Amy Shark is entering her pop girl era, and she’s taking us all along for the ride. After becoming a household name in Australia with her 2016 hit, “Adore,” she has continued to progress as an artist and songwriter. Collaborating on her many albums with iconic artists including Keith Urban, Mark Hoppus, and Travis Barker, Amy has secured her position in pop music.
Continuing to explore and develop her sound, Amy Shark is entering a new era with her latest track “Only Wanna Be With You.” This new sound has been deemed “turbo pop” by Amy herself; a label that’s just as unique as the sound. The pop influences are just as present as the pop punk influences, creating the perfect blend.
In the midst of this busy time for her, I was able to chat with Amy via Zoom to hear all about this new turbo pop era.
Brigid: Thank you for taking the time to hop on here, I really appreciate it. To start off, congratulations on your latest single release! How are you feeling about everything?
Amy: I’m excited! I haven’t had a song with this high energy… I’ve been calling it “turbo pop.” I haven’t played it live yet, which is nuts. I can’t wait to play it live. A lot of my songs are quite deep, and even the songs that go off are about very intense times in my life. This one, though it’s still kind of melancholy, has got more of a fun vibe to it. The response has been great, I feel like I needed to come out with something a little different. I’m always going to be me, my storytelling will always be in my writing, but this new era is very unapologetic. I’m entertaining the idea of trying new things and new production.
Brigid: Totally. I was going to ask about this new era, as this song signifies the start of it. How does this new era of artistry compare to the other eras?
Amy: I think sonically, maybe. I’ve always written about myself, I call myself a selfish writer. It always has to be about something I’ve experienced or been through. It’s always going to be like that, I’m never going to start writing about weird characters or anything. It’s always going to be a story that happened to me, personally. I think I’ve been really leaning into a lot of pop punk stuff lately, but that’s just who I am. That’s how I learned to write pop music, was listening to pop punk bands. It’s been fun playing around with electric guitars. I don’t know if it’s all going to be like that, but it’s definitely fun. I love high energy onstage, so it’s cool to have those in the setlist.
Brigid: It’s totally fun to have something upbeat, especially when performing live. Who are some of your favorite pop punk bands?
Amy: Well, there’s quite a few! Blink [182], obviously, New Found Glory, Taking Back Sunday… So many of those emo movement bands. That was the height of my… you know, when you’re a tortured teenager. All of the songs came out, and I was like, “yes, that’s how I feel!”
Brigid: Oh, for sure. So with the new single, can you tell me a bit about the creative process and how it all came together?
Amy: It was great! Usually I spend quite a few months… I don’t set the time, I just end up doing it. Like after the first record, I started writing more songs, I never really stop writing songs. But after quite some time of me sitting there, in my room, writing from scratch on guitar, it’s really nice to go to LA and get in a bunch of rooms where I can make other people do the work, you know? [Laughs] I can say, “what have you got?”, you know, chords wise. I always write the song, every song I’ve ever released, all the lyrics are by me, except the one I wrote with Ed Sheeran. That one was very back & forth. Anyways, it was great. Grant Averill and Joe London were working on the music, the guitar chords and the beat. When I have that, I can tap into a different part of my writing brain, I don’t have to sit there with a guitar. I come out with different melodies, and it’s exciting. That was a really great day, that song was all ready to go after that session. It was like an hour, I think, that we had the song sounding in pretty good shape. When that happens, I know it’s an effortless, special song. That chorus was undeniable from the second it started.
Brigid: That’s really awesome, when it all comes together like that. I wanted to also ask you about the accompanying music video, I love all the red visuals. Can you tell me a bit about it?
Amy: I’m not gonna lie, I’ve been a bit lazy… music videos were my thing. I used to edit them, direct them, pay for the whole thing… for 15 years, all by myself. As soon as I got signed, there was a budget, and people that can help. I’ve leaned into that a little bit, since I’ve been so busy. For this one… the song’s already turbo pop, so I needed the balance. I wanted a cool, Dracula disco vibe. Grey Ghost, who directed it and did all the visuals, really crushed it, because like, when I say “Dracula disco” it’s like, what the fuck do you mean? With the red visuals, the blonde wig, and all the silver… it’s exactly what I thought in my brain.
Brigid: I feel like Dracula disco really came through in that video, that was definitely the vibe. So you recently were on tour from the spring into the summer, what was it like being back on the road?
Amy: It was awesome! I had been away from the guys and the whole team for so long, and then we went straight into a 60 day tour. The band got pretty tight pretty quickly. I don’t know if you’ve ever been to Australia, but there’s a lot of land. It’s a big country, but it’s quite barren, and there were a lot of long drives. I’ve lived here my whole life, but I’d never even heard of some of these towns. Going and playing these small towns was a lot of fun, because I don’t think they’d seen production on a stage like that before. It was really cool.
Brigid: Totally, that’s sick. I also saw that you’re going to be a judge on this upcoming season of Australian Idol, which is so exciting! What are you most excited for, when it comes to that experience?
Amy: Yeah, thank you! It’s pretty big for me, it’s definitely not something that I thought I was going to get offered, I feel like I’ve been here for two seconds. It’s a huge role, such an iconic brand. Television is a whole new game. And you know, you’re sort of destroying people’s dreams…
Brigid: But fulfilling dreams, too! It’s a double edged sword, being a judge.
Amy: It’s a balance, yeah. I’m really enjoying it, though. We’ve had all of the auditions, they’re all done. We’ve got a great group of artists, it’s such a different group. I’m excited for next year, for everyone to see it and see these artists grow into massive pop stars. It’ll be really cool to watch.
Brigid: Yeah, that’ll be awesome to see. Are you continuing to work on new music throughout this process, or taking a step back?
Amy: No way! Me & time off aren’t friends. If I’m not doing something, I’m doing something else. It’s a good balance, I think. I love doing the television thing, but it’s a very glossy part of entertainment. When I get in the studio, I feel like I can really create, and be my usual alternative self. I’m doing two things that I enjoy, though, so it’s nice.
Brigid: It’s cool that everything you’re doing right now is something you genuinely enjoy doing.
Amy: Yeah, it’s kind of cool, because when music is just your life and all you do is write songs… I feel like I’ve got another job now. Back when I worked 9-5 at a day job, I would really look forward to the times I’d have the house to myself and could write songs. I feel like now, I have that back when I’m filming Idol. I go to work, and can come home and play music for fun. It’s the best of both worlds.
Listen to “Only Wanna Be With You” here!
