It’s been three years since your last album, have you been taking a hiatus or has it been a slow work in progress?
The hardest part was getting around to writing. I’m not very prolific for one, particularly with this album it took me a while to settle in and meet musicians and get a job. Music had to take a back seat for a little while so I could just get my life sorted out.
Your singles, Awooh! and Why’d You Have To Kiss Me so Hard? are already getting some attention. Are those your favourite tracks from the new album?
Not necessarily. At the time when Why’d You Have To Kiss Me So Hard? came out, I only had that one ready to release. It was single worthy, but it’s not like I had a list and I chose that one. That one was recorded in 2011 in a separate session. Awooh! just stood out as being a single kind of song. They’re not necessarily my favourites, just some of the more immediate danceable songs.
Your Pozible campaign for the jigsaw puzzle was a resounding success. Was that your first attempt at crowd sourcing, and will you try it again in future?
Yeah, definitely. It’s a really good way to connect with fans and also get a feel for how much interest there is and where it’s coming from. It was a handy thing to have done, to get a feel for where you’re at. Fans like it as well, ‘cos they’re able to see you achieve something and see the goal from the beginning. Most artists would keep fans in the dark, and announce it as a thing with the puzzle. I wouldn’t have been able to do it without reaching out and asking people for help. It was basically a pre-order campaign, but they get something cool at the end of it and to see it be born from the beginning.
Your music video for Awoooh! was great. Did you bust that out in a single day of shooting?
We sure did. We only had eight hours in the venue. Most of the budget of the whole clip was spent on the venue hire. Everyone worked for free – director, actors, dancers, makeup artists, crew and all the money went on the venue and gear hire. We had to just smash it out.
What also caught my eye was the abundance of karaoke videos on your YouTube channel. So, what came first – karaoke or song writing?
Song writing came first. I didn’t discover karaoke until about five or six years ago. I don’t really like booth karaoke that much, but I happened upon this pub that was near my house. They were putting on weekly free karaoke and I just fell in love with it. It’s so much better than booth karaoke, and I can never convince people of it because it’s so intimidating. You’re not singing to friends, you’re singing to strangers. But it’s really exhilarating and it’s really funny and an interesting people watching experiment.
You must have seen most of Australia over your decade of touring here. What’s the one place you always love to go back to?
I love going back to Sydney ‘cos that’s where I spent ten years growing up into an adult. That’s where I started my career so I’m pretty stoked to be going back there and seeing all my friends and familiar faces I haven’t seen in a while. I also like going to places that I don’t get to go to very often. It’s been five or six years since I’ve played in Wollongong and I’m looking forward to going back.
If you could take this tour anywhere in the world, where would you go?
I’m dying to go to America. I’ve been talking about it for years and dreaming about it. That’s my next overseas destination whenever I claw myself out of whatever debt I’m in.
Do things ever get a little weird on tour, or are you a sensible lot?
We’re pretty sensible. I’m probably the weirdest person in the band. I made them come out for karaoke last time we were in Sydney. Every time I go I make sure to go to this one place in Leichhardt. It’s just the best. We all party and have fun, but there’s nothing too crazy going on. We’re all responsible adults.
After moving from Sydney to Melbourne, do you have an opinion on which one is better?
No, I love them both for different reasons. The music scene in Melbourne is a little more vibrant, but I don’t think it’s necessarily the fault of Sydney musicians. Sydney has had a really rough trot with licensing, it’s just set up a little bit differently which makes it hard for venues to stay open. But they’re both great places to live and I really love them.
Catch Laura in Adelaide (June 21), Manly (June 28), Goodgod Sydney (June 29), Wollongong (June 30), Brisbane (July 5) and Melbourne (July 13). See: lauraimbruglia.com
