Sinead Burgess Talks Single, 2024 UK Tour And More

 Australian singer-songwriter and musician Sinead Burgess is no stranger to us at JLTT and we actually saw her perform live in Guildford supporting Paul Young. She is now set to tour the UK on her own headline dates and we chatted about her music and plans:

When did you begin songwriting?

I wrote my first song (albeit a dreadful one!) when I was 5. It was everything you could expect from a 5 year old’s life experience… not much! Haha! I still have it in a schoolbook somewhere at my parent’s house, pretty sure it was written in crayon! I wrote my first real song in grade 5, about a boy who broke my heart. I got my friends together to make a girl band and we would sing it around the school all lunch time. It was pretty hilarious looking back, but a great start to writing about my life!

 What is your earliest musical memory?

My earliest musical memory was looking at The Beatles box set of vinyl my parents owned. I wasn’t quite old enough to know what it was yet, but I remember thinking it was the coolest thing in the world. Once I started hearing them, I was completely hooked!

Your single ‘Always Gonna Break My Heart’ is out now. What was the story/inspiration behind the track?

This song was a real diary entry. I had just headed back to Australia for Christmas/ January in 2020 from Nashville, not knowing at the time I would be ‘stuck’ for a couple of years! I had been through a lot of life changes in 2019, and had been moving so fast that I really hadn’t processed anything yet. All of a sudden, once I was home in Australia, everything came pouring out. Most of my album was written during the time in lock down.

Where did you record the song and who produced it?

I recorded it here in Nashville, between my home studio and my friend Tom Jordan’s (of Seaforth) studio. I produced it to a point where I was feeling all the things I wanted to feel from it, and sent it to Tom who’s opinion I have always really valued. He always said he believed in this song and asked if he could add some more magic to it. As soon as I heard what he did, I was blown away with it and felt even more deeply what I wanted to hear from it. So we ended up co-producing this one which was such a treat to collaborate with one of my best friends.

Do you have any interesting, funny or memorable stories from the single recording sessions?

I spent a lot of time in the dark in my studio recording vocals and guitars, and wanted to make sure the feeling was special, and raw in this. I didn’t want it to be perfect or overproduced. I wanted it to feel human. I wanted it to make me feel something. I think that mentality became the quote for all the album recordings after that!

The single is accompanied by an official music video. What was the thought process behind the video and who directed it?

The video is one of my favorite parts of creating this song. We had a big snow storm here in Nashville, and the day I got the cello parts back from an incredible Nashville musician called Cara Fox, it was so cold and so white outside. Listening to the recordings, I had tears on my face. It was so beautiful. I knew in that moment it was all coming together and it felt like the story was being told in the right way. My boyfriend Blake O’Connor and I were so moved by the cellos and the snow and said ‘wouldn’t it be crazy to film the music video in this snow?’… Just like that, I got dressed and we ran outside around 4pm. We filmed the video in 45 minutes. We both kind of directed it, but it mostly directed itself. And Blake captured the feeling with the footage so perfectly, I was so blown away! It felt so magical, and raw, and special, and I am so grateful we have a time capsule of that moment and all that was happening around it in this video. It was such a special time to create it!

Which of your tracks hear you at your a) happiest, b) angriest and c) most reflective?

I would say ‘Ain’t Thinking About You’ is me not necessarily at my happiest, but at my most carefree. It is a song I LOVE singing live and feel such a sense of freedom with! I would say my angriest and most reflective is probably all in one track that I haven’t released yet… no spoilers, but it is definitely a real one!

What two things do you hope to have achieved once you have left the stage?

I want people to walk away from my show having felt a sense of connection, truth and belonging. We all experience so many things as human beings, and go through a lot of the same stuff. It’s my job to share my vulnerabilities and experiences in the hopes that people feel heard and seen and can have a soundtrack for their own lives. I want people to have been moved- whether that is to joy, or tears or both- I want there to be a journey for every show that we’re all in together!

Do you have any favoured stage instruments, effects, pedals, microphones etc?

I always tour at the very least with an acoustic guitar (my Gibson J200 aka Big Gussy!), a stomp box and a harmonica. I’ve been working on a bit more of an acoustic show production with a new guitar pedal rig that I’m incredibly excited to bring over to the UK for my headline tour. I have a Nord Stage 3 piano in my studio that I love touring with as well, so I am excited to incorporate it all into the shows!

Where is your hometown and could you please describe it in five words?

My hometown is Beachmere, Australia. Although it’s getting built up and out atm, I would still describe it in 5 words; Sleepy coastal Queensland fishing village!

How do you look after your voice?

I am a big fan of tea. I like to drink it as much as possible when I’m on the road playing back to back shows. I have been getting into steaming my voice a bit as well, which always seems to hydrate my vocal chords really well! I drink a TON of water on the road too and try to limit any alcohol to 2 drinks max on any given night, if at all! Not very rock and roll but it does give me a lot more scope to keep my voice going!

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?

Albeit a little late now! I think ‘It Ends With Us’ by Colleen Hoover would have been a really challenging, yet inspired adaptation to score. I think there are so many layers to our human emotions- stages of growth, despair, hope, inner strength and the search for inner peace covered within this story, which would be a daunting yet important journey to score.

14 – Who are some of your musical influences? Do you have any recommendations?

My musical influences have all been quite eclectic over the years. I am a massive Tom Petty fan. And Fleetwood Mac. I feel like both have taught me so much about songwriting! I also grew up loving Elton John, E.L.O, practically all of the 60s & 70s vibes I could get my hands on (thanks Mum and Dad!)… I then grew into anthemic bands like Coldplay, U2, Keane and The Script, alongside a love for country music like Keith Urban, Martina McBride and Trisha Yearwood. Told you it was eclectic! I was always a fan of songwriting, no matter the genre. If I felt something, I was in.

Do you have any live dates planned in the UK/Europe in 2024/2025?

I am heading to the UK for my very first headline tour in November this year (2024) and I could not be more excited! I will be playing London Nov 4th, Manchester Nov 5th, Nottingham Nov 6th, Glasgow Nov 7th, York Nov 8th and 10th and Bristol Nov 13th. It will be a run of intimate acoustic shows and I’ll be playing a whole lot of new music for the first time, so it will be a special run of shows!

Do you have any future music releases planned for 2024/2025?

I do! I’ll be releasing a couple more tracks this year leading into my next record which I’ll be dropping early next year. It’s one I’m definitely excited for and can’t wait to share the stories with everyone!

What makes Sinead Burgess happy and what makes you unhappy?

It’s not hard to make me happy! Be kind, look out for others, love people, be thoughtful, be positive, lift others up! You can guess what makes me unhappy by flipping that list 😉