The delicate voice, the stripped back folk tunes and an unassuming nature are the stand-out characteristics of Melbourne’s young songwriter Leah Senior.
Releasing her debut album Summer’s on the Ground in late 2015, Leah has been busy the past year with various gigs (including Queenscliff Music Festival, Big Sound and Kennedy’s Creek), refining her craft and focusing on her music, and just recently mastering her new upcoming album, due for release next year which will see original sounds from the young artist, taking a new direction to her previous album.
“To me it feels different. I think that the songs come out of a pretty intense time and I feel like it’s a bit more ballsy. It’s still very folk though.
“It’s been good to get the songs down. The other album (which was the first), those songs were kicking around for ages, and it just feels very old to me. It’s nice to do something that feels like a truer representation of where I am at now.”
Hailing from the coastal areas surrounding Warrnambool, Leah has been busy – receiving a nomination for best folk and roots album at Age Music Awards, performing alongside her singing sister and boyfriend as a “a dorky family folk band”, and quitting her job to focus purely on her music.
“For the first time I’ve been making an effort to put aside time to try and write. But it’s a pretty fickle business, it’s doesn’t always work, and then it just feels like I’ve just spent a whole lot of time doing nothing,” she jokes.
“I’m trying to start working on not putting any pressure on myself, because it all gets kind of weird when you start putting pressure on yourself to write. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. But I’m not complaining: like it’s amazing to be able to pursue what I want to do and to have the time to do that.”
Between working on new tunes and getting the new album out, Leah will be finding solace in the water this summer, pursuing a new-found passion of surfing.
“I’ve just been learning to surf the past year, and so I guess that’s my favourite thing to do in summer; go and try and catch some tiny waves,” she laughs, “it’s a pretty slow process. I’m just a bit of a clumsy dork in the water. It is funny – sometimes it brings out the little shit in me, it makes me a bit frustrated, but I’ve always loved the water so been in it and having a board around is super fun.”
While hitting the waves seems like the perfect way to spend a warm summer’s weekend, Leah will be turning up the volume next weekend in Ballarat for the popular summer event – Summer Sundays.
Celebrating its sixth year, Summer Sundays features an eclectic mix of musical styles and diverse genres in the surrounds of the Ballarat Botanical Gardens. Joining Leah, will be the likes of Melbourne indie icon Olympia, rocker Elvis Presently and award winning blues act John McNamara.
“It’s definitely more my thing compared to playing in a noisy pub that’s for sure. It’s nice playing in a good atmosphere, outside in the sun and to be able to go for a drive and get out of the city, and play to some fresh faces.”
When & Where: Summer Sundays @ Ballarat Botanical Gardens, Ballarat – January 22
Written by Talia Rinaldo