Rising Music Star Salli Edwards On The Five Things You Need To Shine In The Music Industry

An Interview With Elana Cohen

Don’t take anything for granted. The music industry is very fickle. People’s tastes and opinions about music change constantly. If you do get an opportunity, take full advantage of it as it might never happen again.

As a part of our interview series with leaders, stars, and rising stars in the music industry, we had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Salli Edwards.

Salli Edwards is a Filipino-Australian singer-songwriter based in Melbourne. A former journalist, her songs channel the diversity of her musical influences and the many places she has lived in. Delving into ’80s pop, ’90s grunge, electronica and jazz, her music has drawn critics’ comparisons with The Sundays, Beach House, Suzanne Vega and Mazzy Star. In 2020, she recorded and released her debut album “Revolving Doors” while in lockdown. Her song “Apartments,” which mourns the loss of character in inner city neighbourhoods due to rampant development, made the semi-finals of the 2022 Unsigned Only international songwriting competition. She has just released her new album, “City Life.”

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn a bit about your “origin story”. Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?

I was born in Tokyo, Japan, the youngest of three children. I went to an international school there and I think that is how I started to have a multicultural view of the world which has stayed with me throughout my life. When I was 6, we moved to the Philippines, then when I was 11 we moved to Australia. Having moved around a lot in my childhood I learned to be quite flexible and adapt to my new surroundings and way of life. Being exposed to different cultures and my experiences growing up have shaped who I am and how I view the world. I have the same approach with my music in that I have a lot of different influences and take inspiration from everything I listen to. I find it hard to just stick to one genre!

Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?

I’ve always loved music and started singing as a child. But it wasn’t until I was living in San Francisco that I decided to pursue music seriously, although I wouldn’t say I just got up one day and decided that music would be my career! I was in a band, or more accurately a duo, and we started out doing covers of our favourite songs. Eventually, I felt the need to branch out and start writing my own songs to be able to fully express myself and write from my own personal experiences. Once I made that decision, it’s like the dam just broke and suddenly all these songs started to come out! I was also going through a lot in my personal life at the time, so writing songs provided a much-needed emotional release. But it took many years of introspection, travel, personal growth and moving around before I finally recorded and released my first album in 2020.

Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?

I once played a solo gig on a boat. It was a fundraiser for an organisation that supports families of victims of crime. I remember playing my song ‘My First Morning Without You’ which I hadn’t recorded yet, and the reception I got from the people attending was incredible. As a songwriter and artist, knowing how your music can touch even just one person out there in the world can be the most rewarding feeling. I occasionally have people writing to me and saying how much my songs have resonated with them or telling me which one is their favourite and why.

It has been said that sometimes our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

So many lessons when I was starting out! I think the first and most important lesson is to always be prepared and professional, such as turning up for sessions on time and having all your gear sorted.

In Canberra, I was in a band called Beautiful Lucy’s Room and we were playing a gig. Anyway, we did the sound check and everything sounded great. But for some reason, when we came out on stage later, the mix sounded totally off and I couldn’t even hear myself! I realised I turned off my volume when we finished the sound check. I have this OCD habit of turning things off all the time, so I must have done it without thinking!

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

I can’t pin it down to just one person. I am really grateful to have the support of my friends and family. I can’t thank them enough for believing in me and encouraging me to pursue my dream. As a solo artist, I am also reliant on the musicians I work with to help realise my vision for each song. I have had the privilege of working with some of the most talented session musicians from all over the world who have helped bring my songs to life. Throughout the years, I have also collaborated with friends who have generously shared their energy and talent — I have learned so much from each one of them.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

“Bloom where you are planted.” This saying has really resonated with me my whole life, having moved around quite a lot since I was a child. It’s about being flexible and adaptable and accepting how circumstances have placed you where you are. Making the best of the situation and using it as an opportunity to learn, grow and thrive. There is a reason why you ended up where you are, and there are lessons you need to learn before you can move on to the next chapter in your life. Then you can put those lessons into practice.

What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?

I am especially proud of having just released my second album ‘City Life.’ I feel like this album has a more mature and confident sound. It also has an edgier sound, with more electric guitars throughout. My first album ‘Revolving Doors’ had a folk pop vibe whereas this one delves deeper into my alternative rock and indie influences.

Many of the songs have common themes about life in the city, such as my song ‘Apartments.’ I wrote that song one day — I recall it was during one of our many lockdowns in Melbourne. I had an appointment and was walking home and observing how many new apartment complexes had sprouted all around in such a short time, forever changing the charm and character of the neighbourhood. I think that song started the whole concept of writing about life in the city for the album. The songs ‘Toronado,’ ‘Euclid’ and ‘Hello Again’ all explore city life from different angles. That is where I channel my journalism background — I like to observe and write about things from different perspectives. Like a song about a breakup doesn’t have to be the usual “I’m so heartbroken” angle which has been written about millions of times. It’s like taking a snapshot of a situation and writing from there. My song ‘Blindside’ from my first album I left deliberately quite ambiguous. It was really a song about deception and being ‘blindsided’ by someone or something. But I’m surprised how many people interpret it as a love song! I love how people can take different meanings out of my songs.

We are very interested in diversity in the entertainment industry. Can you share three reasons with our readers about why you think it’s important to have diversity represented in music, film, and television? How can that potentially affect our culture?

First reason is about having a diversity of perspectives. We can’t just keep consuming (or making) music or art from the perspective of one dominant culture or race. It’s really doing humankind a disservice and an injustice if you don’t have everyone’s voices represented.

As a Filipino, I remember growing up in Canberra (Australia) and not seeing people like me in music or movies or the arts. I had no role models or people I could look up to and think ‘I can do that, too.’ It felt like people like me were invisible and had no opportunities. Nowadays, you see more diversity in film, music and television, which is fantastic and how it should have been all along! A good example is this year’s Oscars, where you had more nominees and winners from Asian backgrounds than ever before. It’s the year 2023 — I can’t believe it’s taken us this long to get there.

What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why? Please share a story or example for each.

1. Don’t be too shy to promote yourself! Even though I have a background in journalism and PR, I am the worst at promoting myself. It’s hard to be objective and talk yourself up!
2. In the same vein, don’t try to do all the promoting yourself. Leave it to the professionals! I wish I had taken advantage of publicists earlier when I was starting out. I feel like I could have had a lot more exposure rather than doing it all on my own.
3. Don’t assume people will like your music just because you do. Respect that people have tastes that are different from yours. Not everyone will like your music no matter how hard you try. But when you do win people over, they will be loyal and love everything you do. They will be fans for life.
4. Don’t abuse your voice, look after it. I had a scare many years ago when I thought I was losing my voice. I had to go and see specialists and voice therapists to get my voice back into shape. Now my voice is better than it’s ever been.
5. Don’t take anything for granted. The music industry is very fickle. People’s tastes and opinions about music change constantly. If you do get an opportunity, take full advantage of it as it might never happen again.

Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”?

Making music is a gift and a privilege. Don’t push yourself too hard or take it too seriously. Take time out when you need to. I have written a lot of my songs during ‘down time’ — this is when you are most relaxed and at your creative best.

You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

How about a ‘kindness’ movement? If people could just learn to be kind and compassionate towards others, the world would be a much better place. I know that sounds cliched and overly simplistic but it’s so true!

I wrote the song ‘For All the People’ one morning after watching the news all night about the invasion of Ukraine. Throughout the day, I’d also seen several news items about injustice and innocent people being exploited. All these things must have been simmering in my subconscious because when I woke up the next morning, the lyrics and the melody of the chorus just came to me fully formed. I quickly wrote the rest of the song from that. To this day, it is my favourite song of mine and the one I am most proud of. It’s an anthem for all the people out there in the world who are suffering and how we are all connected as humankind.

Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. :-)

Too many to mention! My all-time favourite singer songwriter is Aimee Mann. I would love to have even just a few minutes with her to just talk about music in general and the genesis of some of my favourite songs that she has written.

I also had the privilege many years ago when I was a journalist in San Francisco of interviewing Kate Ceberano. Being part Filipino herself, she would be the closest I would have as a role model in the music industry. I would love to catch up with her again if I had the chance. Her career is still going strong after over 40 years in the music business. She is an icon here in Australia.

How can our readers follow you online?

You can follow me on Spotify, or on Instagram, or my website https://www.salliedwards.com/.

This was very meaningful, thank you so much! We wish you continued success!