MUSIC:Making the transition from childhood opera singer to adult electro-pop star has been surprisingly easy for Austra frontwoman Katie Stelmanis, writes JIM CARROLL
KATIE STELMANIS exudes steely determination. The brains behind Canadian electro-pop outfit Austra, Stelmanis’ back-story is about someone who has steadfastly moved from one genre to another, finding her feet with ease as she’s done so. The classically trained kid who was singing with the Canadian Children’s Opera Chorus as a 10-year-old has become an artist now tapping into an engaging, fluid, accomplished sound.
You'll hear the width and depth of Stelmanis' grand vision on Feel It Break, her new album as Austra, where tracks such as Lose Itand the dramatic Beatand The Pulseare remarkably focused and poised. While she's put her name to other releases – there was another Stelmanis album in 2008 and she also appeared on Fucked Up's The Chemistry Of Common Lifealbum that year – the striking, inventive and cool Feel It Breaksounds like Stelmanis has truly found her direction.
Stelmanis moved from the classical world a long time ago, but those years of studying opera, viola and piano have stayed with her.
“When I originally made the transition from classical music to writing my own music, I was probably heavily influenced by artists who’d made a similar transition and who had a classical background, people like Björk and Kate Bush and Owen Pallett and Nine Inch Nails. You could hear the training in their music and that appealed to me. I wanted to make classical music with really messed up and distorted sounds.”
That training also influenced her songwriting. “When I first started writing my own music, I was very drawn to and inspired by the lyrical format you get in classical music as a way of telling stories and it evolved from there,” she explains
“Writing for me always came from my roots in opera and classical music. There was a time when I looked back and regretted leaving that world. But at this point in my life, I definitely see it as something which was a valuable experience, but which I don’t think about too much. It was very helpful and informative but my music career has gone in a much different way.”
Stelmanis is based in Toronto, a city with a very active and diverse musical community, though she never considered herself part of any scene.
“Because there are so many artists here, it’s a great place to grow as an artist. You can see how others work and be encouraged and motivated by that. But in terms of the music I wanted to make, I felt I was alone in some regards. I remember thinking when I started that I didn’t know anyone who was doing what I was doing. There didn’t seem to be anyone else experimenting with electronic music in this way.”
Now, when she looks back on first album Join Us, Stelmanis can see the limitations that hampered her work. "The resources I had to work with were very lo-fi. All I had was a very basic home studio with a sample bank and that's what I used to write the songs. There were certain samples and sounds which I was quite partial to using quite frequently and that shows on the album."
For Feel It Break, Stelmanis knew it was time for some changes to produce a new shape and sound. "For a start, I wanted it to become a more collaborative project, and it didn't make sense for it to be under just my name. It also took time to get it done, both to it get it recorded and to get it released.
“There’s songs from the last four years on it so it’s hard to see any theme linking them all together, but it definitely feels like a stronger collection of songs to me. It’s not about fads or fashions, I think there’s a real depth to the songs and I hope people can see that. I don’t want to be seen as someone who just happens to be popular right now.”
One of the most welcome transformations for Stelmanis has been in terms of her live show. Harking back to her opera days, she wanted a show that would pack a punch – and an Austra performance certainly ticks that box with Stelmanis and her band playing out of their skins.
“The performance element is now a huge part of what we do and it’s always been something I’ve loved doing. I’ve always wanted to bring in as much as I can in terms of theatrics into the band’s live show. One of the reasons I love opera is that it uses every art form at the same time. You have the lyrics, you have the music, you have acting, you have the art direction and I’ve love how all these elements come together.”
Stelmanis also continues to manage herself, though she expects this situation will change soon. It’s interesting to come across an artist at this stage of a career, with worldwide opportunities and tours to be considered and managed, who combines both the administrative and creative sides.
“I suppose I’m very careful about who I am working with,” she says. “A manager is almost like an extra band member and it’s a very important relationship in your life. I feel totally capable of managing myself but lately, it’s been more management than creative and I don’t think that’s necessarily what I want to do. It’s just a matter of finding someone that I can relate to and connect with on all levels and trust with the project.”
Yet Stelmanis feels that the more analytical aspects of her brain have also had an impact on her songwriting.
“While I have a creative side, I think I use the left side of my brain a lot, even in the way I write music. To me, there is a linear format to writing music and there’s obviously an emotional aspect which plays a huge role. But at the same time, thinking about the arrangements and how I’m going to do it is a very quantitative process.”
Austra plays Dublin’s Crawdaddy on July 2.
Feel It Break
is out now on Domino
