Cassidy Paris Talks New Album, 2024 Headline UK Tour And More

Australian rocker Cassidy Paris has a very bright future ahead of her, and now she has confirmed her first ever Headline Tour of the UK, kicking off on 12th July 2024. She very kindly chatted to us at JLTT prior to the tour: 

Your new album ‘New Sensation’ is out now. How did you want to approach the making of the album?
The making of New Sensation was a long time coming. I went into making the debut record knowing that I wanted this to be a reflection of my life in my teenage years. I wanted the record to be listened to by the audience and for it to feel like a story when they’ve heard the record from front to back.

Where did you record the album and who produced it?
I recorded the album in my home studio. Alessandro Del Vecchio produced the album. He was incredible to work with and really understood my vision for the album.

Who plays on the album with you?
I feel really lucky to have had my dad play lead guitar on the album. He’s been my biggest fan and mentor since the beginning so it was cool to be able to share this with him as well. In regards to the other instruments, we had some very talented session musicians on the album that did an unreal job.

Who is in your touring band and what do they play?
The band consists of myself, Tom Rogowski (lead guitar), Alex Rogowski (drums) and Steve Janevski (bass). The band is really a family and I feel very blessed to be working with such hardworking talented musicians who believe in this as much as I do.

Who are some of your musical influences?
I have so many! Some of my favourites are Joan Jett, Pat Benatar, Avril Lavigne and Lzzy Hale.

You are given the opportunity to write the score for a film adaptation of a novel that you enjoy. Which novel is it and why?
Oh what an honour this would be. I love the Twilight books. I just love the characters and the storyline so much. Writing for this series would have been a dream.
This is not a film adaptation but I think recent series like ‘Stranger Things’ and ‘Cobra-Kai’ are super interesting and I love that these shows are 80’s based. The soundtracks are awesome and I would’ve loved to have written for one of these shows.

One of your tracks is called ‘Danger’. What was the story/inspiration behind the song?
I wrote Danger when I was seeing someone that was bad news. Everyone around me knew that he wasn’t good for me. Everyone could see it except for me. Danger is about that feeling. The feeling that you know something is dangerous, not good for you but every other part of you still needs to figure that out for yourself.

The song is accompanied by an official music video. What was the thought process behind the video and who directed it?
I really wanted the video to look like a danger zone. It felt very fitting. The shoot was great. We had AM videography direct the video in conjunction with myself. I like to do all the storyboarding for the music videos. It feels more authentic. I had this idea to have 3 of my favourite iconic women in rock represented in the video. To pay homage to them and all the inspiration they have brought to my career in the rock scene. That scene translated really well to the audience. I’m so happy with how it all turned out.

Do you have any favoured stage instruments, effects, pedals, microphones etc?
My Fender Strat is number 1 to me- obsessed!!

Where is your hometown and could you please describe it in five words?
Melbourne, Australia
Peace, love, warmth, family, happiness

Do you have any interesting, funny or memorable stories from the album recording sessions?
Recording the album was so fun. I recorded the album with my singing teacher Connie Wright. She was pulling out all the crazy exercises to have me warmed up to sing. There’s always laughs with her, she’s the best.

Do you have any plans for live shows in Europe/UK in 2024?
Yes! We are heading out on our first headlining tour this year to the UK. We are absolutely stoked to be heading back out on the road.

Which of your new album tracks hear you at your a) happiest, b) angriest and c) most reflective?
One of the most reflective songs on the record is ‘Here I Am’. It’s a huge song and is very emotional to sing for me.

Was it a difficult album to write?
The album was a long time in the making. When it came to putting out an album it felt like all the pieces were falling together. The album feels like a reflection of my teenage life so I wouldn’t say it was necessarily hard to write because music and songwriting has always been my favourite outlet to express myself through.

How do you look after your voice?
Looking after my voice is always so important to me. Warming up effectively before shows and drinking heaps of fluid, honey with lemon are two of my favourite things to do pre and post shows. There are a number of things I do to keep my voice in the best shape I possibly can.

What makes Cassidy Paris happy and what makes you unhappy?
Music makes me ridiculously happy. It’s another level really.
I try to focus on the positives mainly. However, not being able to play live during covid was a real bummer 🙁