There’s a common misconception that musicians live a life of luxury, free from the worries of the real world. But behind the scenes, the truth can be quite different.
In actuality, the life of a musician is quite often a rough slog, filled with late nights, solitary time on the road, insurmountable pressure from fans and labels, and measly pay cheques that are few and far between.
For Tanya Batt, known as BATTS, this is a truth that’s all too real. Earlier this year, the Melbourne-based artist made the courageous decision to call an indefinite hiatus on touring so that she could have a much-needed mental health sabbatical.
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“I didn’t really have much of a choice,” she candidly reveals.
“I suffer from vestibular migraines and PPPD (Persistent Postural Perceptual Dizziness) and I’ve been on medication for them for a really long time. I had to come off the meds for other reasons and the withdrawals were hard.”
Withdrawal from prescription medication can have severe side effects, both physically and mentally. For BATTS, it led to panic attacks and anxiety about performing live shows. To avoid associating her love for music with such challenges, she decided to step back from the stage.
“It’s often forgotten how severe withdrawal from prescription meds is. It takes a very large toll on the mind and body and has a lot of severe side effects. I was having 20 panic attacks a day from the withdrawals and then having to play shows around it. It created a connection between the two and I started becoming really anxious about playing shows, which was never something I’d felt before,” she explains.
“I just thought, I don’t want to fuse those things together. I don’t want that to be my normal bodily reaction to playing live when that’s never been the case before. So it was just a matter of saying— I can’t. I can’t handle the energy that I have to give on stage right now. I just had to step back.
“And I wish I had more time off, but unfortunately I had to write an album in a very short amount of time, so I kind of just went straight into writing, which is a very solitary process. But it’s also a nice way to process everything.”
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Finding solace in writing songs, as soon as the mention of her new material comes to light, you can hear the enthusiasm creep back into her voice, alongside an element of surprise.
“I mean, I’m pretty shocked that it’s written,” she laughs. “I don’t know how I’ve managed to do it. I just took a week off work and was like, ‘Alright, I’m going to write the album,’ and I got seven songs done that week, which was a blessing.
“But even though I knew writing was what I had to do, I was really struggling to find words. So I was reading Jeff Tweedy’s book ‘How to Write One Song’, which has a lot of really amazing techniques in it.”
Setting up a schedule and immersing herself in songwriting exercises, she managed to produce a collection of her best work yet.
“I just set up a schedule and was like, ‘wake up and go’, and then I’d wake up and do exercises from that book for the first two hours of each day. And it helped, I ended up creating a lot of words and lyrics by doing that.
“Which is not how I normally write,” she continues. “Normally I’d just pick up my guitar and start playing and if something comes out, it comes out. But I didn’t have time for that so I really had to push myself in a different direction. And I’m very grateful for it because I think it’s some of my best work and I’m very excited as I’m hearing it all come alive in the studio.”
After stepping into previously uncharted areas as a songwriter, Batt has found that her most recent work has begun to touch on complex new themes, straying away from the conceptual nature of her earlier work for a more introspective approach.
“As I’m looking back on this album I’ve kind of realised that a lot of it is me talking a lot to my younger self about moving onto the next chapter of life. I’d love to become a mum soon, so when I look back on when I was a child, or myself in my younger 20s, I’m looking at it as almost a separate person.
“So I guess a lot of the messages on this album are kind of me talking to that younger self and processing that chapter of my life, from the perspective of a new chapter.”
Reinvigorated and eager to share her music again, BATTS is excited about making her comeback at the Wanderer Festival this September, alongside the likes of Sampa The Great, Ben Lee, and Kevin Morby.
“I’m very, very excited. It’ll be my first show back and I’m super excited to get back on the stage. It’s such a good lineup as well. I’m really excited to watch Kevin Morby and see his new album live, that’s going to be awesome. I also can’t wait to see Sampa The Great, she always blows my mind. And I’m very excited about getting to watch friends like WILSN and Freya-Josephine Hollick play.
“It’s going to be a killer time.”
Wanderer Festival is happening at Pambula Beach, NSW from September 29 to October 1. Tickets available now, priced according to age – ranging from $50 to $320
