Name: Kaurna Cronin
Nationality: Australian
Occupation: Singer, songwriter
Current release: Kaurna Cronin's Make Light is out October 20th 2023. Buy it here. Pre-save on streaming sites here. 
Recommendations: Robert McFarlane – Landmarks (book); Brett Whiteley – "Self Portrait in Studio" (Artwork)

If you enjoyed this Kaurna Cronin interview and would like to stay up to date with his music, visit his official website. He is also on Instagram, Facebook, and Soundcloud.
 


Where does the impulse to create something come from for you? What role do often-quoted sources of inspiration like dreams, other forms of art, personal relationships, politics etc play?

I'm inspired by anything of interest – mostly I'm inspired by experiences, both of mine, and of others – and what new human perspectives can be seen through the lens of these experiences.

More often than not, conversations with people around ideas spark vocal ideas and lyrics, the environment of the conversation or of the story, and the tone will inspire the mood and sonic choices of the creation and then I'll be playing with different emotive responses using varied choices with songwriting craft, compositions and production.

Generally, it's trying to transport the listener into the world of the experience, for a deeper understanding.

For you to get started, do there need to be concrete ideas – or what some have called a 'visualisation' of the finished work? What does the balance between planning and chance look like for you?

I am very process driven as an artist, so I'm not so attached to the outcome – if I have the emotion and the content clear and formed, what I create is a natural extension of that.

I don't use sonic references. I'm not interested in replicating something sonically. I'm interested in feeding other mediums into my work –  I'm much more focussed on bringing an emotion, story or idea to life.

I'm never visualising the outcome of the process, but I do have a clear sense of what idea or emotion needs to be communicated with the outcome – and I allow my process to decide what that outcome is.

Is there a preparation phase for your process? Do you require your tools to be laid out in a particular way, for example, do you need to do 'research' or create 'early versions'?

For me, it depends on which process. As a songwriter you are constantly putting yourself in situations where ideas of interest exist, and always listening and absorbing – until something arises that has to be written. Then in the writing phase I'll be experimenting with any techniques to craft a song that can communicate the necessary emotion and narrative with one voice and instrument.

I often enjoy collaborating in the composing stage as it's always fascinating to see how other ears interpret the soul of the song, or what other perspectives on the idea can be explored. Naturally, during composing you start envisioning elements of production that will really enhance the world you're creating.

I see the song as the lead character - so when I start producing the recordings I really love to have all the instruments available to evolve the world around the character and give them a place to really flourish.

Do you have certain rituals to get you into the right mindset for creating? What role do certain foods or stimulants like coffee, lighting, scents, exercise or reading poetry play?

For me, it's just getting out and amongst the world, meeting people, going new places and keeping a mindset to be open to anything.

Listening, thinking and yes, plenty of coffee.

What do you start with? How difficult is that first line of text, the first note?

Personally, it all begins with a first line – or a sentence, or a flurry of stream of consciousness from a thought. Sometimes the line has a rhythm or melody. Sometimes it's just powerful enough to write down and want to come back to.

What makes lyrics good in your opinion? What are your own ambitions and challenges in this regard?

Something that's unique and different enough to be excited to connect with, whilst having a universal element that's familiar enough to connect with.

To quote a question by the great Bruce Duffie: When you come up with a musical idea, have you created the idea or have you discovered the idea?

I would tend towards discovering an idea – and then creating something using that idea.

Many writers have claimed that as soon as they enter into the process, certain aspects of the narrative are out of their hands. Do you like to keep strict control or is there a sense of following things where they lead you?

Absolutely. I think artists have more in common with scientists than we think. It's the role of the artist to release control and navigate the revelations in the process. Artists should be explorers, not tour guides.

Often, while writing, new ideas and alternative roads will open themselves up, pulling and pushing the creator in a different direction. Does this happen to you, too, and how do you deal with it? What do you do with these ideas?

Surrender to the process. Like great conversations, we may start talking on one specific idea – but nothing exists in a vacuum. These new tangents have entered our minds during the process, I believe, for a reason.

It is more natural to discuss the relationships between things than to ignore them.

There are many descriptions of the creative state. How would you describe it for you personally? Is there an element of spirituality to what you do?

It's a beautiful place to be. I believe it can definitely be nurtured, but it certainly can't be controlled.

There is a certain element of spirituality – in the sense that the thoughts come and go, and we cannot know where, why or how. We can try to understand – but I think it's best that we don't.

Once a piece is finished, how important is it for you to let it lie and evaluate it later on? How much improvement and refinement do you personally allow until you're satisfied with a piece? What does this process look like in practise?

Personally, some pieces seem to have a sense of finality to them. In the same way I view aesthetics in nature as simultaneously chaotic but beautiful – I respect that in works too. You can sense when something is becoming too refined, it's unnatural.

There is definitely a role in stepping out and getting a less involved perspective – but I don't know if that's fully possible as the artist – so you have to have a intuitive sense of when something if fully matured.

What's your take on the role and importance of production, including mixing and mastering for you personally? In terms of what they contribute to a song, what is the balance between the composition and the arrangement (performance)?  

I see performance as everything. Personally, a good song should be able to be stripped back to the fundamentals, the bones and still carry itself. I see the song as the main character.

Mixing and production can create intrigue and illuminate different parts of the personality in powerful ways – but only when there is something worth seeing.

After finishing a piece or album and releasing something into the world, there can be a sense of emptiness. Can you relate to this – and how do you return to the state of creativity after experiencing it?

Whilst I am in the later stages of an album and well before a release, I am always needing to be deep in a new project.

I see creativity as a flow, if it's continuous it takes is very little energy to keep momentum. Once it stops, it is a lot harder to start a stream.

Creativity can reach many different corners of our lives. Do you personally feel as though writing a piece of music is inherently different from something like making a great cup of coffee? What do you express through music that you couldn't or wouldn't in more 'mundane' tasks?

Music or art in general, in my opinion, has an immense ability to transcend so many barriers we have created through culture, institutions and even patterns of thinking we've built as a human race.

Many everyday tasks can certainly be done in an artistic way, but to me it's an approach, a vision - to want to change something.