Meanjin-based, Cape York-raised singer/songwriter Ella Hartwig is challenging the status quo with the bold decision to release her debut album Take Me South as a physical exclusive. Despite already having over 300,000 streams and more than 780,000 social media uses of her 5 singles off the album, you won't find the Take Me South anywhere online - you'll have to go the old-school route and purchase a CD if you want a taste of her highly-anticipated body of work. The album was written along the East Coast of Australia over 17 months, featuring 13 tracks of country/folk tunes telling the story of a small-town girl moving 2000km away from home to chase her dream.
Recorded and co-produced with Casper Hall at Sound Out Studios, the work is mastered by Paul Blakey.
Resident journo Ella Belfanti caught up with Ella Hartwig to get the inside scoop behind the controversial release-move, and the stories behind the songs.
Hey Ella, thanks so much for chatting with us on your debut album release, Take Me South! So, you grew up in a small town in Far North QLD, and you’ve moved 2000km south of home to the big city to get your music out there… only to release your debut album as a physical exclusive in this digital-dominated age. We’ll dig into this interesting choice in a bit, but first can you tell us about your roots - when did you realise you wanted to be a musician, and what made you decide to move to Brisbane to chase the dream?
I wrote my first song at age eleven, and apparently I have been singing since fresh out of the womb. It has always just made sense to me. I grew up in a remote town and there weren’t many resources there in the likes of a music scene. The closest recording studio was 4-5hrs away back home, and a ‘full-time musician’ lifestyle is pretty rare. When I turned nineteen, I adventured up to the Torres Strait Islands to live for a few months, to get the ‘small town’ out of my system. I then knew it was time to brave the change and move to the city so that I could create more opportunities.
Your music could be described as a fusion of folk, country and indie pop - who are some of your biggest influences for your songwriting and playing?
I love experimenting with different styles! My initial inspiration for the album derived from Paul Kelly, Missy Higgins, Noah Kahan and Sam Fender. I love the storytelling and authentic aspects of their music.
Recording an album is a pretty huge endeavour, especially for an independent artist - not only are you writing a huge volume or music, but you’re working with multiple musicians to arrange all the parts, you’re spending hours in the studio to get the right takes, and then after refining each song and its production, you’re putting together a multi-step release plan and marketing this body of work on multi-media platforms.
How long has it taken to pull all of this together?
You are very accurate with how many aspects are involved! It took way longer to formulate than I had thought. I am so grateful that down in the city, I have had access to resources such as other musicians to collaborate with and local studios! The recording process took Casper Hall and I seventeen months. This was including a break over Christmas and not to mention the birth of his son, who I share a birthday with!
What are your favourite and least-favourite parts of the recording and release process?
The whole process really excites me. The worst part was just the waiting. I truly do understand that we do not want to rush art, but each time I waited for a mix, I was so excited and I just wanted to listen to it straight away! I had to be patient while Casper worked his magic, flipping switches, sliding notches and twiddling buttons. That’s most definitely not my domain! For me, a large part of this project has involved work from other creatives, such as Casper’s production skills, post-production like mixing and mastering with Paul Blakey, and even photography and videography sessions with Callum Johnston. I am so blessed to have these creatives on my team, and I never wanted to mistake my excitement for impatience! I learnt skills like how much actual ‘listening’ and reflecting is required in the whole process.It is so subjective and I learnt about the industry, and more predominantly, myself.
You launched and released ‘Take Me South’ in your hometown before making it available to the rest of the world. Why was this important to you?
Not everyone comes from a small town, but everyone comes from somewhere. I feel super lucky to be proud of the remote area that I grew up in and the support that flourished from that. I used to think it was a little old town with not much for an inspired-teenager to pursue. Since moving away, I see the real value of growing up in such a supportive environment.
Noone ever questioned my aspirations and I had plenty of opportunities to sing to people when I was first introduced to music. I feel so lucky to have been around other people that have taken me under their wings and led me along a path where I have been given room and grace to make mistakes and learn. I truly do feel like my hometown has my back and I wanted to show my appreciation for them by sharing something so close to my heart with them, first.
It almost felt like how a little kid draws a new picture at school and goes home to say ‘Hey mum! Look, I did a new painting, are you proud of me?’ When I get overwhelmed with trying to get my name out there in an environment with many more variables, I always remember that my hometown never let me drown. They have been proud of me since I first busked with my ukulele and best friend when I was twelve. I was too scared to sing alone and the ukulele had less big, scary strings than a guitar. I still felt special and valued, no matter how I tried. I was always supported and helped. I love them.
You’ve made a super bold choice with this album - while your singles from the album (bangers like ‘Western Star’ and ‘Out Of Stone’) have been released digitally to streaming services, you’ve decided to release this album - a body of work that’s taken a mammoth effort to create - as a CD only. Why?
Thank you! I have been loving the responses that I have received from the five singles so far, being: Out of Stone, Western Star, Backup, Hometown and Fields of Gold. In a world where there are upwards of 100,000 songs being uploaded to streaming platforms daily (don’t quote me on that), I really don’t want these songs to just slip into the cracks of the digital-release-internet-streaming-void. As an independent artist, it can be overwhelming and confusing to navigate the best steps for a release, and I felt like doing something a bit different!
I know that we are in a growing digital age and not many people have CD players anymore, but I feel as though this feels more special to me and speaks volumes about what these songs mean to me. By purchasing a physical copy from me, it feels much more interconnected, rather than an anonymous stream that I can analyse by an algorithm on my computer. Music is my way to connect with what is around me, and I am trusting my gut that these physical copies are a way for me to better connect with my fanbase.
I initially launched the physical exclusive release to my hometown mid-August, 2024, at a festival that I grew up attending. Some family friends have a property which they host the Black Mountain Unplugged festival on, and they graciously let me launch my CD there this year. I flew Casper and his beautiful family up to share this time with me. In the live band, Casper drummed, Shani played trumpet, and I gathered some other friends to join me. My mate Dom Newbery came from Atherton and Porky Harrigan, from Black Image Band shredded his guitar. I felt so supported and lucky to have this backing.
I figured that then was a better time than ever. With the post-production process, there are so many tedious parts and so many moods that you can listen to mixes in. Since it’s subjective, it was getting hard and my anxiety was starting to get in the way. I knew that what we had laid down was good enough, even though all of those doubtful voices were seeping in. I think I put too much pressure on myself that all of my time, money and effort came down to this product.
Two years of writing and seventeen months of recording into 44-minutes of sound and a square package. The deadline of this festival gave me a healthy push to believe in myself and deliver.
How streaming services have impacted the viability of being a recording artist is a huge discussion point in the music industry at the moment - while some argue the platforms increase your potential audience reach, they’ve also reduced the amount of people buying and owning music in formats like CDs, records or even owning the digital files (RIP iTunes). What does it mean to you to be selling your album in physical format only?
It feels very scary and I have questioned my choices countless times. To try and avoid my album slipping through the cracks in the digital world, I figure that a physical exclusive release in times like these, will either make it super inaccessible and not be able to reach anyone, or, it will help foster a deeper connection and create a demand for more.
As I am writing this, I announced the release on my social media about a half hour ago, and I already have orders coming through. I am flooded with relief, excitement and a fair bit of nervous energy. There is no right or wrong way to navigate the music industry and this makes it both exciting and scary. The possibilities are endless, and I also feel like the lack of structure is anxiety-provoking. If it doesn’t work, then I’ll learn from it.
I’ve really enjoyed listening through the journey of ‘Take Me South’, I’m loving the themes of finding yourself and persevering through challenges slowly but steadily. What do you want people to take away from listening to your album?
I love your interpretation of that! I want ‘Take Me South’ to be a space where people can reflect on their own stories and I hope that my own introspection can resonate with people. I feel very encouraged from the responses from the album’s singles, and I am surprised by how many people have felt similarly. The whole process has been an opportunity for me to experiment and investigate new sounds and I hope that people feel something from it.
Did you write these songs intending for them to all go together on an album, or did they come together at separate times?
I have written the songs over a span of two years, and while I was assessing my album list, I tried to just listen to my instincts on which songs resonated with me most. The songs weren’t written to ‘fit together’ or cohesively follow a story, but as I was curating them, I realised a very clear story in there. It follows my feelings of leaving home for the first time, to trying to find myself, to not giving up on the promises I’ve made to myself, and even navigating all of the feelings that come with it.
And lastly, if you could give your younger self any advice on how to go about recording and releasing an album, what would you say?
I feel as though this is advice that I would give myself now!
My biggest takeaway from this project has been to trust myself. Experiment, feel what you need to feel, and trust the process. I tend to do a lot of things on my own, and sometimes that has been very necessary. However, this album taught me that I am allowed to ask for help. I am not the first person to release an album, and once I got past the anxious phase, I started to chat to everyone about it and be really open with where I was at. So many people have been in similar situations and it feels good to not be alone in it. It’s been the biggest path of self-discovery for me, and besides learning to walk and talk for the first time, I have never learnt so much in my life. I never stopped learning and I am astonished with how I’ve developed from our first session on February 20th, 2023, to our last session in July, 2024.
You can purchase the 'Take Me South' physical exclusive on Ella's website here
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