JEM CASSARDALEY Jem Cassar-Daley grew up surrounded by song. WORDS BY
KOSA MONTEITH
Æ It’s part of her family, from the music played on the radio in her home to songs sung around the kitchen table with her brother, mother and father (Troy Cassar-Daley, if you hadn’t guessed). “I have a lot of influences from many different genres,” Jem says. “Dad loves country music, Mum’s into pop, and we listen to 70s every weekend. I’m a huge Carol King fan, and I’ve loved Missy Higgins since I was three years old, she’s such an idol of mine. I have thought about setting my influences into different projects, but at the moment I love exploring and experimenting. I feel like what’s truly me is becoming more and more clear.”
QUEENSCLIFF MUSIC FESTIVAL LINEUP Aloe Blacc • Something For Kate Boy & Bear • G. Love & Special Sauce Ian Moss • Foy Vance • Illy Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls Dan Sultan • Liz Stringer The Dreggs • Alice Ivy • Jem Cassar-Daley Katy Steele & More
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Jem released her sensational debut EP I Don’t Know Who to Call in 2022, and her upcoming set at Queenscliff Music Festival is just the latest in a long list of tour dates and festival appearances. The writing of Jem’s soulful, intensely personal songs starts solo, with her own ideas, sparks, lyrics or hooks, but when she goes into the studio it becomes a shared thing, coming to life in jamming sessions where Jem and her collaborators can play off the ideas and influences of everyone in the room, learning the shape of it as they go. I Don’t Know Who to Call was defined by this mix of genres and influences. You can hear her love of Carol King in the soul sound of Changes, the retro country energy of the slide guitar in Like it More, the acoustic pop delicacy of Standing Still, the Missy Higgins storytelling style of By The Sea. She clearly hasn’t put songwriting on the backburner despite her busy touring schedule, and has released an incredible seven singles (including a cover of Gwen Stefani’s The Sweet Escape for triple j) in 2023 so far. “It’s always fun to meet new people and collaborate,” she explains. “I do enjoy writing alone, and I think that was a common thing with Covid. I’ll go into a session with a strong idea but I’m open to the creative process. Keeping it open and really seeing where the day takes us. I like seeing how much we can get done in one day. Depending on who I’m writing with and the vibe we go in with on the day can influence it. Stylistically, I like seeing where it takes us. Indie pop song, country pop, sitting in a mellow jazz groove – wherever.”
JEM CASSAR-DALEY WHERE:
QUEENSCLIFF MUSIC FESTIVAL
WHEN:
25–26 NOV
BEAT.COM.AU