CREATIVE CONVERSATIONS 166: SARA STORER ON FALLING IN LOVE UNDER DARWIN STARS AND WRITING SONGS WITH COLOUR

Interview by Brooke Gibbs.

Following the success of her family project SToRer, Sara Storer is back with a solo track with what can be described as one of the most accessible songs of her career.

In a departure from character based or rural inspired songs, Under Darwin Stars, draws on themes of love and life in the city where she now lives.

FMM: This is an exciting time for you because you just put out a new song. How does it feel to have it out there?

Sara: It's always nice to have new music out there floating around. Last year, I'd been working on an album with my family called Storer. It was with my brother and his nieces, and that's been a project that I've been wanting to do for a long time. Now that's sort of done and dusted, it's back to me putting out my own music, and it's always exciting, that first one off what will be the next album to get an idea of what people think.

FMM: Yeah, and as you said, it's a good way to get an idea of what people think. So, what has the reactions been like so far? Have people reached out and said they're loving the track?

Sara: Oh, yeah. It's been quite overwhelming, actually. I'm always up for a challenge. I always like to challenge myself with my music, the way I write production, and this is a sound that I've been wanting to do for a while. Bit bigger, bit fatter, chunky, a bit more radio friendly. But also the topic of Darwin, a song I've been wanting to write. And what I've noticed is, through the interviews, it's taking people to Darwin, which is exactly what I wanted the song to do. People are like, oh, I just want to go there and see all these things. What else is there? I feel like I've done a good job in that sense.

FMM: It's incredible to hear that people are connecting with your music, even people that haven't been to Darwin, just to see them come coming up to check it out purely based on music that you've created.

Sara: Yeah, it's brought up the topic of have you been to Darwin or haven't you? and some people said, yeah, I've been there. Then you start talking about the salties, or people who haven't been, and then they're like, oh, wow, I bet you have more stars up in Darwin. I don't think we do. Sometimes. I think it's always clouds in the sky, really, if you see a star, you're pretty lucky at times.

FMM: Obviously, the Darwin sky is a big influence for this particular song. I'd love to hear what went through your mind when you're looking up at the Darwin sky and how that inspired this piece of music.

Sara: I do love the stars. I guess I picked all the things that I love about Darwin in particular, meeting my husband and falling in love in Darwin. To make it more romantic, I guess, under Darwin Stars could have been anywhere, could be Katherine's stars, anywhere in the Territory. It's such a great place. But there's also the romance side of the Top End, the north. It's all those other beautiful things that I think is pretty unique to the rest of Australia, including the distances, the laksas, the cyclones, the salties. I mean, I know we've all got salties, but, you know, in Queensland and over in WA, but it's pretty special. I wanted to also bring in the romance of people who've travelled to Darwin and I know a few and they've come up for a holiday and then haven't left and stayed on and it's become their home. So that's another side of romance to this song.

FMM: It’s incredible to share that with other people as well. I'm a bit biased because I'm based in Darwin myself at the moment and I was meant to be here for three months and two years later, I love the place and I have no intention of moving back to Sydney. So I feel that.

Sara: There you go. This song is for you.

FMM: I love that you traveled to Tasmania to work with Matt Fell for this release. How did you know he was a perfect fit for how you envisioned this track?

Sara: I've worked with Matt, on previous three albums, not Storer, I worked with James Gillard and then prior to that was Matt fell. I first started out with Matt on my fourth album and he was just so creative and what he does like, he loves a challenge himself. I know that and he's very talented. I just thought he's the right fit for me to take this song to him and say, now this has to be a little bit different again. Matt, you know, put in 120% on this song. It's pretty. I'm just so happy with how it turned out and the way he brought the words to life throughout the song and quieting it down and then the solo is just like a galaxy of stars. That's what I sense in the song. Matt is so clever. He plays most of the instruments on the album, and apart from drums and some female harmonies, they're not his. But there is a male harmony, and that's Matt and he plays all the other instruments. A very, very talented man.

FMM: It feels like a very natural collaboration between you two, and it's come together really nicely in the final project, I feel.

Sara: Yeah, I’m looking forward to getting in the studio in June with Matt to knock off the rest of the songs.

FMM: I’m impressed that you also created the cover art for this release, so obviously you're an artist as well as a musician, so tell me more about how those two talents compliment each other, because it's incredible.

Sara: I started painting in 2017. It's something I've always wanted to do. Mind you, that's probably 2017 behind me that the kids put a handlebar where their scooter went through it, so it's no good. It's just to cover the sun, that one. But I just love it. It's another bit like songwriting. I paint a story and it's exciting now. When I write a song, I've already got some artwork. I can see it. I think, oh, I'll do a painting for that song. I'm having a lot of fun using that for my cover art and wherever I can get it in there, I'd love to soon set up a little thing on my Facebook, just directing people to my art, because that's another thing, you know, I want to see where it goes, if people are interested in buying it, so I've got to get down it. I better get into it and start doing some more paintings.

FMM: They definitely compliment each other, especially a song like this, which is about landscapes and the incredible scenery that this world has to offer, so it's good that you’re right into painting as well. They go hand in hand.

Sara: Thank you. Yeah, I've done a really big painting for Under Darwin Stars, it's called that, and I've had a lot of fun doing it. Just beautiful stars everywhere. Lots of colour. I love colour. And I guess in my own songs, that's the way I write. I've got to see it, smell it, hear it, taste it for a song to be real, because then it's easy to write if it's there. But, when I have to make something up, it's hard. I find it's really corny. My songs are stupid. Bit like painting. If I look at a canvas and I go, well, I'll just try something, it often ends up no good. You've got to have a story, you got to have something in mind. Then you're right to go.

FMM: Later this year, you're going on the Ricochet Community Recovery Tour. Tell me more about that and how you hope to connect with people in those regional areas.

Sara: Yeah, well, we've just got back from that. We've had two weeks. Only got back a few days ago. It was wonderful. Was regional, New South Wales, Murray Shire area, going to towns that never get performers because you always bypass to get to the next big town. So a lovely lady called Sandy McNaughton, who organised all this, she just picked those really little bush towns that maybe have 50 people living in them and then in the area where they'd come in and travel to the local show ground, wherever it was, it was wonderful. The people were just, I think, in need of a night off, a free concert, bring a chair and eski, sit down, listen to the music. But most importantly, which is what we wanted, was them to get together and talk, because some of these people might live beside each other, out on a property or in town and not have the chance to catch up through many reasons, but in particular, just going through a rough time, which you know of late, whether it's drought, flood, fire, COVID, whatever, mice, grasshoppers, there's always something.

FMM: Yeah, that's incredible to see, because, as you mentioned, most artists do, unfortunately pass through those areas, and those are the areas that do get most affected by isolation, floods, droughts. So, it's good to see people like yourself going out there and providing connection for these people.

Sara: Well, it's tough no matter where you are, and especially at the moment, and people can hide it in many forms. They can get very quiet and hide away, and you probably think they're alright. When you see them, they're all right, so this was just a chance to maybe get them into their vehicle, come down and just catch up and have a yarn. That could be so life changing for people just to yarn and making sure everyone's okay. Then we do the fun stuff, we play the music, and that's when you're singing a song, telling a story, you can see the connection, and people can come up afterwards and go, oh, that song was my dad. Or that song got me through a tough time as I was going around on the tractor. Whatever it is. Or that song is played at someone's funeral. Yeah, there are tracks of tragedy as well. Always try and find the good side, you know, to having a song played at a funeral. It's pretty sad all day, but then I think if my song brings a joy to that celebration. Great. Bring it on.

FMM: It’s definitely incredible to see because music brings so many people together, as you said, in incredible ways.

Sara: Thank you. That's part of the joy of songwriting. That's why it's never a chore to me, ever. Every day, I have a try at a song and if something doesn't come off, I'm not angry or upset, because it's just not meant to be. But on the days when a song sort of falls onto the paper and you pick up the guitar and the melody's there and you think, this one's all right, I think this one will make the album, you sort of get a bit of a kick in your step for the rest of the day.

FMM: You mentioned earlier that last year you had the Storer album, which is a family project. How do you balance your family project with your solo projects?

Sara: Yeah, it can be tricky, and as you know, being in Darwin is a hell of a long way away from everyone. Connecting flights and paying a million dollars for a flight, too, is always hard work. Being away from the boys can be, you know, I tend to not go for too long and two weeks is max, and I don't do that often. Things tend to go pear shaped. Your kids still need you no matter what age they are. They go through different levels. They need you for whatever reasons. I get a bit sookie, too, and a bit down the dumps. I miss arguing about cleaning their teeth in the morning. I start to wish I was there telling them off again. I don't like to be away for too long, but you just manage it. You do it because it keeps you happy. I do it even though it can cause chaos, because Dave might be really busy and we need someone to look after him here and there. You got to do it for your own self. For me, I've got to do it to be happy.

FMM: You mentioned that you're working on some more releases for an upcoming album. Can you give any insights into what themes this new album will explore or what you have planned for it?

Sara: I guess with my albums, it’s a diary of where I am and what I'm up to. If you go right back to my early stuff, you can tell I'm out bush somewhere, I'm single, I'm going to rodeos looking for a fella and all those wonderful things that you did when you were younger. As my albums go along, you can see where I fall in love, fall out love. Whether on a bit more rural theme, whether I'm back out. I did spend some time back in Aubrey and Dave and the kids on a little farm. Now we're in Darwin and we're just out on a little five acre place. So my focus now is, I guess I know I'm just looking for a story. I just listen to a lot of people now, not necessarily myself, just listening to what other people are saying as well as some songs about the boys and growing up. Just one. Not an album full of songs about my own kids. No, just all different sorts of things. There'll be, I guess I do love, you know, the bush and I always have that. Those songs will always be running through me somewhere, you know. So, no doubt some bushy rural theme songs will be on the album as well as long songs and sort of things.

FMM: It sounds incredible and I love what you do with your music in terms of drawing attention to places that people wouldn't usually travel to. It gives other people a chance to connect not only through your music, but through your artworks and your own experiences as well.

Sara: Yeah. Thanks, Brooke. It's all funny where you end up in the places you end up. Music is therapy for not only for me, but for other people. So, if I can get out there and sing it to someone and it changes their day for the better, hopefully not for the worse but for the better. That's my job done.

FMM: Well, thank you. That's all my questions. Do you have any other comments that you wanted to add or things that you want people to know about your music or your upcoming work?

Sara: Well, just again, looking forward to getting into the studio in June. We will drop a few singles prior to that and then release the album early next year for a 2025 release. But yeah, keep your ears open. There will be some more singles being dropped throughout the next few months and I look forward to getting the new music out there soon.