After winning the Grant McLennan Fellowship last year, Aussie rocker Jack Bratt has just released his latest single: Spades. A song about self-reflection of one’s tendency to overthink and overanalyse everything in life.
Jack took some time to talk to Embrace Brisbane about his creative process and what he is up to these days given the current climate.
When you started in the music industry at 18, you toured around Australia and internationally. What was it like being catapulted to the scene at such a young age?
It was very exciting, but it was also pretty overwhelming. I played at the Roxy in LA when I was 18 years old, I technically shouldn’t have been allowed into the venue. I enjoyed it but I was also very naive, I didn’t know a lot about the industry and how it worked, so it was very much a learn on the job type of scenario. I had to grow up pretty quickly.
Has there been significant change on your creative process from when you were starting and up to this point of your career?
I used to just wait for song ideas to come to me, but now I try to actually dedicate time to writing. I have more patience now that I’m older to see an idea through to its completion. Nick Cave treats writing very much like a job and has office hours, I think that’s a little extreme and can maybe damage the work in the long run, but to focus a little more and work through it is absolutely more a part of my process now days.
When was the inspiration for your latest release, “Spades” occurred to you? P.S. My fave lyrics would be this love may be a little cold to burn. It should be printed on a shirt or something.
Thank you so much for the kind words about that lyric, I’m glad you like it.
The inspiration came about a year ago. I was doing a lot of thinking about music and my life and my place in it. I was thinking about what I wanted to leave behind when I’m not around anymore. I want to be remembered as a songwriter, as a musician, but I’d run out of steam after the breakup of my last project. I was just taking stock of where I was and where I wanted to be, and the song is the culmination of that thought process.
Where were you when you learned you are the recipient of the 2019 GRANT MCLENNAN FELLOWSHIP? And what was your initial reaction?
I didn’t find out until the night I was given the award. I was just in total shock. The other finalists are amazing talents so to be nominated alongside them was a massive achievement. A lot of my friends and my parents and my fiancé were there at the awards ceremony so that was a very special moment to be able to share it with them.
With the current climate, and travel bans around COVID-19, how are you spending your days?
Life is pretty basic, but I’m enjoying a bit of peace and quiet. I walk my neighbour’s dog for her once a day, and other than that I just potter around the house, listen to music, do some writing, water the plants.
