CREATIVE CONVERSATIONS 110: LITTLE GREEN ON HER EXISTENTIAL INNER-CHILD ALBUM
Interview by Brooke Gibbs.
After two EPs and a few singles under her belt, Sydney-based singer-songwriter Little Green is set for a successful debut album, little star, released tomorrow.
little star takes listeners on a spiritual journey through the nomadic songwriter’s inquisitive mind and unique perspective on the world. Futuremag Music’s Brooke Gibbs caught up with Little Green to dive into the deeper meaning behind this album.
FMM: I’m so excited for you that your debut album is set for release tomorrow! That’s really exciting! How are you feeling leading up to the release?
Little Green: Ready to share the existential inner-child album.
FMM: I feel like it’s been a long-time coming as you have your EP, and you’ve had a few singles come out since then. So, I feel like now’s the perfect time for you to do this album.
Little Green: Yeah, it’s a bit scary because sharing part of you is always like that but, I’m feeling excited, ready, scared, all the feelings.
FMM: You mentioned sharing part of yourself and I guess that’s what music is all about. How does it feel knowing people can listen to your music and may catch little glimpses of who you are, and maybe some personal things too?
Little Green: (laughs). Yeah, it feels a bit weird, but I also know that how people listen and interpret my music is really a reflection of themselves more than a reflection of me. Well, that’s what I believe anyway. I think what we hold on the inside, we see on the outside. I guess if I think of people listening to my music as if they’re listening to my diary, that's a little scary, but I like sharing because I feel like it creates those deeper connections.
FMM: I totally get that! Music is all about having that connection and for those who may not have the skills to turn their feelings into music, they can feel they can relate to the people that do have those skills.
Little Green: True! I feel like that’s the greatest gift to give someone; that feeling when someone can put into words a feeling you haven’t been able to explain. That’s a really beautiful gift to give someone.
FMM: Definitely. I see you have some big celebrations planned for the release date with a launch party at the Oxford Art Factory! What can people expect from the launch?
Little Green: Lots of good music! Murphi Field and Mishayla are opening and I love their songs. It’s going to be really fun, intimate, connected. Hopefully it will just feel like bringing people together like a fun party with some deep existentialism too (laughs).
FMM! Sounds fun! And I guess that ties into my next question where I was going to ask what makes these great artists the perfect fit for your celebration, but it sounds like these are people you have connected with before and have similar values to?
Little Green: Totally! I feel like we’re all on the same wavelength. I feel really empowered by Murphi Field’s music and Mishayla gives me an Aurora meets Olivia Rodrigo vibe which I love!
FMM: For this album, I understand you chose all the galaxy-themed songs from your Little Green song-a-day challenge and collated them into this beautiful collection. What’s the inspiration behind the galaxy theme?
Little Green: I think the inner-child concept really inspired the galaxy theme because… well, this is just a little story I tell myself, but we start as stardust, then have little earth missions, and then go back into the stardust. So, that really inspired it. Also, I guess the music I’ve been absorbing over the last few years, playing in a Pink Floyd cover band with songs from Dark Side of the Moon, so I think that really inspired this galaxy theme as well.
FMM: I love that! It sounds like those that listen to this album will go on a bit of a spiritual journey with you.
Little Green: Yeah, totally. It’s a spiritual journey. I love that.
FMM: Speaking of your song-a-day challenge, that was really cool. I was following along on Instagram and watching people comment a word or phrase and you would turn it into a song. How do you go about finding inspiration on a daily basis to do something like that?
Little Green: Yeah, I think it’s one of those things where once you open it up, it’s actually hard to close. Everything is inspiration and it actually got really overwhelming because I thought, ‘Oh, everything could be a song,’ and ‘how do I choose which one?’ They all deserve to be born. I guess it’s just opening up to that channel and then everything becomes inspiration.
FMM: I guess it helped that some of them connected well together. Lost in Limbo, which features on the album, was made up of comments that were submitted, I believe?
Little Green: Yes! Actually, the other thing that was really inspiring was connecting with people and their stories. I really wanted to give a song to everyone. So, this one was just a bunch of mismatched topics and words that were sent to me from everyone on Instagram. That created the first verse and then that inspired the chorus that became Lost in Limbo. The second verse, I was just continuing the story. It was really fun to make and I’d love to do it again.
FMM: If I had to choose a favourite from the album, I think it would have to be Dinner with the Moon. I would love to know what the inspiration behind this one is?
Little Green: Ah! Cool! I remember someone on Instagram requested a song about missing someone and I was sitting at the beach. I was literally having dinner with the moon and thinking about this song topic that someone requested. To me, it’s about how funny and weird it is that we can be so close to someone and then never talk to them again. It can be about any kind of relationship really. It’s part of your life and then it’s over. It’s such a weird thing that humans do.
FMM: The world is fascinating like that (laughs). So, that’s my personal favourite from the album. Do you have one?
Little Green: It changes, but I think I Know a Man and Pluto Boy are my favourites right now.
FMM: So what do you hope people take away when they listen to the album?
Little Green: I was actually journaling about this, this morning. By making ‘little star’, I reconnected with my inner child and healed her in a way. I hope it can give other people that same healing experience, but also, whatever people get from the album is divine, magical and beautiful. I don't want to take away someone’s experience by saying what I want them to feel.
FMM: Thanks for sharing! That’s a beautiful message to take away. You may have seen that I did a callout on Instagram and allowed fans to submit some questions for you. Someone reached out and said they loved your cover of Missy Higgins’ Scar and wanted to know what inspired you to cover that particular song?
Little Green: Oh, I’m so glad someone asked that (laughs). The other day I was playing a gig and this table of people requested Scar and I kinda knew it, but had to listen on my phone to get the chords and then they sang along with me. It was so fun. It was one of those moments that stuck and I was like ‘that was a vibe. I'm going to learn this song properly and post it for them.’
FMM: It looks like you play quite a lot of instruments! What do you actually play?
Little Green: Ha! I play flute, guitar, sax, bass, double bass, drums, piano, sing… and the shakers and the ukulele (laughs) just kidding.
FMM: And the triangle, obviously!
Little Green: Yeah, the triangle and the kazoo (laughs). I can whistle. I think any instrument that I spend some time with, I can form a connection with.
FMM: Where do you find the time for all this?
Little Green: I don’t know. As a kid, we had a lot of instruments, and you have a lot of time as a kid. I love learning instruments.
FMM: It seems like it comes naturally to you, and this new album features those different instrumental sounds so well.
Little Green: Yeah, a little bit natural, and a little bit hard work. It hurt my brain so much when I was younger. Some things seem so impossible, but the next day you can wake up and you can do the thing that you were trying to do.
FMM: I feel like the instruments flow so beautifully with your lyrics to create the final project! It’s the type of music you could use as background music, but also makes me want to dance through a fairy garden! So what draws you to that kind of music that you put out there?
Little Green: The music I grew up listening to inspires what I make a lot. This album is heavily influenced by Joni Mitchell. I was listening to her entire catalogue when I started writing this album. The Beatles also inspired a lot of the writing and live studio performance recording style. The bridge in Pluto Boy was a bit inspired by Dark Side of the Moon with the chord changes. And then the music I have gotten into more recently like Aurora, Taylor Swift, Phoebe Bridgers…
FMM: I’m assuming Joni Mitchell is where the Little Green stage name came from?
Little Green: Yes. It’s one of my favourite songs off the Blue album. I remember sitting in the kitchen with my mum and thinking about what to call myself and we both came up with the idea for Little Green to be an artist name. My mum played her CDs a lot and it formed a lot of the soundtrack to mine and my sister’s childhood. It felt right, Little Green.
FMM: I think it really suits your vibe and the sound you put out there! I feel like the name also links in with a lot of the spiritual songs you release.
Little Green: That's so cool you say that. Sometimes I feel like Little Green is my spirit and then Amy is my human and they work together.
FMM: It’s the Hannah Montana double life, really! During the day, you’re Amy, and then you go on stage and you become Little Green.
Little Green: Totally (laughs).
FMM: You said this album is the first layer of your Little Green greenhouse and with the song-a-day challenge, you would have built a large catalogue of music. So, what's next for you after this album?
Little Green: Yeah so, I categorised all the song-a-day songs into three concept album ideas. ‘little star’ is very much a ‘back to my roots’ foundation layer and felt important to make before I explore and mature and continue to build as an artist and human. I’ve been writing and recording a lot of new stuff too which I am super excited about. I’m not in a rush to make the concept albums so I’m thinking the next release might be something to do with aliens.
FMM: I love that, and for anyone who is coming across your music for the first time, do you mind sharing a bit about you and why you do what you do?
Little Green: Yeah, okay! My parents are musicians so music has always been our way of life. When I left school I started thinking about the meaning of life and decided my dream was to share a childlike appreciation of the world around me through music. My friend and I always joke that we are aliens here on an Earth mission. Being here is pretty crazy, so music and songwriting is the way I like to process, document and share my little human experience.
FMM: I feel like music was definitely your calling.
Little Green: Yes, it does feel like a calling.
FMM: Was there anything else you wanted to add?
Little Green: One fun fact! Someone sent me this news article about a rare green comet that's passing earth just before the album comes out. Let’s go look at the shooting star together!
FMM: Oh, wow! It’s meant to be!
