gETTING To Know: Merryn Jeann
Your single "ME B4 U" is described as a playful alternative pop song born from the complexities of navigating romance. Can you share the inspiration behind the song and the narrative it weaves, especially considering the teenage self-discovery depicted in the video?
This song came out of a thing i was having with a dude a few years back. The dynamic made me think of how you feel as a teenager when at some point the romance buzz kicks in and you’re not quite sure what to do with it. I think throughout life dating people u begin to learn bit by bit ways to have a healthier relationship in one way or another. So this song was just a reflection on that, from me as an older me with more perspective and experience but I wrote it for teenagers as well as my friends, as a fun and silly song to remember those innocent moments but also to feel like ‘woo we r on our way!’
As a multidimensional artist exploring both visual and sonic arts, how do you approach integrating visual elements into your music, as seen in the self-directed video for "ME B4 U"? How do these visual components enhance the overall storytelling of your songs?
This song came out of a thing i was having with a dude a few years back. The dynamic made me think of how you feel as a teenager when at some point the romance buzz kicks in and you’re not quite sure what to do with it. I think throughout life dating people u begin to learn bit by bit ways to have a healthier relationship in one way or another. So this song was just a reflection on that, from me as an older me with more perspective and experience but I wrote it for teenagers as well as my friends, as a fun and silly song to remember those innocent moments but also to feel like ‘woo we r on our way!’
Your upcoming album, "DOG BEACH," follows the release of the unique single "NUN AT THE AIRPORT." Can you elaborate on your collaboration with producer Rob Ellis and how this collaboration contributed to the distinctive sound of these tracks? How does the creative process unfold when working on a full-length album?
Rob and I began talking a few months before we were in the studio. I sent him all of the demos I was considering and he picked out the ones he believed had the most oomph to them. We were a bit back and forth between but once we were in the studio the idea was just to play around and find things together. My approach to recording needs play and collaboration. Even though we were in the studio making my album, as a solo artist, I believe it's important for everyone involved to feel they have a creative voice as well so that it’s fulfilling in that way for the musicians and artists too. I’m not very good at directing with chords, structures, or more specific things. I like to describe what I'm imagining, let it unfold based on everyone’s interpretations and guide it from there. We used a lot of demo recordings or aspects of the demos produced songs which I didn’t think we’d do but in hindsight realise how important it was to do so! Nun at the Airport was a hard one for me to put together so I just described what I was imagining in terms of A B C then Rob stayed up late in his bed kind of hashing out an idea, came into the studio the next morning and I was like wtf yes incredible… I was very excited.
Having lived in Paris for many years and recently returning to Australia, how has this change in environment influenced your artistic evolution, especially considering your focus on visual arts in Melbourne? How does the local culture inspire your music-making process?
I begun to see how much French culture and aesthetic had sunk into me when I was at art school - all the images I was pulling out of books and the artists I was engaging with were predominantly french and some of the work i was making reminded fellow students and teachers of french artists too and i was like 'oooooh yeah duh you moved there for a reason and being there really fulfilled u as an artist.'I was obsessed with Paris, always enchanted and by the 7th year of being there the enchantment wore off and the enchantment of the Gum trees native to ‘Australia’ took its place. I’m not sure how being back in Australia has influenced me yet, it’s too soon to tell but i reckon it'll be something about the wildy cool flora and fauna and the experience of being on a land that has been connected to, cared for and lived on by First Nations people for over 65000 years.
5. Your sound has been described as sitting somewhere between Caroline Polachek, Cat Power, Weyes Blood, Feist, and Kelsey Lu, and it defies categorization. How do you navigate the challenge of creating music that is diverse, impressive, and effortlessly unique, yet still resonates with listeners?
No navigation needed, u just make the art u make and that’s that. Most people end up gravitating towards things that feel real. So the job of an artist is just to stay honest and remember why you’re doing what you’re doing.
DOG BEACH is a wrapping up of all music I like to make into one body of work. These artists you’ve mentioned are artists I respect not only for their music but for the bold and honest artistry they share via the music. In a lot of ways I'm not sure I'm akin to them musically but I see myself in them as artists and performers.They don’t seem like they’re stuck, they just seem to roll with what they want to roll with as it comes, i feel akin to this.
6. "NUN AT THE AIRPORT" was inspired by a surreal moment during the pandemic. How has the global situation influenced your approach to creating music, and do you find that your sound has evolved in response to the unique challenges presented over the past couple of years?
This song was specific to my lived experience but due to my privilege I don’t experience so many huge things first hand that sit me down and ask for an album in order to process what's happened.. I think that’s why so much of the lyrical content in my music is self reflective or observant or just a bit silly. I definitely feel more politically knowledgeable and am learning a lot at the moment and I wonder how that will bleed into my songwriting. There’s a lot of storytelling in this album, about movies, about astrology, about love and nuns and spirits. It’s a mixed bag and maybe that's reflective of the years I wrote the songs but I can't tell because it’s all pretty random.
7. With a background in Fine Arts and a return to music as your primary focus, how does your visual arts education shape your perspective on music making and performance? In what ways does your visual arts background contribute to the experimental and reflective aspects of your music, as seen in your self-directed videos under the alias MAAMDAAM?
I like to think of all practices as tools. I don’t think of myself as a visual artist or musician, I just picked music first and went with it and it’s the easiest for me but it’s just like a colour as is painting, that’s another colour and video editing is another colour again. In the art world they’d call me ‘multi disciplinary’ which is just a term used to not be boxed in by the people receiving your art. As I mentioned earlier, having video and music as my main tools reveals to me, from different angles, the way I'm experiencing my life. It is very precious to have the two, I am very grateful.
