Having already turned out a flurry of rich and illuminating releases these last few months, Welsh singer-songwriter Rona Mac is back once again to unveil her wistful new single ‘Buttercup’.
Lifted from her forthcoming new album ‘Honeymilk and Heavy Weather’, which is out on the 11th October, ‘Buttercup’ sees her capture more of that rich and alluring indie-folk aesthetic she has been garnering lately. So we decided to catch up with her to find out more about her origins and influences over the years.
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Can you tell us a bit about your musical background and how you got started in music?
My family are all super musical, and we grew up in the church playing music together as my dad was a priest. Having moved away from religion myself, me and my sisters still often harmonise together and are currently working on a little folky project as we speak! My first job was playing percussion and backing vocals in a covers band around local pubs when I was 14 and 15, and I guess I’ve never really had a ‘proper’ job since, although it’s taken until 29 years old to actually call myself a musician. In terms of songwriting, it’s always been a part of self-growth, alongside journalling, poetry and surfing. We all have things we do and skills we develop to stay sane – this is one of mine.
Who are some of your biggest musical influences, both past and present?
Joni Mitchell and James Taylor, CSNY – these are artists I grew up listening to. Then, taking matters into my own hands, we had the likes of Laura marling, Bright Eyes, Ben Howard and Death Cab For Cutie. Now, I listen to pretty much everything, but I still have a soft spot for singer-songwriter style things.
Are there any specific artists or bands that have had a significant impact on your music style or approach?
Although I don’t align with their music as such, Tash Sultana was the first openly gay, gender fluid, DIY artist I came across and it really sparked something in me. It was one of those ‘I could do that’ moments, and although I never listen to their music, seeing them shred on stage with a looped anthem behind them was pretty iconic. Ben Howard is another massive one, with his integration of landscapes that I am surrounded by – water whipped into storms, winter canvases. He uses intricate rhythms and great guitar playing too. But I guess what I have in common with them both is a foundation in good guitar playing, a love for rhythm, and surf culture.
Could you share any memorable moments or experiences that have shaped your musical journey so far?
I had a list, about 5 years ago now, that was ‘things to do before I am 30’. I can’t remember what else was on there, but ‘record an album’ was the one I tackled first. It consisted of a winter in my caravan, collecting second hand equipment and watching some YouTube videos and having a good go at it, and the result was my debut album ‘Sheelah’. The ball has been rolling ever since then, and I’m just watching to see how far we can go. I’ll be 30 in a few weeks.
How do you express your personal experiences and identity through your music?
I guess anything you create is a reflection of your experience and identity. Even if it’s about someone else’s – it still comes from you. It’s impossible to avoid. That said, I do write from a personal perspective. I have never sat down and thought ‘I am going to write a song about x, y and z’. Rather, I am down and let the music and shapes of words in my mouth and emotions guide what is going to come out. It’s led by ear and feel, rather than thought. It feels like a very true and naked part of me that comes out in song, and sometimes I’m not even sure what it’s about until weeks later. I’ve heard other songwriters talk about this.
Have you faced any challenges or obstacles as a female musician, and if so, how have you overcome them?
I think interacting with the music ‘industry’ is a similar experience to interacting with a car garage. You have two options – present yourself in a very masculine, confident and iron-willed way, or act like you know nothing and flirt your way through. The music industry is as deeply entrenched in gender dynamics as a car garage is. To exist in that space as an introverted, feminine, gentle person is really hard. Even down to email communications – I find myself talking in a self-assertive and arrogant way that I find deeply uncomfortable, and I wish I didn’t have to do that to be recognised as someone who knows their shit, and knows what they want. To be respected. When communicating with women and n.b people in the industry, I find that I can be myself. I can be emotional and gentle and warm in my communication and still be seen and respected as a professional, a valid co-worker or client.
Are there any particular themes or messages that you aim to convey through your music?
I just try to make something that feels real to me, in the hope that it will connect to something real in other people.
Can you talk about your creative process and how you go about writing and producing your music?
If life allowed it, I would write, record and produce all day every day for as long as I live. It’s an obsession, and my total safe space. I use a little tour caravan as my music studio, and it’s a really cosy and intimate space for me to let creativity happen. Writing, I usually feel this little bubble of a potential song inside me, and then put my phone on record and start playing and singing whatever goes out. On rare occasions, a song comes out fully formed. More often, I will have 15 minutes of recording and go through, picking bits I like, re-writing lines and shaping it. I will then often play it a lot to let the phrasing of things land properly, and sometimes take it to the loop pedal to see about some ideas. Sometimes I’ll wake up humming a baseline or find myself working out the drum pattern whilst driving, and pull over to make another voice note. Then, I find a few days to spend in the studio, I go through all the notes and recordings and get a project open and go for it. The sounds of wind and rain frequently feature in my recordings, due to the nature of the space and the stormy place I live in. Producing is super fun, playing with different plug-ins and making a song feel like a space. It’s cool.
How do you hope your music will resonate with your audience, especially with other aspiring female musicians?
I hope to inspire other queer, skint and rural musicians. Representation is important, and especially in rural spaces. I want to take my queer music to them. I booked an album release tour myself for October, and whilst I am visiting some cities, I tried super hard to keep things decentralised.
My entire music journey has been self-releasing, managing, booking, mixing, recording, plugging. It’s some kind of cosmic joke with myself of how far I can push it before I break and ask for help. But it has been eye-opening to me to see how much of it I can do myself, and deeply satisfying to do so, with the help of some successful funding grants!
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Listen to Rona Mac’s new single ‘Buttercup’ below.
Photo Credit: Gareth Rhys