Neav
Central Coast youngster Neav was certainly a very busy lady to close out 2021. Not only was she completing her HSC but she was also working to kickstart her musical career in a big way with the release of her single, Talking To The Devil. Luckily for us at Pario she was able to find a brief moment of free time to sit down & chat about her creative journey so far.
Growing up Neav told us that despite "no one" in her family being "particularly musical" she was still always a surrounded by music. "My dad is a huge music fan, so there has always been so many different types music playing in my house - our house is so loud all the time!"
From this both Neav & her younger sister developed an interest in music. For Neav that interest manifested in her venturing down the singer-songwriter path, whilst her sister is exploring singing & drums. Once Neav's mum noticed her "always singing" Neav was enrolled in singing lessons & her confidence has simply continued to grow.
Being surrounded by the music her family played around the house Neav's influences are quite varied, & perhaps even a little unusual for a 17 year old. When asked to list her influences Neav said, "Adele is just incredible & has always been such an inspiration for me. A bit of a weird one would be David Byrne. He's been a big influence in my life because my dad loves him. Just from a creative standpoint listening to the way that he can adapt & change to create new things is so inspirational. Then finally some more contemporary people would be Lennon Stella, Sabrina Carpenter & Bea Miller. Those would be my biggest influences."
With such strong vocalists & storytellers influencing her it's no surprise that Talking To The Devil conveys a very poignant & personal story.
"When I write songs I can approach them from either a personal space or by writing a story based on someone else's experiences. With this one it came from a personal space. It was written from the perspective of the victim in a space where someone is trying to restrict the growth of a relationship. I was in a relationship at the time, so I wanted to write about that. Talking To The Devil is about the internal battle of choosing not to fall to their level & main thing who you are as a person in that struggle."
Writing about such a personal matter was no easy task, but one which Neav saw as "therapeutic."
"[The song] a really emotional time capsule of that experience... Through writing the song I didn't feel like I had to lash out or do something stupid. I used the song writing process as a mechanism to express how I was feeling & trap that emotion in the song so that I don't have to feel that anymore."
It was so fitting that Neav chose to tackle the subject of mental health through this song in particular as its creation was spurred on by her victory in the Song Writing Prize held by mental health charity Listen Up. That wasn't the only award Neav received in 2021, she was also awarded the Australian Song Writing Award & received a nomination for the APRA Songwriter Of The Year.
"For me simply hearing everyone's songs was such a good experience... It's a big confidence boost to have your song writing skills recognised alongside some amazingly talented songwriters.
Looking ahead Neav is aiming to replicate the produced dark-pop sound of her records in a live setting by building a band, which may include her sister.
"I really look forward to maybe writing some stuff with [my sister] & getting her to perform with me - that's something that I would really love to do in the future."
Keep up with NEAV on Instagram at: @NeavOfficial_
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