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Sarah Blasko.
 Australian
singer songwriter Sarah Blasko got her big break a few years
ago on the Oz music scene with the single Your Way. She originally
fell in to making music simply by accident then endeavoured
to put out an independent EP which was re-released after she
signed with her current label Dew Process. After some time in
the spotlight she retreated to plan, write and record her album
'The Overture And The Underscore.' I caught up with her when
she was taking some much needed downtime in Sydney.
From the beginnng of Blasko's career sights were always set firmly on releasing something more than just an EP. "It's one of those things that when you start it's always in the back of your head that your aiming towards. I always wanted to put out a full length album so some of the songs are quite old, but the majority of it was written last year."
The basis of the sound on the album is melodic and almost haunting. "My whole approach to music has never been a conscious choice. When I'm writing it all comes pretty naturally and is a fairly organic process," she explains. "The production of the music is a result of more deliberate choices, but not in terms of my own writing style. In terms of the overall sound of the album I had some pretty specific ideas. I wanted it to sit well with more live sounds and beats."
Taking this in to consideration Blasko made the descion to have as much input in to the album as possible taking on the production, as well as playing the majority of the instruments. The final sound has resulted in an album that sounds very layered musically and ultimatly has a lot of depth to it. The choice was made to record it in LA rather than staying in the shores of her homeland. "I found myself doing exactly what I find frustrating in others: recording overseas," she chuckles. "I guess when it comes down to it though you have to go with the people who are going to give you the best result on the album. we certainly could have done that locally but I was presented with a really good opportunit yto work overseas. It was exciting to work somewhere different and get a fresh perspective on things."
The single Don't You Ever has been getting much airplay however 'The Overture And The Underscore' is such a strong album that most any song could have been chosen as the first release. "It probably wouldn't have been the first song I would have chosen to put out to begin with," she admits. "For a first single, though, you want it to be something that isn't going to alienate too many people and that one isn't too out there or too left of field."
As a writer it is only natural to draw inspiration directly from personal experience however, at first, it can be difficult to recognise exactly what Blasko is singing about. "I think often the songs that I write are about a number of things. They could be related to relationships or more to philisophical questions or life. Sometimes you're just going about your daily life and you have questions and thoughts about what things mean or why things are the way the are. My songs stem more from those sort of things.
"I think I can be a person who can over-think things and so when it comes to writing, I've got all these things that I've been mulling over that are on the tip of my tongue. Often they're about different things simultaneously. I like the idea that there is a little bit of mystery when you're listening to something and that it can mean different things to different people. It's important for people to feel something and gain a sense of character" she enthuses. "Quite often I buy records because I'm trying to gain a sense of understanding and I'm trying to find a way to relate to what I'm listerning to. I think that's really important with a first album particularly because you want to be able to connect with people in a personal way. You want to reveal something of yourself but then at the same time leave enough mystery that people want to know more."
Kelly Parish
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'The Overture And The Underscore' is out now through Dew Process/UMG.
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