LIVING HER DREAM LIFE
Townsville holds special meaning to internationally acclaimed musician Amy Shark. Ahead of her upcoming Townsville show, she shares why performing in regional cities will always fill her with joy.
Despite
the international fame, collaborations with Ed Sheeran, acknowledgment from Elton John and millions upon millions of global streams, the 2017 tour of Groovin’ the Moo – with its show in Townsville – still holds a special place in Amy Shark’s heart.
“I always use Townsville’s Groovin’ the Moo as an example of just how I fell in love with playing in regional towns because it was kind of my first taste of it,” she said.
From those early days of success, Shark has achieved fame beyond her dreams – she was the first Australian artist to be crowned as the Apple Up Next Artist and as such, covered billboards in the US and performed on black shiny floors for Jimmy Fallon, James
Corden and Colbert, touring the US multiple times and winning fans over across the country. But it didn’t come easy.
“The hustle was real,” she laughs.
“When it first happened for me I was really paranoid that someone was going to take it away
and so I just kept working so hard every day, I still kind of do.
“I’ve definitely got a better, healthier balance now.
“To work with someone like Ed (Sheeran) and get yourself into the vocab of Elton John, it does take a lot of work, it does take a lot of writing the songs and making sure they’re up to that sort of standard, and trying to get Ed across the line was such a hustle, and then maintaining friendships and working relationships with people like Keith Urban, it’s like you’re always kind of working, everywhere I go.
“It’s not very often that I’m fully relaxed or just chilling, but I’ve got a better balance now, it’s been a ride, for sure.
“I’ve got a way better balance now, I’m a lot more present, whereas I think when I first started I was kind of, I didn’t really have anything to say to anyone who wasn’t talking about music and that wasn’t healthy.
“I was at dinner parties with friends and they’d be talking about stuff and I’m like, I should be home, I don’t even know what this conversation is, I need to go and speak to this person or this producer or I don’t know, it was kind of a bit of a toxic, selfish way of life until you snap out of it. I’m like, I just need to fix this, it’s not who I am. I was just so paranoid that someone was going to take this life that I fought so hard to get type thing.”
Shark best known for her breakout 2016 hit Adore, will perform to relatively small audiences as part of her 42-date tour which includes Townsville.
“I think it’s just gonna be so fun,” she said. “I haven’t seen too many female solo artists do a big regional run, I always like being the first.
“I don’t know when the next time is that I will play shows like this.”
Shark, who is more at home in intimate settings than big arenas said she was looking forward to connecting with her northern fans.
“This show is looking really, really awesome, super intimate and different from the big sort of arena shows and I’m so looking forward to putting my other hat on and just being able to see people’s actual faces and not have it be such a big room,” she said.
“I’m more comfortable in those situations than I am in bigger rooms so I think if you half like my music or if you have any interest this is definitely one to go to.
So don’t miss it.”
While Shark’s biggest successes are relatively recent, including 798 million combined global streams, she said there was a lot of hard work behind the scenes that went into making a successful music career.
And she had some advice for those looking to make their mark.
“I think a lot of it is work ethic and a lot of it is having, if it’s music, or I guess anything really, you need to have these really brutally honest conversations with yourself and be like how much do I want it? Do I love it? Would I do it for free? Do I want this just because I want followers on Instagram or do I want heaps of money or whatever? You’ve just got to love it like in your, I know this sounds whack, but in your soul,” she said.
“It has to be like your dharma, your calling. And you need to really work that out.
“You have to spend time to really work that out because there were years for me where I was like, maybe I’m just not good, maybe this isn’t for me but I knew it was because I just couldn’t stop doing it and I just didn’t care.
“I didn’t care if I wasn’t going to get paid for it, if no one was going to hear my songs, I just loved it that much.
“It’s weird because I talk to so many musicians and they’re like, I can’t be bothered anymore and maybe I’ll get there but I also haven’t been around, been a professional musician for that long so for me writing songs is still like a favourite hobby and a pastime.
“I accidentally am always working but I find time to go to the beach, go see my friends and I run a lot and ride bikes and stuff.”
In between writing songs, collaborating with superstars, releasing new music and welcoming international fame, Shark still has time to take on the world – literally.
“I literally just climbed a mountain, and I know that sounds really bad and sounds a little bit like I’m talking myself up but I went to Queenstown and I climbed this mountain and ever since I’ve done that, I’m like, I can walk anywhere I could walk there from here. Castle Hill, bring it on,” she laughed when questioned if she would take on the city’s biggest physical challenge.
After bursting onto the global music scene in 2016 with her single Adore, Shark quickly found further commercial success with I Said Hi and Mess Her Up.
Shark’s debut album Love Monster was recognised in 2018 with four ARIA awards and was nominated for another five.
Love Monster went on to become the highest selling album by an Australian artist for 2018.
Not one to slow down, 2020 saw Shark release Everybody Rise, which is nearing 38 million streams globally and spent 12 weeks in the top 10 Australian airplay chart.
Her latest album, Cry Forever was her second #1 ARIA debut.
She teamed up with blink 182’s Travis Barker on single ‘C’mon’ and global superstar Ed Sheeran to co-write the single Love Song’s Ain’t For Us featuring Grammy award-winning artist Keith Urban.
Today she has 750 million combined global streams.
Her 42-date See U Somewhere Australia Tour was almost half sold-out within a day of going on sale.
Shark, who will be performing in some of the most regional pockets of Australia from May to August, said she was humbled by her fans’ response and thirst for tickets.
“Wow, I cannot believe you’ve already sold out 19 shows. Thanks for welcoming me into your towns with this insane response. I can’t wait to come and play for you all,” she said
Amy Shark will perform the second last show in her See U Somewhere Australia Tour at the Townsville Entertainment Centre on Friday, August 26.
There’s
no doubt that North Queensland racegoers know how to put an outfit together.
From matching bags and shoes to spectacular headpeices and accessories, the trackside fashions at the Winter Racing Carnival has been nothing short of stunning.
The NQ Weekend team had the difficult, but delightful, job of searching through the hundreds of photos of Cluden
Park racegoers - taken by Townsville Bulletin photographer Evan Morgan - to choose the most stylish at the Winter Racing Carnival.
The racegoers attended the sell-out racedays at Cluden Park: Ladies Day, held July 30 and last weekend’s Townsville Cup.
With bold colours being a major fashion force this year, racegoers indulged their inner fashionista to create many a stylish look.
with BETTINA WARBURTON