INTERVIEW: Merci, Mercy Chats Touring With George Ezra
Interview by Blake Omundson
Unequivocally Australian in her words and unfathomably catchy in her tunes, it is undeniable that merci, mercy is quickly becoming one of the country’s highlight performers, with her latest release ‘is it me, or is it you?’ landing earlier this year.
Wasting no time at all, she is performing hits such as ‘Black Cloud’, ‘Winnie Crush’, and ‘Into You’ on a national tour with George Ezra, set to hit Meanjin/Brisbane this Wednesday the 2nd of November.
To celebrate such an occasion, we have been lucky enough to have a chat with her about it all!
Firstly, a very simple beginning— how are you doing? What’s it like knowing you’re about to walk the same stage as the guy who wrote ‘Shotgun’?
Hello, I am doing quite decent thank you for asking. It feels so incredible to be playing on the same stage as the guy who wrote shotgun. It's truly an honour in all honesty, like he is an incredible song writer and singer and I feel very lucky. It’s also super cool because my boyfriend’s mother is a fan of him, so I’ll definitely be getting some brownie points for this!
Earlier this year, you played on a variety of Brisbane’s shoebox stages, such as Tomcat and Ivory Tusk during BIGSOUND. How have those experiences differed from your performances on other larger stages?
The experiences differ because at smaller venues I feel as if you can see into the audiences’ souls and can really tell if they are liking it or not but on a larger stage it’s easier to get distracted by the nerves of seeing all these faces looking back at you. Everyone truly is looking at you. I also feel at smaller venues if someone is having a conversation during your set you can hear it but definitely not at a larger venue. Both experiences are incredible though because they are so different.
What’s your favourite thing about touring?
My favourite thing about touring is that I get to go places I’ve never been before and meet people I wouldn’t normally meet on a day-to-day basis. I also enjoy the funny stories you make with your band.
Photo by Jordan Munns
Your songs revolve around a plethora of issues and dependencies that most people, particularly older people, tend to disregard due to your age. Is this something that has ever prohibited you from music-making?
You know what, there has been many times that I could have let that issue stop me but I never did. I grew up in a big family where they are all much older than me, so I learned quickly not to care about anyone else’s opinion- especially when it comes to what I write my music about. I know that it might make people uncomfortable sometimes but there are people out there dealing with their mental health all on their own and if I can make them feel a lil bit seen then screw the others. I want to make it a topic all ages can talk about openly, so we aren’t suffering in silence anymore.
Your latest EP is a collection of songs that are tasked with answering one question: is it me, or is it you? How important is it to you to weave a narrative through your music?
It’s very important to me to weave a narrative through my music because I’m writing a non-fiction story about my life and the struggles I face on a daily basis. I also feel like it helps the audience to understand me a bit better and maybe even themselves.
As someone that has openly struggled with conversations surrounding your emotions, is it difficult when people explicitly ask you the story behind your music?
It’s definitely not difficult for me to explain the story behind my music because I'm a very open book. I might even be too open sometimes. I just love having open conversations, even in my day to day life, about difficulties I'm having or difficulties others are having. I do struggle sometimes though explaining the meaning behind songs because I’m not very good at talking and I think that’s the main reason why I write music. It’s just easier for me to get my words out that way.
You’ve discussed prior that you have lived in various countries throughout your life, but your music always seems rooted in Australia, especially with songs like ‘Winnie Crush’. Is the Australian-ness that appears in your music something you strive for?
To be honest it’s not something I strive for, it just happens without me knowing. Australia is where I spent most of my life and its where I truly became the musician I am today.
As previously mentioned, struggles with your mental health are such an inherent part of your music. How much do you empathize with the saying ‘Art is pain’?
I empathise with the saying ‘art is pain’ very much. Especially being in a time when I’m suffering really bad, it seems lately all I can ever write is sad songs and realistically all I’ve ever written is sad songs.
Coming from a family so musically inclined, is there an instrument or a particular aspect of songwriting that you’d like to play around with and incorporate into your songs?
I’d love to learn a lot of instruments. I’ve always wanted to play the bass, but I have really small hands, even playing guitar can be a bit difficult sometimes/most of the time.
You’ve just recently covered Mac Miller for Triple J’s Like A Version, and have released a very popular cover of ‘Why’d You Only Ever Call Me When You’re High?’ by The Arctic Monkeys. How do you go about making such wildly different songs into something your own?
You know what’s hilarious… the reason I started writing my own songs was because I was terrible at singing other people’s songs. There really isn’t a technique, apart from the fact I've worked with Chris Collins on both of these songs, and he is incredible at making the songs work for my voice because he knows the levels I sing best - better than I know myself. It also helps being able to relate to the lyrics because then you can sing like it’s your own.
Your marketing has been quite unique, with various animatics, computer games, etc. What’s it like to see your art interpreted in different ways by different artists, or even interpreted by different fans, for that matter?
It’s incredible seeing how others interpret my music because it gives me fresh views on myself. It’s like seeing what I could be and can be but through other’s eyes.
So, after this absolutely mental tour, what’s next? What are you planning for 2023?
I’m planning on releasing more music which is very exciting, and fingers crossed heaps more shows.
Don’t forget to catch merci, mercy on her national tour supporting George Ezra this Wednesday, 2nd November at Riverstage in Brisbane!
Tickets - secretsounds.com
