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MELBOURNE MUSO ALEX LAHEY.
As told to Sophie Kalagas
SHE BELIEVES IN HUMAN CONNECTION I feel extremely humbled
when people tell me my lyrics are relatable, and have helpedthem
through tough times. But funnily enough, I find people createtheir
own meaning from my songs, which then helps them get through.
I think that speaks to our ability to find ourselves in other people’s
experiences and be able to empathise in different ways, whichis
one of the best parts about being human and compassionate.
SHE’S INSPIRED BY DIVE BARS IN TENNESSEE I love the not-
secret secret-society nature of dive bars in Nashville. There’s
always an open-door policy at these places, but you have tofind
the door. It makes it a treasure hunt of sorts when you’re bar-
hopping around town. When you do eventually find what you’re
looking for, you’re generally met with a mish-mash of clientele
and a total lack of judgment. I feel that’s the way the worldis
supposed to look – a melting pot of people, places and stories.
SHE’S FOUND HERSELF IN UNEXPECTED PLACES The biggest
‘pinch myself’ moment was playing on Seth Meyers’ show.I’ma
bigTinaFeyandSethMeyersfan,andthefilmingtookplaceatthe
RockefellerCenterwhere 30 RockisbasedandalltheSaturday
NightLiverecordingshappen.Mybrotherandbestfriendwere
bothinNewYorkatthetimeandcametothefilming.Itwasa
hugemomentofimpostorsyndromeandfeltlikesomeonewas
playingajokeonme.SHE’SINTOMORETHANJUSTMUSICThemoreItour,themore
Ilovecooking–Ithinkithasalottodowithnotbeingabletocook
whileontheroad.Ilovetoreadandlearnaboutthingsthathave
nothingtodowithmusic.Ialsoreallyidentifywithmydrummer
Jesswhenshesays,“I’drathersitinthesamechairanddrink 20
beersoverthecourseofadaythangotoaclubfortwohours.”SHE’SALLABOUTHERFAMILYMygrandfatherwasmychildhood
hero.Hewasmymother’sstepfather,andtheonlygrandfatherI
everknew.HemigratedtoMelbournefromCairoandwasaleader
inhiscommunityofGreek-EgyptianmigrantslivinginMelbourne.
Myrelationshipwithhimtaughtmethatfamilycanbechosen,and
attimeschoosesyou.InamedmymusiclabelNickyBoyRecords
afterhim.SHE’SINDEPENDENTANDATEAMPLAYER,TOOByreleasing
mydebutalbumthroughmyownrecordlabel,Ilearntthevalueof
independenceandownership.Butalso,howimportantitistohave
ateamthatsupportsyourvision,valuesandambitions.Teamwork
issuper-importantinthisindustry,andeveryoneshouldbevalued
andallowedtoachieve.SHE’SADOLLYPARTONDEVOTEEItgoeswithoutsaying
thatDollyPartonhasbeenpartofsomeofthegreatestsongs
everwritten,whichisenoughofareasontoheraldherasan
inspirationifyou’reintosongwriting.ButwhatIloveaboutDolly
isthatshereallyvaluestheimportanceofhavingfun;Ithinkthat’s
abigpartofwhyshe’shadsuchalongandsuccessfulcareer.
Shepreachesauthenticitywhilenottakingyourselftooseriously,
whichgivesyouthefreedomtoachievebiggerthingsandmake
adifference.PhotoKane Hibberdmusic talks