Segers

Perth has been churning out some real talent of late and Segers is another you can add to the list. Having grown up in Perth, studied music in Sydney before moving back to her hometown she’s now ready to release her new music. New single Sip Your Scotch was produced by Cam Bluff (Amy Shark, All Day) and its a song with “just simple hooks layered so as to rise and fall with Segers’ effortlessly beautiful voice.”

Segers had a chat with the HI Fi Way about the new single and what it was like to work with Cam Bluff.

Your new single is Sip Your Scotch. What is the meaning behind the song?
It’s a song I wrote a little while ago and its about relationships that you have that you know aren’t great for you but you pursue them anyway. Its not about one person specifically but a bunch of interactions that I had over a specific period of time. I had all these feeling about it and I wanted to get them down. That interaction where you love that person and you idolise them but you know they’re not that great for you. It’s a really romanticised version of a relationship with someone. Sipping their scotch then going dancing together and all those things that take on that form.

The song was produced by Cam Bluff. What was it like working with him?
It was so great. He’s such a nice guy and I had a great time. We got along really well and it was so nice to hear these songs come to life and hear piano melodies that had been incorporated into that in a way that I had always played the songs. He just had this vision and it worked immediately it was so good how he did that.

Is writing these kinds of songs therapeutic for whatever is going on in your life?
Yeah, writing has always been for me. I have heaps of feelings about things and I tend to find that they are quite jumbled. I will sit at a piano or sit with a guitar and have a couple of melodies that I have been playing around with and then I write them down or start writing. It then comes to me and it makes sense of everything. It kind of falls into place and afterwards its almost immediately clearer.

Was music something you fell into or has it always been in your life?
I’ve always been musical. I grew up in a musical family. My dad loves singing and my mum is a music teacher so we always had a piano in the house and it was always encouraged and celebrated. So I’ve always had the element of music around me.

So, you can’t see yourself doing anything else?
Yeah, I can’t. I love it and I hate it but I couldn’t not do it.

So how do prepare yourself for the writing process? Do you just sit down and say “I’m going to write a song” or does it have to come to you and then you get creative?
It comes to me and I get creative. If I sit down and write something, I will be able to write but it might be something that I get to the next day and think “Hmmm maybe I’ll just put that to the side for a while and see if that becomes something else.’ But there are times that I just feel that a song is imminent and something creative about to happen. Then I will be ready by locking myself away and work on it for as long as it takes.

You’re a Perth girl but you studied music in Sydney. How do you compare the two music scenes?
I grew up In Perth then I lived in Sydney for a while then moved back to Perth. The Sydney music scene had a lot of changes over the last few years. The Perth music scene is very supportive, very organic and it feels really authentic. It’s a really nurturing environment and community. Sydney I’m sure has as well but its been through a lot of changes.

What does the name Segers mean? How did you come to choose that name?
Its my grandmother’s maiden name and she was a very influential person in our family. It was a natural progression as I was thinking of a name as my music took a new turn over recent times. I just wanted something that I could be separate from who I am and my name. So I decided to go with the moniker Segers and it’s been really fun to have that and be more purposeful with who that is.

Do you find it’s not as restrictive and you can go beyond boundaries of creativity?
Yeah it does and it also gives me a tiny bit of anonymity. I liked the vibe that it was me but not really me but is me (laughs).

Your music has been described as Indie-Pop. Is this a good description of your music?
Yeah, I would say so. Naturally I am a singer/songwriter so I sing and write my own songs. Its very keys driven but I really love the vibe we’ve taken on now this kind of little electronic element and I do write pop songs. So yeah Indie-Pop really sums it up.

What kind of music do you like to listen to and who have been your influences?
I have been listening to a lot of Meg Mac and I love Patti Smyth and they are completely different (laughs). I think for me at the moment I really identify with Maggie Rogers. She’s got this element of being a folk singer and writes folk songs but she’s added the pop/electro element to it and I identify with that because I write singer/songwriter pop ballads. I now have a way to add those electro/pop elements to it.

Do you perform many live shows? Is it just Perth at the moment or are you doing any shows around the country?
At the moment just Perth. I’ve had to take little break from performing live to do some writing and figure out my sound. I’ve been playing around with some production stuff but I’m hoping to get more interactive. I have a couple more singles to be released and then getting into it and playing more live shows.

Do you enjoy playing live?
Yes! I love it! I still get such a buzz playing live with my band mates. Its so much fun. I can’t believe that its something that I can do again and again and continue to enjoy doing it. You end the show and you have this massive high afterwards. I just love playing my music to people and I love when people like listening to it! (laughs)

How does it feel like when you do sing and get a reaction from the audience? What’s that feeling like?
It just makes my heart warm and full. That’s all I can really say. It gives me this full feeling that’s so satisfying. Having people identify with my songs and listen to me sing. It’s just the coolest.

Interview by Anastasia Lambis

Discover Segers on Spotify…