Kim Churchill cemented his place in our hearts five years ago with the release of ‘Window To The Sky’ and has since grown into an emotive and poetic singer-songwriter. The nomadic storyteller is in the midst of releasing his four-part EP series and is travelling through life within his music.
“An artist’s life is their artwork,” he says. “Every second of every day is my artwork and I really understand that now. I try to be consistently transferring my creative output in every moment. I am consciously doing things to inspire this state of flow that allows me to deliver.”
This year, Churchill has released I Am and Forgetting, which precede The End and Again. All recorded in different locations around the world and with different producers, together the four EPs create ‘I Am Forgetting The End Again’ which is Churchill expressing his self-exploration.
“The whole project is a statement of liberation of taking control of your life and making larger decisions towards your own autonomy and sense of strength and direction of life,” Churchill said. “I Am is those first moments of confidence and self-belief that you can make those changes and create for yourself.
“Forgetting is about that time of existing in a soft, vulnerable state. I was allowing cycles of my life to finish which is such a painful process and I became quite forgetful. It was almost like the caterpillar entering the cocoon.”
Inspired by his surrounds, Churchill works hard without even realising it. He lives in his van and explores as much of the world as he can behind the wheel or through the places touring takes him.
“Basically everything inspires me,” he says. “All this travel leads me to this slightly delirious and hyper-emotional state and in those times I will find a lot of motivation towards create output. I don’t sit down and write a song and say I want to write this.
“I want to create the feeling of the environment around myself. I just allow whatever happens to happen,” he continues. “Literally everything every day is being fed into my subconscious and is being outputted into some form of creative expression. I think that’s the trick to songwriting – getting so far into your own creative unconscious you’re getting the heart to your own feelings and work yourself through things.”
Through expression, Churchill has been led into a place of vulnerability in his music and on the stage. In the new year, Churchill will head around the country on a nearly sold-out tour with only the bare essentials alongside.
“I lean so strongly to vulnerability now that I feel strength from it,” he says. “My One Mic, One Light tour is completely unplugged, just playing into a condenser microphone with one light on me and that kind of performance is so delicate and vulnerable.
“Touring is one of the best parts of my career and one of the worse,” he Churchill admits. “It’s phenomenally exciting to be constantly moving and all of the changes are soul-stimulating. It’s also exhausting. I’ve gotten to the point where jet lag is a good opportunity to check in with my own mindfulness.”
In the middle of his tour, Churchill will take to Geelong’s Great Australian Beer Festival and bring his new music and popular tracks to the stage, alongside the likes of Sneaky Sound System and The Kite Machine.
It all goes down at Johnstone Park, Geelong CBD – January 18, from 1pm-8pm. Tickets are on sale now via www.gabf.com.au.
Written by Kim Price
