We catch up with Leuras, and delve into the nitty-gritty of her debut EP, “South Van Ness”
Elbows deep in the music video editing zone for ‘Your Weight’ Leuras took some time out to generously share some insights into her musical journey.
From Blue Mountains sunroom jams to the gritty punk vibe in Sydney’s suburbs, no fancy talk, just guitars, saxophones, and a bunch of raw memories, independent artist, Leuras lays it bare, talking about the hustle.
The standout single, ‘Your Weight,’ unfolds as a pandemic creation, a snapshot of the emotional whirlwind in 2020, where Leuras waited it out in San Fran. And in the midst of it, finds happiness in sunrises, exploring new sounds, and catching an epic live band.
Happy: What are you up to today?
Leuras: I’m spending the day editing my music video for ‘Your Weight’, one of the singles from my debut EP South Van Ness.
I filmed a bunch of footage with my drummer when we recorded in San Francisco.
The video is basically a montage of those weekends in the studio.
Happy: How did your musical journey begin, and what inspired you to pursue a career in music?
Leuras: Music has been a constant throughout my life. I’ve been playing music since I was a kid. I grew up with it at home in the Blue Mountains.
I’m classically trained – my mum taught me how to read music and play piano at a very young age before I started primary school.
Our sunroom was the music room in the house. We had a piano, keyboard, guitars, and various wind and percussion instruments. I also played clarinet and saxophone.
I played in a ska/punk band as an early teenager and was part of the punk rock music scene of the Western Suburbs of Sydney.
I ended up going to art school for University and spent a few years exploring visual arts, but came back to music soon after. Then I started to focus more on guitar and singing and I began writing songs.
Songwriting, performing and sharing my music is what I love doing most – my passion for it drives and inspires me to continue.
Happy: Can you describe the creative process behind your debut EP, ‘South Van Ness’ ? How do you typically approach writing and recording your music?
Leuras: All the songs on the EP were written while I was living in San Francisco, California. I was inspired by the people I met and the places I visited.
Everything was new. It’s a very vibrant culture in San Francisco and there were so many bands to play shows with, either those passing through on tour or those who were based in the San Francisco Bay Area.
South Van Ness was the first street I lived on when I moved there – it inspired the song from which the EP grew.
The way I approach songwriting is really a form of expressing something that has happened to me, either emotionally or physically. Once something occurs the writing comes quite naturally.
I wrote over 30 songs in a few years while living there. I chose these 6 songs to feature on the debut EP as they represent an early chapter of my time living in California.
For the EP, I got into the studio over a weekend and spent more than 12 hours each day recording. We laid down the drums, lead guitar, bass and rhythm guitars altogether (I play rhythm guitar).
Then I went back the next weekend, and I recorded my vocals and played grand piano over the tracks. I produced all the songs but worked with a sound engineer in the Bay Area to mix this EP (sometimes I mix my own tracks).
Happy: Returning to Sydney after performing in California, what elements of each place do you think have left a lasting impact on your music and overall artistic approach?
Leuras: Both California and the Blue Mountains have vibrant music scenes. Music is part of the culture of both places.
The population of California is almost 40 million people which is bigger than Australia, and while I was living there I was continually amazed at the amount of bands or artists I met. It inspired me to continue my music on home soil.
Australia is known internationally for its exports of Aussie bands, so on my return to Sydney I’m looking forward to being part of our great Aussie music scene here.
Happy: The EP is meant to be enjoyed from start to finish. What do you hope listeners take away from the complete experience of ‘South Van Ness’
Leuras: I wrote these songs about everything I experienced while living in another country. They are all real stories, real emotions with a soundtrack to accompany them.
I hope the songs resonate with listeners and they find something relatable in all the songs, from start to finish: the loss of a relationship, a street often crossed, burning sage and drinking a nice glass of Californian wine, spending a weekend that felt like a dream.
Happy: ‘Your Weight’is highlighted as a standout single. Can you share a bit about the emotions or experiences that inspired the song?
Leuras: This was a pandemic song. I wrote it after my relationship ended with someone I was very close to during the year of the pandemic in 2020.
I was basically stuck in San Francisco as flights were ridiculously expensive to get home to Australia and with our country’s tight restrictions for international arrivals, I just had to wait it out for two years.
The song expresses the experience of trying to help someone you care deeply about through their own emotional turmoil.
Happy: Your live performances are known for being intimate and emotional. How do you connect with your audience during a live show, and what atmosphere do you aim to create?
Leuras: I gravitate towards venues that cultivate a feeling of intimacy between the performer and the audience.
They are generally small, boutique venues. Lighting is important: warm colours and soft interiors. I generally speak a lot between songs.
I like to share the context of what inspired the song to give the audience a more personal perspective and to take away something more than just the sound of the music.
Happy: As an artist, you draw inspiration from a wide range of genres and artists. How do you manage to incorporate these diverse influences into your own music while maintaining a cohesive sound?
Leuras: I think this is something that is innate to how I make music. My songs are probably an amalgamation of my influences from growing up listening to various styles of music.
I see myself as a rock artist, influenced by classic rock and folk artists of the 70s, blues and country artists, and more recent dream-rock, alternative and alt-country bands.
I guess I’m just making music that I like or composing sounds that I hear in my head rather than trying to make music that sounds like a particular genre.
Happy: Now that you are back in Sydney, how do you see your sound evolving or adapting to the local music
scene?
Leuras: I find there are a lot of parallels between the sounds coming out of the local rock music scenes in LA and SF, and in Sydney and Melbourne.
These bands blend a lot of genres: classic rock, country, folk, blues, and alternative. I feel like my music and my sound has a place here in Sydney.
There are less country rock influences here in Australia than there are in California though, but I don’t think that will affect my overall sound now that I’m back in Sydney.
Happy: Being an independent artist, what are some of the challenges you've faced, and how do you overcome them in the competitive music industry?
Leuras: Being an independent artist, I manage all aspects of my music: writing the songs, booking the shows, producing the record, coordinating the marketing and promotion, filming footage and editing music videos and photography, and managing all the financials.
I’m a creative person and I’ve produced audio and visual content in various jobs I’ve had, plus I enjoy all aspects of being an artist, but it can be challenging to juggle everything independently.
I think it’s important to be an artist because it’s who you are and because you love the creative process. I try to not be affected by how competitive the music industry is.
Happy: Lastly, what makes you happy?
Leuras: Sunrises, exploring new places and cultures, listening to a record I love or a new album I will love, writing songs and playing my guitar, and of course, watching a sick live band.
I saw Warpaint play recently at a very intimate show at Oxford Art Factory, that made me happy.
