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Sentiment Q & A: Phoebe Sinclair

Phoebe Sinclair

English-come-Australian songstress Phoebe Sinclair is about to make her mark on the national pop scene with the release of her debt EP ‘Sentiment’. Sinclair combines empowering lyrics with minimalistic and compelling pop beats with nods from Sia, Adele, and Ellie Goulding. We asked the rising artist about her most treasured memories and what you should know about her new EP.

What’s your earliest memory?

My earliest memory is from when I was about four-years-old I think. I remember being at the first house I ever lived at, in Preston in the north of England, playing out on the front driveway in the snow. I remember my sisters showing me how to make snowballs, and my mum telling us to come back inside once our gloves were wet through from the snow.

What’s your happiest childhood memory?

I am very lucky, I had a very happy childhood. My favourite memory is probably the day my siblings and I, and the family who lived next door, had a water fight (on what must’ve been the only hot day in 2001). Getting out the water balloons and wearing the shorts that were so infrequently used, we played well into the night. It was absolutely fab!

What’s your saddest childhood memory?

My saddest childhood memory was probably moving away from the amazing little community we lived in (in preston). That’s not to say I didn’t like Australia, I loved it here, but I still missed my friends and my grandparents, a great deal when we moved.

At what age did you start creating music?

I’ve always sung, if not to other people then to myself. I remember making up little jingles by myself when I was very young, maybe 8 or 9-years-old. But the first time I properly tried to write music was at the beginning of high school. We had to learn guitar as assessment in music class and since my dad and sisters played already I asked them to show me properly. Once I had three chords under my belt songwriting began.

What kind of music were you into when you were six?

Looking back on it, the kind of music I listened to when I was six was probably a bit of a strange selection. I listened to lots of Spice Girls, Britney and B*witched, the fun pop-y stuff that was big at that time, but I was also influenced by the music my older (at the time teen-) sisters showed to me. This was more like blink 182, the Offspring and SUM 41, and to this day I still love both the Spice Girls and the Offspring, they make me feel nostalgic.

What would 6-year-old you think of your current self?

I think 6-year-old me would be very impressed with my confidence and the way I’ve applied myself in my career. I was always the quiet kid in class, a little outspoken at home and generally quite reserved with my opinions, so by comparison 2016 Phoebe probably seems super loud and powerful!

Did you have a beloved childhood toy?

I had a teddy bear that my gran got for me, it never had a name aside from ‘Teddy’ until one day it became ‘LFT’. Little Fat Teddy.

What would your beloved childhood toy think of current you?

Well LFT is still in my care, he lives on my bookshelf and gets to check in on my regularly. So, I think he’s pretty proud of me for growing into myself and not getting rid of him!

For the uninitiated, how would you describe Phoebe Sinclair’s sound and live shows?

My sound is hard to pin down at times, it’s pop music essentially but I often say that it breaks the rules because it can go from an ambient pop track to an electronic jazzy number to electronica pop hit all in the space of three songs. Our live show is full of energy! Even the softer songs of the set use every bit of energy that the band, the audience and I feel during the performance. The interaction between the band, the audience and I, is what makes every show unique and energised.

We really loved listening to This Isn’t Love. What was the story behind writing it?

This Isn’t Love was a song I wrote a little while ago now, in hindsight it was a fairly self-indulgent way of coping in a bad situation. I was going through a difficult patch in a relationship and being a fairly reserved person I kept a lot of my feelings on hold in order to cope, so this song was really my means of expressing the things I couldn’t say face to face.

Lastly, what are three things people should know about your debut EP ‘Sentiment’?

  1. In the first track This Isn’t Love, there are 10 instruments; including a glitch-y sounding sitar, a reversed accordion, and some lyrical organ.
  2. In the track Mine we were originally going to cut the vocals to do the “mi-i-i-i-i-ine” bit but decided during recording to leave it as I sang it. This then inspired the remix.
  3. I love performing all the tracks off the EP, but always have to close with I’ll Be The One, because it requires so much energy from me that I’m drained by the end of the track!