4 minute read
Interview with Carissa Watts
Catching up with Carissa Watts
by Anthony Kilner
Sitting outside on a cool autumn day, I met up and chatted with the lovely and talented singer/songwriter Carissa Watts.
Carissa has a passion for music, family, the heritage and culture of her family and the importance of cultural awareness. She shared with me her story.
I am a Yorta Yorta, Dja Dja Wurrung woman living on the Mornington Peninsula in Boonwurrung Country. I am a musician, singer/songwriter, mother and a cultural awareness facilitator at the Koori Heritage Trust.
I hear you’ve just been in the recording studio for the first time - talk us through that?
Yes, this is the first time I’ve ever been in the studio having put it off for a long time because it feels like such an unnatural environment for me. I don’t feel aligned with the whole process of producing music, so I’ve just decided to play a live album in the studio. I feel that gives the most honest and raw representation of my music and who I am as a person.
It’s been hard, but also great. I’ve had an incredible sound engineer at Bakehouse Studios, and the crew are the best ever, so that part has been awesome. I’ve learnt a lot about myself and how I sing. It’s been fantastic in so many ways.
What sort of music content are you putting together?
Most of my songs are about being out in nature, on Country, and the connection I have being a part of it. I sing a lot about issues within our community and my family, in particular, stolen generationspeople being moved off Country and more.
In everything that I have written, I don’t sit down and think, oh I’m going to write a song about this. It all comes from life, from a story I’ve been told by my Uncle, or an experience I’ve had while out on Country. It’s always something that’s happened, or I’m told about, and then it become songs.
I don’t have a choice about what I write about because most of my songs find me in some way. I could be driving along in my car, or I’ve been out bush, and the song will literally come into my head, I have to get the pen and write it down. Usually, it takes about five minutes to write a song. So yeah, I don’t even really choose what I’m going to write about, it just occurs. It’s like if I don’t write it down it haunts me.
Who’s been your inspiration musically?
I grew up in a very musical family. My dad was an excellent guitarist and mandolin player. My Uncle and his brother played the guitar, and other family and friends too. I’ve grown up listening to them all play sing-a-longs around the campfire. It’s mostly a bluegrass feel.
It began with me, with my dad. He taught me at a very young age how to play, and as I got older, my inspiration came from my brother’s. They were both incredible musicians/singers and showed me lots of different music styles growing up. That made me who I am, what I listen to and influenced the styles that I have.
I was at an ex-boyfriend’s house and wrote a song about him. I played it to him, and he said, “that is so awesome”, and he made me play it to all his family and friends. From that moment on, I just started writing.
You talk about singing in language, why is this so important?
I believe that language forms the core basis of who you are. Language is so important, and our people lost so much of our language because of colonisation, which was all about trying to wipe it out - along with our culture.
It’s imperative for us to be reviving our language, so by putting that into songs, into song titles, that’s my part of restoring the language. I feel like I’m doing that for my ancestors, for my family. Those who lost their language. Those who weren’t allowed to speak their language.
I have this platform now. Whether it be at work or on stage, I have a responsibility to use that platform for my people and for my family. That includes singing in language, and that also includes singing about Country and connection to Country. I feel the need to honour the people before me, and I feel like I’ve been given this platform to do just that!
What advice would you give for young people of any culture about getting involved in music?
It was funny; I was driving to work this morning thinking about that, which I do a lot, and while it sounds cliché - it’s so important, ‘staying true to yourself’!
The music industry, like any industry, can change you. People will give you their opinions, give you their advice and yeah, you can take some of it on board, but it’s important to remember why you started in the first place. Stay true to your vision and to yourself through it all. It’s not an easy thing to do. That’s the one bit of advice I would give - do what you feel is right and don’t change for anyone!
You are a Cultural Awareness Facilitator, what is that?
It’s educating people about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, seeing history through our eyes and understanding the issues that we’re going through.
