KickstART Virtual 2020 is well underway and in the lead up to Going Walkabout with STAV. on Friday 29 May, Propel asked the Melbourne based singer 5 questions about her new song ‘Walk A Little Further’.

1. Who are you and what do you do?

I am a bilingual singer-songwriter, speaking Hebrew and English. I grew up in a small town on the East Coast of Australia called Bellingen, on Gumbaynggirr country. Nestled in a valley with a river, not far from the beach and rainforests up on the mountain, it was a very beautiful place to live. I am now based in Melbourne, on Wurundjeri country of the Kulin Nations. I won the 2018 Folk Alliance Australia ‘Young Artist of the Year’ award which led me to performing at some of the major folk festivals including Woodford and Port Fairy, as well as doing shows in Canada. Aside from music, I love languages and playing a friendly game of soccer.

2. Can you tell us about your new song?

My new soul-folk song ‘Walk A Little Further’ explores how people can find a sense of personal freedom by letting go of plans. Like many musicians, all my shows I had planned have been cancelled so I have been teaching myself how to record at home and this song is part of that process. I think that learning audiovisual skills is an important way of having a voice in today’s music industry, especially as a young, culturally-diverse woman in Australia. 

I am currently back in the town where I grew up and… I don’t have my license yet so it is strange coming from the city where zipping around on my bike has been a symbol of independence, so I am really grateful to be able to walk to the river while I am here. It is also special being able to spend some time with my parents. I’ve been working on this song non-stop for the past month so I can’t wait to be able to finally share it.

3. Your song premieres this Friday 29 May and the theme of the day is Boodjarak – Everywhere, how did the theme influence ‘Walk A Little Further’?

The themes I was given by the festival are the Noongar word 'Boodjarak' meaning 'everywhere' or ‘on country’ and ‘Going Walkabout’, a rite of passage. I had started writing the song the morning before receiving the prompts from the festival and it seemed like it would suit perfectly. I had never released a home-recording before but I was keen to give it a go. I recently learnt that ‘boodjari’ means ‘pregnant’ so the meaning is also tied to water and caring for country. Recently, I have experienced high levels of sporadic sadness and anxiety but they dissipate, especially when I sing or walk to the river. The repeated chorus ‘walk a little further than you intended’ came out of a place of hope, a reminder not only to continue walking, but also to open up to new things, physically, mentally and spiritually. The song draws on my experiences of touring, where taking that extra step has often been rewarding.

I can also connect to these themes by looking at two rites of passage in my family’s culture. The first is the bat mitzvah, which celebrates womanhood. For me, this meant visiting my birth country, my family cooking a lot of delicious food and the cousins, aunties, uncles, grandparents boisterously hanging out in the park eating together. There is usually more ceremony involved in the rite of passage for boys but being an only girl with three brothers, at the age of 12, even giving it a name made me think about womanhood and what it involves. In all its diversity and complexity, how I embody womanhood remains an important theme in my life.

Travelling and touring has also been a rite of passage. I wouldn’t be able to call it a traditional one, but in some ways it feels like it is, with migration being such a strong story in my family. It’s not always easy but I have learnt so many life skills from touring and it is extraordinary reflecting on all the wonderful people I have met and the strange circumstances that have brought us together. There is something truly remarkable in that - is it chance, fate, or choice? Whatever it is, I was inspired to reconnect with some of those people while in isolation, and this led me to creating the dance video.

4. How has the last few months in isolation treated you and your creative process?

Every movement counts. After a month of self-isolation and feeling quite disconnected from the incessant flood of social media, it was quite intense receiving a beautiful bouquet of personalised videos from some of the people I’d met on tour, each person adding their unique movements and reminding me of special moments (thanks to everyone who contributed!). I asked people to dance to a song they loved, for comfort and inspiration, and to wear black for consistency. I had never edited a video before so I was also teaching myself on the go with some advice from friends (and the internet).

 It was pretty ambitious and I wasn’t even sure I could do it but I was excited that people were keen to be part of it, and I guess having others involved held me accountable to the idea, even through moments of self-doubt. Editing the video really made me appreciate every movement and I started noticing how every millisecond conjured up a different emotion. I also added some footage of nature, connecting West to East, Noongar Boodja to Gumbaynggirr, 4086 kilometres apart.

5. What is your connection to WA?

I was inspired by the music of so many incredible Western Australian artists while performing at festivals around Australia over the past year (Praashekh Quartet, Gina Williams & Guy Ghouse, RU, Nika Mo, Stelly Donnelly to mention a few). I was invited to perform at the 2020 Fairbridge Festival and some friends there told me about Propel Youth Arts WA; they were keen to do something together for KickstART festival. This actually would have been my first tour to WA, but plans changed with COVID-19. It’s awesome that Propel Youth Arts WA is going ahead with the festival online - it’s a chance to put a spotlight on artists in so-called Australia and to celebrate the beautiful diversity we have here.

Find out more about Going Walkabout with STAV. here, follow STAV. on her Instagram, Facebook and website. Walk A Little Further premieres this Friday 29 May, 2PM as part of KickstART Virtual 2020.