Name: Rhiannon Atkinson-Howatt aka Merpire
Nationality: Australian
Occupation: Singer, songwriter
Current Release: Merpire's new album new album Milk Pool is out now. Buy the album on vinyl here.
Recommendation for Melbourne, Australia: The Botanic Gardens in South Yarra.

If you enjoyed this Merpire interview and would like to know more about her music, visit her official homepage. She is also on Instagram, Facebook, Soundcloud, tiktok, and bandcamp.



Do you think that some of your earliest musical experiences planted a seed for your interest in writing lyrics or poetry? How and when did you start writing?

Definitely! I started writing in primary school. Crushes have always driven my writing - on people, on characters, crushes on times of day, nature. Movies like ‘The Sound Of Music’ and ‘The Little Mermaid’ had a profound effect on me.

Music looked like the answer to everything - family troubles, questions of self and place in the world. It was freedom.

Before I wrote lyrics and music I wrote poetry about pretty much anything. I loved making it ritualistic. I used to make my own paper, spray scents onto it and use different coloured pens.

Entering new worlds and escapism through music and literature have always exerted a very strong pull on me. What do you think you are drawn to most when it comes to writing?

I can completely relate to this. I’m very perceptive and sensitive to my surroundings and to people. You’d probably relate to certain moments in life feeling like a movie - a first kiss for instance.

The first three singles I released zoom in on intense sexual chemistry with someone, the daydreams about them and the first kiss. Those are real life movie moments. Sometimes it’s just staring out a train window, feeling melancholy.

Those are the moments I write for because they’re often my favourite moments to have music soundtracking.

Have there been song lyrics which actually made you change (aspects of) your life? If so, what do you think leant them that power?

Great question! The first that comes to mind is Angel Olsen’s ‘Lights Out’.



It helped so much when I needed reminding that some negative things that have happened in my life aren’t my fault but the way in which I move forward with my life is my responsibility.

‘If you don't feel good about it, then turn around
If you really mean it, baby, stand your ground
No one's gonna take it for you, darling, it's true
No one's gonna make it for you

If you feel like quitting now, then try a little harder
The things we need the most, they seem to take a little longer
No one's gonna try it for you, darling, no one
No one's gonna wait there with you

Just when you thought you would turn all your lights out, it shines
Some days, all you need is one good thought strong in your mind’

I have always considered many forms of music to be a form of poetry as well. Where do you personally see similarities? What can music express which may be out of reach for poetry?

Definitely. Both are obviously very powerful when they connect but music definitely has another inexplicable magic layer to it.

I really believe some songs are more powerful than others not for the instruments, lyrics or voice that you hear but the energy that’s coming through from the way the elements are being played. What the artist / musician was feeling at the time of the recording comes through.

I think that’s why some songs that are just a voice and guitar or just piano, can hit from the first note without an explanation, and why classical music for instance where composers re-record famous works can sound or feel so different even if the music and instruments are nearly identical.

Written words are just that - the words. But music is the smell, the feel, the colour of the pages they’re written on.

The relationship between words and music has always intrigued me. How do you see it? How far can music take you to places with your writing you would possibly not have visited without it?

I take a while to work through feelings and challenges and what I’m trying to express. What I want to say when it’s important rarely comes easy, so I write songs to unravel and to heal.

Growing up I didn’t really get the opportunity to trust and learn what I needed emotionally so writing lyrics and music is a way I can fully express what I’m feeling in a safe environment while I’m learning how to emotionally regulate.

In the last few years I’ve really got into producing and that adds even more expression for the message and emotion I’m trying to convey. It’s like magic. Even more so when a part of a song you might feel connected to the most is a single note or the silence between a note.

What are areas/themes/topics that you keep returning to in your lyrics?

Desire, scents, what goes on in your head that you might not ever say out loud, nature.

I think the song ‘Canine’ covers just about all of that!



On the basis of a piece off Milk Pool, tell me about how the lyrics grew into their final form and what points of consideration were.

‘Cinnamon’ which is about halfway through the new record was a real surprise to write. I wrote it on a friend's guitar I borrowed in London.



I had the chord progression in the verses first then the words ‘Who’s cooking with cinnamon?’ came up out of nowhere. I actually was going to ditch this lyric and the song all together because I’m a music snob who gets bored easily and it didn’t sound impressive enough to me at first. Where the hell was I going to go with that line?

Then when I got to the chorus I was like “Ooooohh shit, that’s heavy, we’re onto something here”. I didn’t know what the song was about at all until the chorus came out.

This song is a perfect example of something out there giving you a small clue for a song that you may not understand at first but when you have the patience to follow it, it can be really something. I love the syncopation and the lyrics in this song.

Do you tend to start writing with what will be the first line of the finished lyrics? The chorus? At a random point? What are the words that set the process in motion?

Almost always at a random point. I usually have a melody first that I might go about my day or week with, just kind of hanging over me waiting for me to sit down and do something with it.

Lyrics I write all the time as thoughts and ponderings. I often get lyrics come up when I’m walking, driving, showering, watching other people's shows - which I think is pretty common - the moments you’re not actively trying to write. If I have a chord progression or riff come first, I’ll play it over and over and sing gibberish until melodies and random words crop up on their own.

Honestly, I’m astounded every time a song is forming and after every song I write, I think that it’s the last one I’ll ever write. It’s such a profound experience every single time.

When you're writing song lyrics, do you sense or see a connection between your voice and the text? Does it need to feel and sound “good” or “right” to sing certain words? What's your perspective in this regard of singing someone else's songs versus your own?

YES. There are definitely words that feel better to sing than others. Some might have to be drawn out to sound better or cut off quickly for more emphasis.

The word “fuck” for instance on my song ‘Premonition’ is really drawn out to have its own melody. It softens it and makes it sound more innocent and dreamy.



I would love to know a little about the feedback you've received from listeners or critics about what they thought some of your songs are about – have there been “misunderstandings” or did you perhaps even gain new “insights?”

I love it when people misunderstand my songs in an interesting way. That’s a gift. It’s the power of lyrics. Sometimes we unintentionally make songs to fit what might be going on in our lives.

My favourite misunderstanding was for my song ‘Habit’ off my first album, Simulation Ride.



I sing about the love for my community and someone thought it was about trying to navigate a polyamorous relationship, which they were facing challenges with so it was so nice that it could be that for them.