By: Mariah Thomas
Photo Courtesy of the Artist
Q) How would you describe your sound?
A) Direct, dreamy, rhythmic, historical, fantastical, expansive, psychedelic…
Q) What musicians inspired your sound growing up?
A) Test Dept., Victor Jara, Elvis, Tupac, Llwybr Llaethog, Kirsty MacColl, Brenda Wootton, Bucca… it grew from there!
Q) Being a trilingual songwriter, in the early stages of starting a new song how do you decide which language you want to tell that story in?
A) I don’t – it’s something that seems to happen subconsciously. The different languages that I have (Welsh, Cornish and English) represent different parts of my life in a way. For example, Welsh to me is community, family, campaigning for human rights and education, as I grew up in Wales and live there now and use the language every day. Cornish is a language of longing and magic as there are only five hundred fluent speakers and my experience of it is being raised in the language and my Dad being a Cornish poet sharing his knowledge of the people and place with me. English is more complicated as it’s such a ginormous language, but it is my third and I have had so many experiences in it so I do like to use it from time to time to explore something else.
Q) How much does the chosen language of the song affect the tone and lyricism?
A) It does completely. Singing in Welsh and Cornish only for a decade has been so grounding for me as it’s reminded me of who I was as a child which is such an important part of you to remember when making any sort of art. That’s why I felt that I was ready to use the English language again recently (in my fourth album Utopia) as I’d explored those early years so thoroughly. My working adult life has been lived mainly in English (I left home at sixteen-years-old to tour the world as a dancer), so that gives a different tone and feeling to singing in that language. It’s about grounding yourself when you’re creating, whichever language that happens to be in.
Q) What made the track “Utopia” the right choice for the album name as well?
A) My initial title for the album was Were We Ever Really Here, which felt a little long. And then I discovered that the word “Utopia” means “non-place” in its original Greek, which then felt perfect as it epitomised how I feel about the past twenty-five years of the new century – what the album covers. I liked how generic a title it was too on the surface. It was also the name of a Las Vegas techno club that I used to frequent when I worked as a dancer at one of the hotels on the strip, there’s such a melancholy feeling to Vegas, even more so when you live and work there from my experience. And so I loved the contradiction of what we think of when we see or hear the word ‘Utopia’ and the reality of it.
Q) You have shot a few music videos and visuals for this latest album. Are there other tracks you are hoping to create something for?
A) Not as it stands. I went to Vegas with a wonderful cinematographer and visual artist from Wales, Clare Marie Bailey, and we spent a week downtown filming. I hadn’t been back for twenty-five years, so it was a very cathartic experience and Clare has always been inspired by the fragility of the American dream visually, so it really was the perfect match. It was such a magical experience and I realised how much affection I held for the real Vegas and the impact that the place had had on me as a teenager.
Q) Are you starting the process of a new album or is your focus still on the music of Utopia?
A) I have already started writing a new record, which I’m really excited about. I’ve been quite reflective in my music over the past decade and these new songs feel like a jolt into the now and are more immediate, so I’m very excited to see how they develop.
Q) What does it mean to you to get to take part in the SXSW festival this year?
A) I’m taking it all with a pinch of salt, to be honest with you. It’s going to be fantastic to get the chance to see so many other bands and musicians perform, so I’m just going to take it all in. It’ll be my third time at SXSW – I was there with my band in 2016 (The Pipettes), which was raucous as we were playing three shows a day, and then in 2016 with my first solo record (Y Dydd Olaf). And now, for the third time, who knows what will happen – I’m excited!
Q) How have you approached putting together a SXSW setlist?
A) SXSW is a party in my mind, first and foremost, so I’m taking that on board. It’s been really fun to think of it that way.
Q) What can fans expect from a live Gwenno performance?
A) It’s going to be lively, informative, and chaotic!