Talented poet and singer-songwriter, Wollongong’s Cara Walkam, aka Meadowhip, had released her shimmering new single

Words Tanaya Joe Interview Olivia Tollardo

 Bursting into the music scene, Meadowhip has released her sophomore single, Getting Messy, which captures the realities of desire and obsession. This smooth and sensual hit is a shifting flow of RnB and techno. This introspective view on crushes and bad decisions is layered to create an almost glistening experience for the senses. Meadowhip’s future projects are something to keep an ear out for as she continues to blossom as a solo artist. We had the privilege of chatting to the lyrical poet behind Meadowhip, Cara, on the music industry and the upcoming EP.

How did you come up with your artist name, Meadowhip?
Landing on Meadowhip as my musical moniker was a process! It started out with a list of words that sound beautiful to my ear and look pretty, but simple in their written form. Then I narrowed that list down to words that I felt were good descriptors of the direction of the project – soft, sweet and rolling on the one hand, but also pointed, dynamic and biting on the other.

 Then I started smashing the words on the list together into different combinations, and as soon as I said Meadowhip out loud I thought, ‘Oh, this is exactly what I’m looking for.’ I immediately pictured myself strolling through a soft, flower-spotted landscape at sunset while barking my thoughts on society and my personal shortcomings into the atmosphere.  And that’s really the vibe of the project.

How have your medical and emotional experiences shaped your approach to music today?
I’ve always been a singer-songwriter, but I definitely got carried away on the university-graduate job-career express in my early 20s.  There was a point in that journey when I woke up with a jolt and thought, ‘Oh wait, I’m a lawyer?!’ This existential crisis got me good, and I threw myself back into songwriting in earnest, and with everything feeling so urgent and consequential, I ended up with some very serious songs about some very serious topics as a result.

 Then in 2019, I suffered a major haemorrhagic stroke while I was travelling in California. I spent weeks in the ICU over there (always get travel insurance, folks!) and was reminded daily by hospital staff of how “lucky” I was to have survived, given the usual outcome of these events. I was infuriated by that sentiment at the time, but I guess it wriggled its way into my psyche, and eventually I could understand that I’d really gotten a second chance at life. And when I sat down to write in this headspace, everything felt lighter and less pressing than usual, and I found that I had the ability to be far more playful with words and melodies.  

Meadowhip is a fairly new endeavour. You are also part of the band Territories – when did you know you wanted to branch out?
Jimmy Murada and I started Territories in 2015, if I’m remembering correctly. We’d written in other bands in the past, and we had been playing cover gigs for a while (as Little Thieves) so it was a pretty natural progression to write and perform original material together.

 I envisioned Meadowhip as its own project in 2020. I had just returned to work after my stroke, and suddenly the pandemic was forcing me back home again. I was almost fully recovered, but with very little else to occupy my time, I was writing furiously. I had so many songs, and some of them were so specific to my personality that it didn’t really make sense for them to become Territories tracks. I didn’t want to abandon them, so Meadowhip became the vehicle for getting them out into the world.

You have a fairly extensive musical background, are your parents also musically inclined?
Both of my parents were very committed to my musical education, and I was at the Wollongong Conservatorium every week since before I started school for a huge chunk of my life, learning everything I could get access to.

 There was always music playing in the house when I was a kid. My mum is all about melodies and loves to sing. I remember thinking she had the most beautiful tones to her voice and she can be so theatrical in her performance – I wanted to sound like her and have that energy! My dad, on the other hand, is all about lyrics. I have very strong memories of him calling me into his study when I was young so that he could play a song (usually by Bob Dylan or Leonard Cohen) and then start a discussion about the words and what they meant, and how the metaphors worked and how perfect certain rhymes were. I found those discussions really boring at the time, if I’m honest, but they were great lessons.

 What’s your favourite instrument to play?
I think it’s important for me to point out that my skills as an instrumentalist are limited. I have given so much of my creative life to singing and songwriting, and so little time training my limbs to cooperate with the tools required to make anything other than an acapella performance possible. Playing instruments is now quite secondary to my craft and performance.  

 I do attempt to play guitar and piano to aid my songwriting process, but as part of my stroke recovery, I took up flute lessons. Flute is easily my favourite instrument to play. I have better intuition around a strictly melodic instrument, and what I find is that practising is quite relaxing – almost meditative.I think that has something to do with the breathing that is required to make sound!

Who would be your favourite artist to collaborate with and why?
Anyone who knows me will know my answer to this question. It would be Beck. Everything he writes and everything he produces is magic to me. But most importantly, his versatility is off the charts. He’s written some of the most beautiful, emotional songs I’ve ever heard. He’s also written some of the most absurdist, hilarious songs I’ve ever heard. I can only dream of witnessing and being part of whatever process is able to produce these pieces.

 You’ve mentioned you want to discuss and explore the ‘the big three’: capitalism, patriarchy and yourself. Is it difficult to do this in the music industry? Have you faced any issues or altercations?
Interesting question! I do think that doing anything in the music industry as an independent artist is pretty difficult, but I haven’t come across any issues specifically around discussing these issues. I approach these topics in a casual, playful way, and in most cases, I’m making fun of myself and my choices in the process. There’s never any hostility or antagonism intended! Perhaps this is why I haven’t faced any troublesome responses.  

 Where in the world would be your dream venue/backdrop to play at? 
I have this fantasy about playing a gig at Mountain Park in Holyoke in Massachusetts. I carry a lot of nostalgia for Massachusetts since I studied abroad there, and I think that the outdoor autumnal scene that Mountain Park has to offer would bring a lovely, cosy vibe to my music. 

What’s on next year for Meadowhip?
I’m working on so many things at the moment that I feel anxious running through my mental list! However, the major things are a Meadowhip EP and a Territories EP, both of which are in the works and are due for release mid-late 2022. I’ve also got a few collaborations in the hopper that I can’t wait to talk about soon!

For more check out meadowhip.com.au