Interview: Getting to know Ayla

Australian songstress Ayla has recently released a new single. We asked her to tell us about herself:

I am… a singer songwriter who loves cheesecake and passionfruit fudge: my name is Ayla. I try to play as much tennis as I can, even though I’m not great at it, and I love being outdoors in general: walking, climbing mountains, surfing, swimming – all of the things. I grew up on a farm, and I’m very thankful for that. Exploring the forests, seeing how the animals (cows, horses, pigs, chooks, geese, ducks etc.) behave and watching them grow and change, seeing the beautiful sunsets and the storms spread out over the valley, up through the hills – it was the perfect place to learn about the world, to foster an imagination, to sing and to write music.

Small Talk is… a break-up song. I shied away from that for a while, I think because I didn’t want to be cliché, but in time I grew more comfortable with that and found new meaning in the song itself. I think no words can ever express the full array of emotions felt during a loss of any kind, so maybe another song about that experience isn’t necessarily a ‘cliché’ or something to shy away from, but just showcases a glimpse into the path I went down, on such a common journey. I’ve also been thinking a lot lately about the importance of (and, in the Western world, lack of) community. It’s truly something we’re built for, and I don’t think we function very well without it. Conversations are so important, whether they are deep, or just offer the comfort of knowing that someone is there. That is reflected in this song; Small Talk.

Home is… the Sunshine Coast, QLD. I grew up here, out of town on the farm, and it’s still where I feel most at home. I still love the farm, and am also really loving living a bit closer to the beach now too. I can walk to town and the beach from where I am at the moment, which is an odd concept when you grow up in a place where it’s a fair walk to the nearest neighbour. It still feels a bit un-natural to me to live so close to other people, but I do enjoy being so close to town and the water. I recently watched the movie and was loudly and dramatically (is there another way?) singing Bohemian Rhapsody the other day, when my housemate reminded me that our neighbours are very close and might not appreciate it.

I spend too much time… worrying about what to spend my time on, and then not having any time left to do any of the things. It often feels like there’s so much to do already, and then so many other cool things I’d like to do as well, that sometimes I get a bit overwhelmed. I think that’s a pretty common experience though, and I personally find goals and to-do lists are a really great antidote. I often find that being able to objectively look at the list of things you need to, when it’s written down, is much less intimidating than holding the weight of them in your head.

It might surprise people to learn that… my family are not very musical. My Grandpa plays the banjo, but didn’t take it up until he was about 60, and that then made him my only close relative who played any instrument (including voice). My Dad is a huge music lover though, and I think that’s probably quite integral to my journey into music. Dad loves John Denver, and his all-time fave is Neil Young. I think he’s got about every Neil CD – and both of his books. Dad knew what he liked in music, and would always encourage me and help me in the right directions. We even wrote a couple of songs together when I was younger, where he would write the outline of the lyrics, and I would fit them into a melody. He has always written a little bit of poetry, and maybe that’s why lyrics are so important to me.

I’ve never… owned a toaster, well, until last year. Before that though, I’d never lived in a house with a toaster. My parents were very ahead of their time with renewable energy, so we had solar power and tank water for my whole life. They also just never, I don’t know, saw the point maybe(?), in owning a few of the ‘normal’ things you might find at a house, like; a toaster, a dishwasher, a motorised lawn mower, a microwave… we also didn’t have a TV until I was five or so. I guess that’s kind of weird looking back on it, but we never needed them, and maybe that’s what they thought. Anyway, so, I’d never owned a toaster until recently. I still don’t think I’m out of the habit of just grilling toast instead of just using the toaster!

In the future… I’d like to own a property where I can host a bunch of rescue animals, grow a bunch of food, and maybe have a little wedding venue. I’ve played at quite a few weddings, and I’ve always really enjoyed them – everyone is so happy and there’s lots of food and wine – it’s always been a really nice time. I’ve been thinking recently that maybe I’d like to have a wedding venue on a property one day. It’s a nice little dream!

…

Keep up to date with Ayla on Facebook.