Arts
POP PUNK princess By Andrea Louise Thomas Photos Nayomi Pattuwage
S
inger/songwriter/musician Mathilde Anne can’t be put into any easily defined category. She’s a unique artist. Her music could be described as indie pop/rock with a splash of punk. Her lyrics are observational, tender, tough, joyful, confessional and unapologetic. Her vocals are both beautiful and haunting. Growing up with parents in the arts who encouraged her to follow her dreams was the cornerstone of her creative development. Her mother was a professional dancer and her father worked in film and television, making documentaries about Indigenous music. Music was a big part of their family life. They were always making, playing or sharing music. Mathilde learned piano at a very young age. She began studying classical violin when she was seven, working with tutor Jenny Dalseno at Dalseno String Studio on the Gold Coast. She played until she was 14 completing her Trinity exams along the way. The family moved from Burleigh Heads to Melbourne when Mathilde was 14. That’s when she taught herself guitar, started writing her own songs and pivoted away from the violin. continued page 28...
E ssence
26 | PENINSULA
July 2022