Kate Nash has had quite the career. Number one albums, hit singles, massive tours – it’s been a whirlwind to say the least. Her most recent effort, Girl Talk, marks a significant step forward for Nash as a songwriter.
Despite being dropped by her label, Nash says that it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. “If that happened 10 years ago it would have been quite frightening for an artist. Whereas now it’s changed, and you’ve got things like Twitter and Facebook where you can directly interact with your fans. It just gives you more options and freedom.”
That freedom allowed her to rediscover an old love. Having played the bass in a side project known as The Receders, Nash grew accustomed to writing songs with the instrument. “What I really liked about playing the bass is the weight of the instrument and how strong you feel holding it. It was very simple writing bass notes. It gives you a lot of time to write melodies as a singer.”
The past few years have been especially tough for Nash, yet what is so admirable is that, as a musician, she remains true to her artistic ideals. In an industry that can often knock you down, it’s hard to stay strong.
“I have a very supportive family and friendship group and they really help me. I’m also just really stubborn which is very typical of my star sign, Cancer.”
I just don’t like being told what to do. I really admire the musicians who are quite rebellious and can stand up and provoke”On top of taking solace in the support of her loved ones, she also backs the confidence she has in herself. “I just don’t like being told what to do. I really admire the musicians who are quite rebellious and can stand up and provoke. Being true to myself helps me stay true to my fans.”
When going through tough times and changes as an artist, it’s the fans that support and love you that keep you going. This is even more prevalent in the social media age. Nash took full advantage of the new mediums, creating her album with the help of crowdfunding source PledgeMusic. “I have such a loyal fan base and I’ve gotten really close to them this year by being so open with them. They’ve got a lot of faith in me and really do support me, especially with this new album.”
The new record is certainly different to her old material. It’s punkier, punchier, and a little angrier. In saying that though, it still maintains the things that her fans have grown to love about Nash. It’s still got that cheeky charm and it’s still honest as hell.
When asked to describe the album in just three words, Nash depicts it as “emotional puke therapy” and says, “it was just me puking out all my emotions”.
Miss Nash can count herself as someone at the forefront of feminism. She not only sings about her passion, but she also acts on it. Nash travelled to Ghana as an ambassador for the organisation Because I Am A Girl. She described the whole experience as “absolutely crazy”.
“It was very eye-opening and grounding. It was just really inspiring. I got to meet the elder and chief of a little village Hoho. We had drove like five hours into the middle of nowhere and met some incredible kids. Some of these kids had chosen education over basic clothing. I just really care about girls and enjoy helping them.”
Feminism isn’t just a female thing either. While there’s an unfair stigma around the term, Nash acknowledges the huge wave of men that support equal rights for women.
“The first record I only had 12 songs, and I got sick of playing them over and over. Now that I can play new ones and bring old ones, it just makes it more fun”“It’s really great to hear that it’s not only women, but men support it. I know there’s a lot of stereotypes out there (that portray feminists) as ‘man haters’. It’s logistically important that young men have strong female role models and just good people around showing them the right things to do.”
It seems that every artist has nice things to say about Australia. Nash is no different. “One of my most favourite tours ever was the Big Day Out festival when I was there last, 2011 I think it was. I had such a cool time. It’s just such a beautiful country.”
In some ‘hot off the press’ tour news, she also revealed that she’d be hitting our shores “early next year”. What we can expect from her new live show? Nash is more confident with an extensive back catalogue behind her.
“(Playing live) is so much more enjoyable.The first record I only had 12 songs, and I got sick of playing them over and over. Now that I can play new ones and bring old ones, it just makes it more fun.”
For those that pay attention to Nash’s official website, you would’ve noticed that she posted a fairly cryptic message saying she’s embarking on a new project. She revealed to Tone Deaf that it’s basically “about supporting women in music and giving them the platform for that”.
New album ‘Girl Talk’ is out now through Have 10P Records
