Mallrat Chats ‘Butterfly Blue’, Growing up And Her Laneway 2023 Run!
Meanjin/Brisbane’s Mallrat had a huge 2022, with the release of her debut album ‘Butterfly Blue’ capping off a stellar few years for the eclectic artist also known as Grace Shaw.
Having been on the scene since her teens, ‘Butterfly Blue’ is the brightest jewel yet in the princess of pop’s crown. Ungrained caught up with Shaw to discuss the album, growing up with fans, and what she’s most looking forward to on the Laneway Festival 2023 run.
Looking back on 2022, your debut album ‘Butterfly Blue’ came out in May. What was the experience of releasing that like for you, given how long you’ve been around before releasing your debut?
You're right, I think a lot of people were surprised that it was my first album. It was really cool. For me, regardless of the format, I get excited to share a song or an EP or an album. Sharing music is the most exciting part of being a musician. It’s just really nice to be able to show people what I've been working on and surprise them with some unexpected bits.
Yeah, that was a key takeaway a lot of people had from the album. Being like “Oh, we didn't know she was working on this style of music, or we didn't know that was something she was interested in doing.” Were you surprised by the audience's reflections on the album?
It was very intentional to keep people on their toes. So I was really happy with the surprise.
More recently you’ve put out the music video for ‘Teeth’, about six months after the album came out. What was the process behind that video?
I actually filmed the video at the beginning of the year, and I wasn't going to put it out because I was a little disappointed in it. I learned an interesting lesson actually, because I was disappointed in it because I was so involved in the direction. I had a really specific vision of what it was going to look like, and so when it inevitably came out a little different, I was like, “no, this isn't what it was meant to be, let’s not put it out”. A few months went by, putting some distance between what I wanted it to be and what it was, and I rewatched it with fresh eyes. And I was like, “oh, this is actually incredible, it's really, really good”.
I think that's such a common thing with creative works in general. Do you ever find that same feeling with a song you've made?
Definitely. We call it demo-itis. You make a demo, and then you can't finish it because you don't want to move on from the demo.
You've been doing this since you were 16, and your audiences have very much grown up with you. How has that experience been for you?
It's so cool. Well, cool is an understatement [laughs]. You put it so well - there are kids that started listening to me when I put my first song on SoundCloud, they would have been 14 or something. I see them now and I almost can't recognise them, but in the best way possible! You can see how much they've found themselves and found their confidence, and they're still as supportive and caring as ever. It makes me quite emotional. It's really nice that we've grown up together, and we still have all this shared common ground and love for each other. It's really special.
It is quite nice in terms of digital accessibility, people can truly follow an artist's journey a lot more closely than I think you could maybe 20 or 30 years ago. Do you ever find that you're seeing the same faces at shows, you're seeing the same people coming up online?
Yeah. And I think it goes two ways with the online thing, because it's easier to follow an artist's journey, but it's also easy as an artist to connect and show your gratitude to people that have supported you. That’s one of my favourite parts of it all.
Absolutely. Particularly in Australia, it's such a small industry, so it's nice to be seeing the same people over and over again, and have the fans truly following through the journey. You’re playing Laneway Festival in 2023. What are you most looking forward to on that tour?
The cool thing about touring festivals is that usually if you're playing a festival, you won't have time to see all the acts that you want to see. With a touring festival, I think I will be able to see most of them. It’s also nice because you get to know everyone, it’s quite a few days or weeks together. I’m excited to see lots of music, and make some friends.
Absolutely! Is there anyone in particular that you're keen to see?
I'm really keen to see Turnstile! That's who I'm most excited for, because I've been listening to them a lot. My friend jamesjamesjames is playing and Sycco is playing and I love them both a lot. I can't wait to watch them. It's a really eclectic and exciting lineup.
Looking ahead, what are you looking forward to?
I'm most excited about Laneway. That's the next big thing. I've always wanted to play it, so it's a bit of a special thing. I guess I'm also just going to be working on whatever the next album sounds like. I'm gonna find out soon, I suppose.
Do you have a process for when you go into writing something new? Or is it just a bit of a free-for-all?
It's a bit of a free-for-all, for sure. I'm just writing whatever I feel like for a long time, and eventually some sort of vague direction will appear. I'm feeling around in the dark, more than an actual process.
Sometimes that's a better way to do - there's no pressure, there's no expectations on what you're planning to get out there. I think sometimes people go in with a very strict concept and then get frustrated when they can't achieve it.
Exactly, I'm sure that can be limiting. It's nice to not have any limitations.
You can catch Mallrat at your local Laneway pitstop!
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