CREATIVE CONVERSATIONS 152: MATILDA PEARL ON WHAT TO DO IF YOU HAVE A MR COOL GUY IN YOUR LIFE

Interview by Adeline Chai.

With yet another stellar single under her belt (MR COOL GUY), Matilda Pearl’s place in the Australian music scene appears to be clearer than ever; blending a concoction of genres and influences to convey the woes and joys of love and heartbreak, Matilda is carving out her own unique path. We sat down with Matilda to chat about her favourite TV shows, growing up in a creative family, and what to do if you know a Mr Cool Guy or two.

FMM: First of all, thank you for finding time to chat with us, we really appreciate it. Congratulations on your latest single, MR COOL GUY It’s so good. How are you feeling about it?

Matilda: Thank you! Yeah, it's really exciting. I've been wanting to get this one out for a long time. It kind of marks a new era in my music for me, so it's been really exciting to get that one out.

FMM: I love that. Was there a specific event or moment that inspired the song or was it the combination of a bunch of things?

Matilda: It was from a lot of last year. I did a lot of dating, a lot of bad dating, and I think I wrote it towards the tail end of. I'd just gone on a really, really bad date a few days before this session. Lucy, one other girl that I wrote it with, we were just going back and forth, telling each other all the terrible dates we’ve been on. So, I guess I was inspired to do it after a specific date, but there was a lot of experiences that led up to it, a lot of online dating, all that fun stuff. It was really cool writing it with another female songwriter because I think we both really connected and shared a lot of stories. It was a really fun moment.

FMM: I feel you! Things are atrocious at the moment.

Matilda: It's so rough. Anytime I think it's getting better, I've got it sorted, it’s just another like, “Oh my God. This is so bad.”

FMM: Do you have any advice for anyone who’s listened to the song and realised that they have a MR COOL GUY in their lives?

Matilda: Dump him or dump her, whoever it is, get rid of them. To be honest, they're [MR COOL GUY] a very specific type of guy or girl, but for me personally, they’re those narcissistic guys that do the act so, so well, so it is kind of hard until they turn around and show themselves or whatever. But, if you've identified a cool guy in your life, just get rid of him.

FMM: That's very sound advice. Something I love about your discography is I feel like it's very empowering, especially for a woman to listen to it. How do you want people to feel when they're listening to your music?

Matilda: I think obviously there are very different kinds of music that you can listen to for different feelings. It’s really nice to put on those sad girl hour playlists. And I love that too. But I guess for me, ever since I started writing and releasing music, I really wanted to make stuff that felt empowering and inclusive. One of my favorite things to do -- it sounds like so dorky – is putting on music when I'm standing in front of a mirror in the bathroom and dancing around to it. That’s just such a good feeling. I want people to be able to put my music on and yell along to the lyrics, whether it's something to feel annoyed about or something to celebrate. I think it's so cool that you can relive a personal experience even if it's kind of a shitty experience. Being able to dance along to it and feel really included in that song in that moment – it’s always something that I aim for. I would really hope people experience that when they're listening to my music.

FMM: I also read that films and TV shows have inspired your music in the past and that’s really cool. Is there a film or show that you would really love to make a soundtrack for?

Matilda: Ooh. So randomly one of the TV series that really inspires me is an Australian series from the early 2000s, I believe, called Secret Life of Us. If they ever made a reboot of that, I would love that. It's such an underrated show. I always describe it to people who haven't seen it as, if Friends was Australian. It's so cool. It's set in -- it's got some really iconic sites that it’s set in -- around St Kilda, Brunswick and stuff. Whoever did a reboot of that, I would love to soundtrack that.

It's such a cool show. NICE TO KNOW YA is about a scene in that show. It explores a group of friends all living in flats nearby each other. It honestly just encapsulates the whole experience of dating in your early twenties and navigating friendships and relationships in such a clever way, so if they ever did a reboot of that, hit me up.

FMM: I feel like you have a lot of different sonic inspirations as well. I’m really interested in whether or not there’s a specific genre that was your first love?

Matilda: It’s really funny because I come from a musical theatre and opera background, so I actually didn't start listening to pop or contemporary music until I was a bit older. I think I was honestly 12 or 13 when I started listening to pop music. I listened to mainly just show tunes and I was a hardcore theatre kid up until that age. It was really funny because the turning point for me was -- because what I loved about musical theatre was all the costumes and it’s all just such a performance -- the Katy Perry Part Of Me documentary. I was like, this brings together everything that I love about musical theatre, but then there's the ability for me to tell my own stories as well. Then I started listening to a lot more pop music and stuff. I think Kate Miller-Heidke, funnily enough, was one of the first artists I was really into because she comes from a classical background and you're really told -- I did a lot of professional opera for a while -- that the worlds can't cross over if you come from the classical world. Pop music is the forbidden route, you can't go there. But Kate Miller-Heidke, she was the first Australian artist that showed me that you can do both. Then, I just kept listening to more and more music over the years. Katy Perry and Kate Miller-Heidke were probably in my early years, two of the big ones.

FMM: That’s amazing. Your mum is also a creative herself right? I saw that she’s a painter and I always see her in your comments being really supportive. 

Matilda: She's so funny. On my TikTok, she’s hilarious. Especially my videos, if they ever get…I had this one video that just went, I don't know why it went to this algorithm, but it went to all these dudes who were like, “She just uses misandry to promote her music.” It was so funny because I swear my mum took it upon herself to singlehandedly take down every hater in the comments section. My friends were like, “Who is this person?” [laughs]. I was like, “That’s my mum!”

FMM: That’s so funny [laughs]. We love the commitment. Have you learnt anything from her advice or just growing up being around her while she makes art?

Matilda: I grew up in her art studio and she's always helped me with making my costumes and a lot of the art for my project. I think she’s taught me a lot. I definitely think always surrounding yourself with things, people, and experiences that inspire you is really great. We’ve always been very open with one another in terms of what we talk about as a family. I think that really helps so much as a songwriter. One of the biggest challenges I had when I was starting out was a lot of the time, you go into a songwriting session, you've never met this person, they're at least 10 years older than you, but you have to sit down and basically tell them about what's going on in your life to write a song. My mum instilled in me that it's really important to be open and honest, and how that just creates such good art when you're able to be vulnerable in that sense especially when it comes to writing.

We always have great chats about how I'm going to write a song about this dude and that was the cool guy. Just having those chats and stuff, I think it makes my job as a writer and a creative person a lot easier.

FMM: I know you mentioned previously that co-writing with other people in the studio was a growth curve for you. How do you navigate that process now? Do you think it looks any different?

Matilda: When I first started out, I had done all my writing by myself basically in my room. Obviously, that’s so great. I still think as a writer and a creative, you always need to have that independent creative time, but I think when I first started doing sessions, it was really daunting. I think it is one of the scarier things you can do going into a room with people you don't know, telling them about an experience and then suggesting, “Oh, do you like this? And do you like that?” I've definitely gotten used to that and settled into the fact that, I mean, it's so unlikely you're going to be in a room with someone who's going to be like, “I hate that idea. That sucks.” We’re all here, trying to support each other, throw ideas out, and see what sticks.

I really love co-writing now. I think it's definitely my preference and there’s a few people that I tend to lean towards working with more and more. I think it's such a cool thing, being able to, at the start of the day, have an idea of a song that you like or something you want to write about, and then by the end of the day, by bouncing back and forth, you help one another through when one person gets a block. I think that's such a cool process, to be able to get to the end of the day and have this song that you didn't initially have at the start. I think that is definitely unique to co-writing.

Writing by yourself, a lot of the time, you can get in your head and be like, “Nah, I hate this idea. I'm binning it.” When actually, if you develop it a little bit more -- and one of the best things I learned early on in sessions -- I had someone be like, “A lot of the time, the first idea you have is the best idea.” Of course you're going to doubt it and I feel there is obviously still benefit in revising [the idea] and stuff but that initial concept you have is usually the thing that ends up sticking.

FMM: I love watching your TikToks and Instagram reels. There was this one video that resonated with me, where you were trying to set up a backdrop in your garage and you said you wish someone could do it for you. Has there been any challenges about being an artist that would surprise people?

Matilda: [laughs] I think something that I've realised over the last few years is that it's so much more than just the music. Obviously, the focus should be writing and creating stuff that you're passionate about and telling stories are so important, but it can be quite overwhelming how much is expected of you as an artist with content creation. Artists are now basically expected to be a full-time content creator as well. I think if you can make that fun, that’s great, but it can be really hard to navigate. I've definitely become really conscious over the last year of how important it is as an artist to really focus on prioritising your mental health. I think it can be quite challenging.

There’s a great artist called Suzi who did a video a few days ago where she was talking about how hard it is to tour as an independent artist and look after yourself at the same time with obviously the cost of those things and just how much is expected of you with touring, creating videos, and stuff, especially in Australia and the Australian industry, so I think focusing on creating a really good network of people around you who are either in the industry or just great friends -- I think that is something that really should be a priority as an artist. I'm really lucky that I get to play with my band who are like my best mates. I think for me, they really keep me in check and I keep them in check, so I think it's really important to prioritise yourself and keep a network around you.

Also, talking to other artists is so important. The amount of times I've had a chat with an artist who I've been like -- it's so easy to look at someone else and be like, “Oh my God, they've got it all like sorted out. It looks like they're doing this so easily.” And then you chat to them and they're like, “Oh my God, it's so stressful how you have to be posting on TikTok most days and doing this and doing that.” So, I think really communicating with other artists and people in the industry around you and realising that it is a pretty hard industry. It's also expensive. Most artists work two to three jobs to fund their passion, so I think just being aware that it is constantly a balancing act and there'll be lots of ups and downs but if you have a good network around you, it is so worth it. It's such a fun and exciting industry to be in.

FMM: Do you have any standout moments from playing shows or hearing from fans that are really special to you?

Matilda: I've been doing this for a while but I think in the last year, I've started seeing people who…I just, yeah, it always shocks me when I am chatting to someone online who very passionately is like -- I am doing a show next week and someone's traveling 15 hours to come and see it. I was like, “That's so nice but that's insane to me that you're doing that.” That’s so lovely. That was definitely the first time I was starting to get messages from people who were traveling to come and see my gigs, which is such a cool experience, especially with this headline show I have in a week's time.

I did a show where I supported Chloe Dadd and that whole fan base around Chloe Dadd, MAY-A and Peach PRC is such an incredible group of people. It can be hard being in the Australian music industry. There’s obviously some amazing international artists and it's sick being able to support them, but I think this fan group especially, they’re really holding up the Aussie industry in terms of they're just such dedicated people. They just love music and that's so cool, seeing people who just really love local, Australian music.

I think there's a lot of negative stuff going around, which is obviously unfortunate with festivals and stuff being cancelled, but doing this gig and seeing that group of people was really cool for me. It instilled the sense that there are people in Australia specifically who just love music and are keen to support local acts. That was so cool. They came out early to see us support. That was the first time I'd experienced that kind of crowd. They were handing us bracelets and we drew a tattoo for someone at the end of the set and I was just like, “Are you sure?” It's crazy. So yeah, that whole group of people and there is a bit of a crossover there between Chloe Dadd, MAY-A, and Peach, that's a really awesome group of people. I really enjoyed that gig and getting to know them as they've been coming to my gigs and supporting me after that show that we got to do.

FMM: That’s amazing. Is there an Australian artist that you would like to collaborate with, speaking of local music?

Matilda: Yes. Oh, my god, there's so many. I've always wanted to collaborate with Cosmo’s Midnight. I really, really love them. They just always choose such cool features. That goes back to my disco roots. Yep. I’ve always, always wanted to collab with them. One day I'd love to collab with G Flip. I love G Flip. I think everything about them is so cool. They’re honestly just also the nicest person ever. I got to do a gig with them a while ago now at a festival, but I met them really randomly. I did a halftime game show at the basketball and we met each other really briefly. Then, a full year later, I was backstage and they came over and were like, “Oh, Matilda.” They also remembered my mum and the band. I was like, that's so nice because you meet so many people. Yeah, there's a lot but those are probably two of the main ones.

Addy: My last question is, do you have anything else to add?

Matilda: Just with MR COOL GUY, in terms of like, if people are listening to it, I think dating can be… I had someone describe it as an absolute bin fire. I think that's such a good description so I hope people can just relate to the song in that kind of sense. I’ve had a bit of a break this year with releasing music but I'm really excited to have heaps recorded and get into a bit of a new era. So, yeah, I'm just really excited!