Images via Mushroom Creative House // 

Adding this to our ‘Certified Bop’ playlist…

Sydney rising star Kirsten Salty has been making waves of elegance in the Aussie music scene for a little while now, her debut single ‘Je Nais Sais Quoi’ ft. Taka Perry put the nation on notice last year with its unique blend of sass, silk and steeze. She’s since followed it up with ‘Limbo’ this year, further proving herself to be every bit the electric sensation she came across in ‘Je Nais Sais Quoi’ and more. But she’s not just all fire and attitude. She’s got stories to tell, feelings to explore, and most importantly, heart to give, and she’s digging deep on all of the above in her latest single ‘Lucy.’

The confessional-gem sees the Sydney singer-songwriter explore the notion of alter-egos and conflicting personality, introducing listeners to the super-powered version of herself who goes by the name of ‘Lucy.’ It’s a pretty relatable theme for a song, one Salty brings a wealth of authenticity to.

Musically she’s steaming with lush enchantments of attitude and heart, reggae-like guitars backing her bubbly vocal blessings as she outlines what it’s like to balance her inner ‘Lucy’ with the more introverted parts of her personality. She gets pretty vivid in describing the coexistence as well, lyrics ‘Mornings/ Looking in the mirror and its foreign/ Eyes are changing colours to a shade of green, yeah I gained 2 feet/ but it’s just not me,’ painting a visceral portrait of the inner tug of war we endure with the conflicting parts of our psyche. 

The hook however sees Salty totally immerse herself in the soul of the track, the repetition of ‘I just wanna be like lucy/ I just wanna see what you see’ managing to sound wonderfully carefree while tinged with emotion; the fundamental desire to be the very best version of herself flooding off her every utterance. It’s a total bop in every sense of the word, one that leaves you desperate to embrace your own inner ‘Lucy’ through multiple replays.

Visually the clip matches the impactful nature of the song with sublime ease, giving a bedazzled and larger than life portrayal of ‘Lucy’ juxtaposed with Salty’s attempts to come to grips with her. The dynamic between the two makes for some super interesting moments, including some revolving transitions around one minute into the video that perfectly highlights the contrasting intricacies in how Salty and Lucy approach even the smallest intricacies of everyday life. 

A personal favourite however is the shot at 1:48 where Salty comes face to face with several phones being held up to her, all of which displaying her alter-ego as the hook ‘I just wanna be like Lucy’ plays in the background. It’s perhaps the heart of the visual, symbolising the moment Salty realises that she’s done trying to live up to this other side of her, inadvertently embracing it more than ever before. By the end of the video you’re fully invested in her journey, experiencing every revelation with her as if Lucy were a part of your own personality.

It’s a total journey in three minutes, one that leaves you ever so curious as to Salty’s artistry and the creative process behind it all. Thus, we caught up with the Sydney singer-songwriter to get deep on everything that makes up ‘Lucy,’ from its wonder-filled visuals to the invigorating guitars and vocals that rattle around your mind for days on end. Check it below. 

It’s been really cool seeing you expand your sound with ‘Lucy.’ It definitely has a piece of ‘Limbo’ but also really nicely calls back to ‘Je Nais Sais Quoi’ with Taka Perry. How do you feel it pushes your sound forward? 

I am super passionate about all genres of music as I grew up in a musical household where Dad would play heavy metal and Mum would listen to John Mayer and Tina Arena in the car trips to school. It made me fall in love with music as a whole rather than thinking of what I was hearing and drawing it down to ‘I love POP music’. I think that’s what is so exciting about writing, knowing that you are going to walk out of the room with a whole new, fresh song that didn’t exist 6 hours prior.

‘Lucy’is a really good representation of where I am at right now. What I love about the 3 songs I have out is that they are cohesive but definitely different, and that’s something I really want to continue doing with my music, not putting myself in any kind of box.

What influences feed into ‘Lucy?’ You’ve got this nice blend of reggae and pop that fits really well.

Usually for sessions I am super prepared. I come in with ideas on what I want to write about and a sonic reference but for this session I was walking in blind. I had this idea about writing a song that’s about me but not about me, a person who I wish to be, someone with better qualities, superpowers even. I kept referring back to the film ‘Lucy’ with Scarlett Johnanssen where a bag of drugs explodes in her tummy and she becomes a legit superhero. SO, we went with that and the song literally just fell out of us.

You’ve talked about how ‘Lucy’ was inspired by a fight you were having in your relationship with music. What was it specifically about your relationship with music that was causing that conflict?

I guess I was just writing songs that I wasn’t super happy with, I felt a little lost in what direction I wanted to take and the type of artist I wanted to be. I hit a wall after a really good run of writing heaps of songs so I decided to take a step back for a bit. I had the session booked in with Maya, Robby and Ned for months and we were all so pumped. I addressed at the start of the session that I have been feeling really ‘creatively uninspired’ and it like unlocked something in all of us hahaha – I left the studio that day feeling so f**king inspired and excited about this song and couldn’t wait for the day it came out, and here we are now. 

You’ve been really open about how sometimes you wake up as the most confident person ever and then other times you’re super reserved, which I think a lot of people can relate to. How do you find peace between the two?

Sometimes I’ll snap myself out of it and then there are days where I just sit in my sadness. I mean we all go through these drastic ups and downs. I think I find peace in knowing that I won’t feel like this forever and most days I am Lucy so I’ll let myself be down and out, just for the day.

Do you ever channel that ‘Lucy’ energy when you’re more on the reserved side? 

It depends on the situation really. I feel like I switch on when it comes to performing or having to do the artist thing but when I am home by myself with my friends and family I am a lot more chill. Lucy fades in and out at the most perfect times and that is why I love her.

Although your sound has been expanding with each and every release, your videos have been pretty top notch since your debut single. They’ve obviously been really fun and upbeat, which ‘Lucy’ continues, but you’ve got this added message underpinning the video that makes it a lot more impactful. How would you describe the overall arc of the video?

Visuals are my favourite part of being an artist. Even on the day of the session where we wrote it I was like ‘I already know in this music video, I am going to be wearing a WIG’. I think that’s what excited me most, already being inspired by the visuals/content around the song. I wanted to focus on making this video a storyline as it wasn’t something I had explored yet. There was a lot of BTS work from the team that worked on the video, figuring out all the bits and pieces but I am so HAPPY that we got the overall message across, and you can perceive that message however you want. It’s always up to the audience.

The BTS pics from the video look really fun and laid back. What was the energy like on set when you were making it? 

We had the most stressful but weirdly easy going day ever? It was sub 15 degrees and the day started with me in the tiniest top, freezing my ass off BUT it was so worth it in the end. We also shot it in such a tight window – like 8 hours and we had multiple takes and a huge shot list to nail considering I was playing both characters. I had a coffee in the afternoon and spilled it on my outfit so I had to wet it and stand next to the oven to get rid of the wet patch for 30min. It was a super rewarding day but also non-stop, intense.

In the hook you sing ‘I just wanna be like Lucy/ I just wanna see what you see,’ and in the video you coincide that lyric with a shot of all of these phones being held up to you. What was that shot meant to symbolise?

This was a really important shot. I wanted it to symbolise the absolute peak of Salty being like ‘fuck this, I am so OVER this Lucy chick thinking she can walk in here’. I also wanted it to feel like Lucy was actually taking over Salty, raising the question of ‘wait, are Lucy and Salty the same person?’.

Finally, how does ‘Lucy’ fit into the story of Kirsten Salty? And what can we expect next?

This song is an important stepping stone for my music journey. I feel like it’s pointing me in the right direction and has made me realise a lot about myself. Solidifying the artist I am and opening doors to new, exciting opportunities. To be honest with you I can’t tell you what to expect, all I know is that I am super passionate and love what I do and can’t WAIT to continue this journey.

Kirsten Salty’s new single ‘Lucy’ is out now. You can buy/stream it here.