theaussieword.com goes one on one with Lester The Fierce in this special blog interview..
What can you tell our readers about you? How and where did it all begin?
The first time I sung in public was at a dive bar in the neighbourhood I grew up in when I was 16. I said I was 18. I tried to sing a Leonard Cohen song and bombed really badly. It took me another two years to sing publicly again. I sung ‘Gloomy Sunday’ by Billie Holiday. I haven’t looked back since.
What had you first interested in music?
I think it probably started when I was about 14 and I heard Melanie’s ‘Candles in the rain’. There was something totally spiritual about that experience. I also see the connection I have now to religious music and music that lifts and builds.
Who motivates or influences your quest to make great music?
It’s kind of two part. For me it’s a mix of needing to express something I can’t outside of music, and trying to connect with the people listening. I feel like it’s so much bigger than myself. Pure expression. It’s never really been a single person.
Do you have any planned tours coming up?
I’m currently touring with Ngaiire, which is my first tour! It’s looking like the next year is going to be totally full of shows and touring, so keep an eye out.
What are some of your biggest goals you hope to accomplish as an artist?
I really want to feel like I’ve made a mark. I don’t have any expectations for fame, but I guess it would be nice to be able to live comfortably off music.
What can fans expect from you in the coming months?
I’m releasing my second single. Expect a very cool clip. We have some great little surprises coming.
Success, what is the secret to it and what has been your biggest career highlight so far?
What is success? I don’t know who really makes the rules – I feel like I have a long way to go! As far as a career highlight, I’ve not done many shows with my band, but that has been a huge highlight! Otherwise, I’ve had a couple of solo shows in the last few years that have stood out. One was last week in Tasmania. It was a real surprise. Everyone just was willing to hear the stories in the music and they weren’t afraid of the silence. Another was in Brooklyn in NY. It was a similar vibe, but also weirdly emotional. I don’t know if it was collective unconscious, but the ten or so people in the audience were all crying…and then I started crying….because I’m a massive crybaby.
Which stars of the music industry do you find inspiring?
Nick Cave – he is stylistically ruthless. Leonard Cohen – he turns every room into a holy house. Feist – She took her time. Also, her storytelling is totally heartbreaking. Jeff Buckley, Thom Yorke, Kate Bush. It’s totally endless but that’s the short.
How would you best describe you and your music to your fans?We are both a little dark, emotional, bubbly at times – Graveyard hips, Cemetery lips.
What can you tell us about your latest album?
The EP is a real introduction into some ideas I’ve been playing with. It’s grunge, pop and rock, but still has elements of folk – which are my roots. I have been really honing the lyric style too – trying to make the stories to connect a little more.
Are there any new exciting projects in the works?
Many.
The music industry is huge, where do you see yourself a few years from now?
I would hope that I’ll be still doing this and on the up. Isn’t that what every artist hopes for? I have never really had an end goal – I’ve had some ideas of big success – but this industry is so full of rejection, so you kind of build the mentality that nothing is anything until it’s right in front of you. I really want to be making art that I love. That’s really the only goal.
Name a few of your favourite Aussie artists.
I have so many! Fascinator, Pond, Georgia Fair, Nick Cave, Kylie in the 90’s, Kid Sam…I’m forgetting heaps.
The shape of the music industry has changed significantly over the years, including the use of social media, how do you feel about the industry as a whole and what does it mean to you in getting your records out into the public eye?
It’s a strange thing. I feel like technology and social media have created a toxicity in the industry – it seems like talent is either being dramatised or forgotten about. People who are computer programmers are becoming musicians. It’s not really my place to say what is music or not, or what is a musician, but I think that there is a larger element of disposability. In the same way, I feel like the more socially ept you are, the more success you have. Just a thought.
Thank you for the interview! What can you leave fans of theaussieword.comwith here today?
There’s a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in.
Website: www.lesterthefierce.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Lesterthefierce
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