THEAUSSIEWORD.COM special interview with Low Cut Connie.
How and where did it all begin for you? What drew your interest to the music industry? I started out in experimental theatre and performance art in New York City…while playing piano in restaurants and gay bars and ballet classes etc to make my rent. Eventually I fused the two and realized my calling was to be a performer in the music / entertainment industry. It’s been a long road of chaos since that realization but I finally now am a full-time artist with a fantastic wonderful fanbase that I love dearly.
What motivates or influences you in your quest to make great music? Meeting people while I travel. You come to see all the different ways that people live, what their struggles and desires are. Life is strange and it’s easy to find material if you know how to look.
What are some of your biggest goals you hope to accomplish? I’d love to get the songs and performance to more of an international audience. I want to reach people.
What can we expect from you in the coming months? Any plans to tour? We do a weekly livestream show called Tough Cookies that I’ve been doing now for 7 months and has gained a nice following. It’s not exactly a concert per se, but really a fully live soul music variety show with music, performance art, movement, interviews, and comedy. Until I can properly travel safely, and probably even when I can, I’m going to keep developing this series.
Tell us a bit about your latest release and how would you best describe your music? Private Lives is a double LP out worldwide Oct 13. It’s a big rock n roll mess.
Give us an insight into your creative process. What gets you writing songs? Life is interesting, isn’t it? There’s no shortage of things to explore.
Is there a hidden meaning in any of your music?
Yes.
Success, what is the secret to it? Work like a dog. Become a magician. Be great at what you do and always be learning.
What has been your biggest career highlight so far? Every day connecting with a loving audience is a highlight. The best is yet to come.
Which stars of the music industry do you find inspiring? Little Richard, Bob Dylan, Prince, Tina Turner, James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Patti Smith, Bob Marley, Bruce Springsteen, the Stones, Lou Reed, Outkast, Iggy Pop, Louis Armstrong, Nina Simone, Jerry Lee Lewis….
Are there any new projects in the pipeline? Always. Stay tuned.
The music industry is constantly changing, where do you see yourself a few years? With hope, touring internationally to places that don’t typically see my kind of performance.
What is your favourite and least favourite part about this line of work and why? Favorite: the art life, it’s the bestLeast favorite: artless posturing, gossip, corporate-mindedness, lecherous and nefarious intentions.
Name a few of your favourite Australian artists.
Courtney Barnett, Men at Work, INXS. I want to dig into more.
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 youin getting your records out into the public eye? Social media can be used as a force for good or not-so-good and I don’t think our societies have a handle on how it affects us just yet. I do hope we will gain some better understanding around its effects and put up some guardrails around it for future generations. I try to keep my head down and make my stuff and try to reach people with it if I can. The rest of the game is a bit of a mystery to me. I’m just a piano player.
How will you continue appealing to the international market? We are trying to reach out to our fans around the world that I’ve never yet had the privilege to meet in person, and deputize them to spread the word about Low Cut Connie in their countries. We are a little mom-and-pop shop that never got signed so our resources are limited..so it’s the art itself that has to be the thing to drive the outreach. That’s OK, it just means it will take longer. But I’m in it to win it.
Do you collaborate with others? Who is on your wish-list? I collaborate with filmmakers and photographers all the time and want to go deeper into that and other media.Would love to do a feature film.
What advice do you give for other artists wanting to follow in your footsteps? Be yourself..do the hard work everyday…and be patient.
A message for your fans. How do you best interact and respond with your followers and fans? I love all my pals. Art is a two-way conversation. I want them all to do well and be well and feel good.
Any last words? Thanx for the opportunity.