward has shared the new single ‘All Your Life’, which you can listen to above.
Accompanying the single is a music video co-directed and edited by Ward and his twin brother Tom. The two used footage shot by their grandparents in Malaysia and Peth, Australia.
“When I was 10, I made my first film using family photographs on iPhoto with a Foo Fighters song, which sparked my interest in filmmaking,” Ward said. “Ten years later, after our grandma passed away, we found a suitcase of unseen photographs and super 8 footage filmed by our grandfather during their journey from Malaysia to Australia, which we used in the ‘All Your Life’ music video and album cover.
“‘I really hope you’re happy all your life’ reminded me of scenes in movies where characters said farewell – never to meet again – but still wished the other person a happy rest of their life. As someone who struggles with their mental health, those words felt like an impossible idea to live up to, but something to chase anyway. I’ve never consciously made ‘sad’ or ‘happy’ music, but I’m proud to call this my most life-affirming song.”
Tom Ward added, “Working on this video was an emotional experience, as it allowed us to see our Dad through our grandfather’s eyes, capturing fleeting family moments. There’s something universal in this, especially now with the pressure to both capture everything and be present.”
House With the Blue Door is set for release on October 4. You can pre-order/pre-save the album here and catch Ward when he supports Troye Sivan on his Australian tour this November.
