Anyone can cook: Cherry Rype preaches the words of 'Ratatouille'.
'From the Cherry Tree' was an opportunity to be immersed in the electrifying sound of emerging singer-songwriter Cherry Rype. Accompanied by an equally talented lineup, Cherry and friends had the audience transfixed until the end. A few days later, I sat down with Cherry Rype to reflect on her experience in the live music scene.
REFLECTION
How are you feeling after the event?
I’ve just been getting so much support and I’m feeling really grateful. It was my birthday on the day of the event and looking back it’s probably one of the best birthdays I’ve ever had.
How did you build your energy on the night?
It was because when I walked into the venue all my people were there. They were not only there to support me, but also themselves. The confidence from all of them bounces off onto me. The friendship we share is the main reason why the collective at 'From the Cherry Tree' worked.
Your lineup was made up of super diverse artists, how did you go about meeting them?
Everyone in the lineup I had met in the past 3 years, except Marcella, who I’ve known since high school. She only started DJing two years ago and has come so far. That was actually Redd Dredd’s debut performance. I was absolutely blown away. Lilpixie and I met this year, it’s insane how close we’ve grown. It’s the friends you meet later in life, after what you’ve gone through, that stick there. I feel closer to the people I have in my life now than to some people I’ve had in my life for ages.
JOURNEY
Was music always your preferred medium?
My dad put me into a music school in Five Dock and I spent every Tuesday and Thursday there from age 4 to 15. Growing up my dad was my biggest inspiration. He would play a lot of classic EDM. When I was a baby he would put headphones on me and play Massive Attacks' whole album ‘Mezzanine’. ‘Tear Drop’ is literally my favourite song of all time. He would burn CD’s for me from age 7 to now. The diversity in my music comes from that.
A lot of your music has heavier lyrics paired to an upbeat sound. Can you explain that a bit more?
I describe my music by saying all of it is 'melancholic' meaning the lyrics are quite sad. Making people sad with lyrics whilst simultaneously moving them with the beat is like pushing through a problem. The last song of the night, 'Blue Funk,' is a lot of people's favourite for that reason. One night, I got really pissed off and I was over dealing with PTSD, so I thought, 'I’m going to make a really happy song about this person that ruined my life'. Mental illness is portrayed in music but is often rejected or completely misconstrued by society. It’s like, no, we’re trying to express how it actually feels to think like that.
I wanted to touch briefly on your songwriting process. Transport us to the scene with you.
It’s always in my bedroom, hence why I wanted the show to feel like that. I feel the most comfortable sitting on my bed, stoned at 10pm, recording one takes. I record everything on my iPhone using voice memos, and then I mix the vocals to sound the way they do. That’s why I say anybody can do this.
THE SCENE
Zooming out on the live music scene in Australia, what do you think differentiates our sound?
I feel like we have a really fresh sound and people are returning to the authenticity of an Australian accent. Even when I first started releasing music, I had a Western twang in my voice. That's because I grew up singing a lot of country music, and I really liked the sound of it, but I’m trying to stop doing that. We need to realise how unique our voice is and how it can connect people to Australian music instead of Americanising everything. You don't have to make it in L.A. when you can make it here.
Do you feel like you've "made it" here?
I feel like I’ve already made it. I’ve never made music to get to the point of fame. I just want to make music and meet cool people. Having a close knit family where you can lean on each other and put on these shows. We want to see more inclusiveness in the scene.
At the end of the night, you encouraged emerging artists to release their music. What tips do you have for building confidence?
I always bring up 'Ratatouille' the movie. There’s a point in the very first scene where Gustav says, "anyone can cook" and I 100% believe in that philosophy. It’s something that has stuck with me ever since I was a kid. It’s about practice and putting in the effort for yourself and for the people around you.
