Having just released a meaningful acoustic EP, ‘THE WORLD WE LIVE IN’, Australian creative Kitty Beach champions a highly observant and attentive artistry, decoding the complex world around them through music and visual media. Multi-talented is the keyword here: a Queer and Neurodivergent-identifying poet, graphic designer, singer/songwriter, and guitarist, Kitty Beach may be young, but their sonic material is packed with gloomy lyricism and cathartic introspection that deeply reflects on the many flaws of our reality.
‘The World We Live In’ is the perfect example of that. Featuring four acoustic gems, the record reads as a strong statement about everything that’s wrong with society. Frustrated, but not resigned to the status quo, Kitty Beach continues fighting for what’s right, making them a bold, committed artistic figure with the potential to inspire a whole generation of listeners.
Intrigued by the EP, we caught up with Kitty Beach to learn more about their overall artistry and future goals… Interview below!
Hey Kitty Beach, thanks for chatting to us! 🙂 Let’s dive right into your latest EP, ‘THE WORLD WE LIVE IN’. I appreciate your laidback yet urgent acoustic style; it’s got a certain gloominess around it which is pretty hypnotic. Is the record representative of who you are as an artist? Are you proud of how it turned out?
I like to think ‘THE WORLD WE LIVE IN’ is balanced in optimism, realism and pessimism perspectives, kind of like how my own life is. I am proud of the EP; it communicates a lot of important thoughts and feelings that I otherwise wouldn’t be able to articulate without music. However, I’m still a perfectionist (as I imagine most artists probably are), and so there are some changes I would make if I could. But if I sat there for too long overthinking every little detail, I would never put it out. It’s the sort of mindset I’ve adapted to most of my releases: it’s now or never.
A lot of the focus was given to the lyricism; as a Queer and neurodivergent artist, you are likely to share a heightened view of the world around you. Is there an overarching theme to the EP? What should the listener take away from it?
A combination of traits make up my emotionally sensitive personality; being queer and neurodivergent are some for sure. But I love myself. I’m proud of who I am and my capacity to feel big emotions. And although the recurring theme of my latest EP is ‘negative emotions’, I really want to inspire my listeners to look beyond all the bad and to really focus on what makes their world, our world, a beautiful place.
You mention how you like to focus on the positive aspects of our world, even among a particularly belligerent and chaotic reality… I find it quite a refreshing outlook, especially because it helps us remember the part of reality we do have control over. What brings you joy on a daily basis? Is there anything in particular that motivates you to remain positive?
Music for sure, that one is obvious. A major part of my daily happiness and motivation comes from my dog. The number one thing I look forward to when I wake up is seeing her cuddled up in my bed, and the second is coming home to her. Animals are so precious and full of unconditional love and life; I aspire to be just like them in that regard.
I get the sense that Kitty Beach is primarily a project focused on poetry and meaningful writing. Am I correct in thinking that your songwriting takes a lot of input from the lyricism you are trying to convey? Could you take us into your typical songwriting sessions?
Lyrics are always the main focus of my works; it’s what I do best. I don’t really have songwriting sessions (my process is not very linear), but I often come up with words and melody ideas randomly at the same time. Inspiration can come from a recent event I’ve experienced, a sentence someone has said, a singular word that gets stuck in my head: anything really. I’ll write down/voice record those ideas and slowly add to them more over time (It could take me hours, days, weeks or even years to finish a song!).
The bio on your website mentions a degree in graphic design, which adds to the well-rounded artistic education you have enjoyed so far. Where do you see yourself in the future? Do you have a particular goal in mind? I guess my question is also about who you’d like to be ten years from now…
I’m the type of person who’s heavily focused on the present, so imagining 2036 for me is no easy task! Ideally, I’ll have further developed both my music and design careers. I’ll be touring Australia and other countries, have 5-10 albums in my discography and be creating accessible + sensory-friendly concert posters for music artists all over the world. As long as my life is full of the people and things I love, like it is right now, I’ll be happy.
Likewise, what motivated you to pursue music in the first place? Were you born into an artistic family?
Music has always been a huge part of my life since I was little. The passion is genetic from my dad’s side, in my blood and bones, as I like to say. My grandma was an established opera singer and pianist, and my dad (while being a lover of punk) did exams on the oboe, of all things, towards the end of his high school years. I think the ultimate motivation to take my singing/songwriting career seriously came from the realisation that I have meaningful stories to tell, and music is the format that works best for me to do that.
I am curious about the sort of music you listen to on a daily basis… do you have a favourite artist or band?
Even though I aspire to make music I love listening to, my regular rotation consists of mostly rock and punk music. I love so many fellow Aussie artists as I strongly believe we have some of the best music in the whole world. My favourite bands would have to be DZ Deathrays and British India.
Lastly, what’s next for Kitty Beach? Will we see you on an Australian stage soon?
Absolutely! I’ve got a handful of community event performances across my home state of Victoria during September (and I’m sure I’ll have many more to come before the year ends!). You can find all upcoming show information on my socials and website.