If you’re still unfamiliar with Meers, he’s the latest addition to a thriving Sydney psych scene, making dark and woozy, Western-style psych-rock tunes that are bound to get stuck in your head. His latest single The Tragedy Of Love has been on our office playlist ever since we first laid ears on it, and we’re sure you’ll love it too.
For this latest interview, Meers asked a bunch of his best mates to send across some questions, which he then answered in his infectiously positive way.
To show his infectious passion for music, Sydney artist Meers opened himself up to any and all questions from his mates.
MEERS: Is it true you asked a bunch of your friends to ask you questions for this interview? Why?
MEERS: Hi, me! Yep, I asked some of my friends to ask me any question they could ever think up, just to show how effortlessly I could refer a thing back to music! It truly is my passion and all I ever do, so it will be interesting to see how their questions relate to my love for music and songwriting!
MUQDAD: When was the moment for you that you decided that you wanted to go all-in on music?
MEERS: Hey Muqdad, thanks for the fun question! I remember I was on stage performing a bunch of sketches and singing a bunch of songs. Whenever I’d make the audience laugh or hear their applause I would feel a feeling that could not be bought anywhere in the entire universe… It was a joy that was so surreal, only music and performance could ever bring it back! After realising that I would sing for the majority of every single day, for over 3 years in a row, I came to the conclusion that this singing thing was not a phase, but something I really, really enjoyed doing.
It’s pretty scary letting go of a stable career and a whole lot of expectations only to follow something that is so volatile and uncertain, but I think that is one of the best parts. Not knowing! How good is not knowing? I think the most interesting part is how little I know of anything. The small amounts of people I have met, the small amounts of connections I have made, the small amounts of small amounts I am yet to make! This feeling was what made me decide that I wanted to go all-in on music! Love you Muqdad! Cool name btw.
KIERAN: Has the fear of failure ever stopped you from something important? If so, what was it?
MEERS: Hi Kieran, did I tell you that I loved you today? If not, I love you!!!!! I think failure is so terrifying, but just as well one of the biggest motivators I have used in my everyday “grind”. Fear of failure has not stopped me from something important, though it has helped me keep going no matter what, even if something has a 99.9999% of failing, I will rely on the 0.00001% to take me all the way, because I fear not succeeding. I think some people see the unlikeliness of success as a demotivator, but I see it as an amazingly fun challenge! The only scary part is not finishing something I already started, so I always try to start as many things as I can, because I know I will never let myself down in trying to finish them all! Unless I start a bottle of Jagermeister, that might be a little harder to finish all the way…
SANJNA: Apart from tuna, what does your daily diet consist of?
MEERS: Hi Sanjna, leader of #SanjNation, thank you for your question! As most people know I love eating tuna, but also love many other things! I LOVE melting cheese in my new electric oven on toasted English muffins, but I also love alcohol… as in, I would go so far as to say it is a daily indulgence, one that is almost necessary! For alcohol I would say wine puts me in the best mood wherein I can relax and listen to a million beats, waiting for the “right” one to start playing, and when it does I will just know that this is my next song! Then I like to drink 3-4 cans of energy drink, since I have a 9-5 job but write and sing from 5-9, I need something to help me exist as abnormally as I do, so that is something I am not proud of but require! Other than tuna, alcohol and wine, I eat a lot of sushi. That’s it! Everything else is a one-off. Does this answer your question? Can I please be Vice-Leader of #SanjNation?
SHANJA: If you could create a new world (mystical or realistic)… what would be three characteristics of it?
MEERS: Hi Shania… love you, not Anshul though because he forgot to ask me a question! This is the coolest question in the world, how did you even come up with it? I think I would create an exact clone of this very world, but everyone in it has figured “it” out. By “it” I mean the reason we wake up out of bed, or the reason we go to sleep. By “it” I mean the reason we enjoy reading books, or the reason we love the sound of music. Wouldn’t that be the greatest world in the… worlds? Out of all the worlds, this special world has no more hatred, because nobody is lost trying to find themself. Out of all the worlds, this special world makes perfect sense, like all the songs on the radio. Out of all the worlds, this one is exactly the same, with all the friends and family we love and care for, but the only difference is that they are always at peace.
So, I guess that would make characteristic 1) All living beings to know and love themselves so much that there is nothing left to find, 2) All beings to show the same amount of love they have shown to themselves to all others, and 3) All the people we have met and will one day meet being present in this new world, where we can share this amazing life with them once again, without the tormenting agony of… being lost! So… are you still looking?
MARISSA: Do you wax your monobrow?
MEERS: Greetings Marissa, I had a feeling you were going to ask about this. How am I ever going to keep it a secret, that my perfectly shaped eyebrows are actually one illusory eye “brow”. I do wax my monobrow, but during isolation (what with all the covid-19 happenings), I let it grow upon me. The less I waxed, the more “me” there was to write music! I feel like it was a superpower for the time that it remained, one that I will not have for a little while unless there is another outbreak of something!
It was truly a reminder to me that the only reason I do anything is for other people, the way I dress, the way I look, etc. But the one thing I kept doing, regardless of people, was music! Writing it, singing it, loving it! All that time alone really did help me realise how important songwriting is for me. Especially because it is such an amazing medium through which I am able to express myself! Thank you for your amazing question, but do you wax yours?
SARAH: What’s your favourite way to relax or let off some steam?
MEERS: Hi Sarah, cool question! Unfortunately, I don’t have a cool answer. It is quite lame, but it is mine! I never relax, I just keep going! However, I am lucky enough to have amazing friends that are always up for a night out (or in) where a lot of steam is let off! Whether it is a night out in Newtown or a small house party, I feel like I am already the rockstar I am trying to become… maybe I should stop trying so hard then hey? Anyway, that’s how cool my friends are! And I am so lucky they exist! As for relaxing, I have absolutely no idea. I have more energy than a dozen Red Bulls! Why relax when you can write music?
MADEHA: How would you like to be remembered / what do you want to be remembered for?
MEERS: Hi Madeha! That is a wonderful question, I do love talking about remembering! I think what I want is for everyone to remember me for all the different things I have done, not for myself. I do not want them to remember the clothes I have worn or the shoes I have trod in. I do not want them to remember the hairstyles I’ve had or the slur of my words. I want them to remember the meanings in my songs and the purpose of my books. I want them to remember the way I am always positive and the never-ending smile on my face! I want them to remember everyone who is around them, because if I am gone, then I am nowhere to be remembered. Why bother? I want my songs to keep playing, and for everyone to keep going, keep loving and keep being as true to themselves as humanly possible! That’s how I’d like to be remembered, in all the ways that “I” am not remembered at all! Forget me, just remember the words I am trying to sing!
The Tragedy Of Love is out now. Listen above.
