Australian artist Gretta Ray is your favourite songwriter's favourite songwriter.
Her catalogue may be slim but Gretta has already caught the attention of James Bay, Vance Joy, and Lianne La Havas, with the touching innocence of her music almost defying description.
Releasing her first EP in 2016 while still completing high school, her journey has taken Gretta Ray across the globe.
Hitting London on June 1st to play All Points East festival in Victoria Park, she'll unveil new material alongside some fan favourites.
Clash caught up with Gretta Ray for Culture Clash…
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Album…
I really haven’t stopped listening to Ariana Grande’s ‘thank u, next’ from the moment it was released. I probably listen to the album the full way through like, minimum three times a day. It’s just always playing and I never get sick of it; I’ve never listened to a pop album so consistently in my life.
I was so compelled by the fact that she’d just put out 'Sweetener' four months before this album’s release; due to going through an unimaginably difficult time in her life, she turned to making music for therapy.
She’s smart, incredibly creative and somehow continues to be effortlessly gracious and grateful whilst carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders. Her strength radiates through each and every one of the tracks, and I’m so obsessed with that energy.
Books…
I gained a lot from Elizabeth Gilbert's Big Magic, which explores her perception of creativity, and talks of it as an outer force.
After reading of her personal experience with things such as writer's block and the pros/cons of success, I feel like I started thinking about creativity in a whole new way.
Film…
I’m not great at making time to watch films, and when I do they tend to be pretty cheesy ones (nothing wrong with that, though!). I feel like one of the only times I do watch films is on planes when there’s not much else to do – on my way home from London last week I watched Almost Famous for the first time, which I loved. I loved Kate Hudson in it, I loved how it captured the chaotic, exhilarating sense of a band being on the road together, all members with the same drive and passion for the music they’re creating.
(I am aware that this film also outlines the huge cons of that touring lifestyle but, focusing solely on the positives I loved it!)
TV Shows…
I just binge watched Dirty John on Netflix, which was great. I’m honestly terrible though, when it comes to movies and TV. I rarely consciously look for anything new. I find myself watching new things solely because friends of mine or the internet tells me to.
If that wasn’t the case I think I’d just watch re-runs of Friends forever. I feel at home and comfy and warm when I watch Friends. And I laugh the whole way through even though I already know exactly what’s going to happen in the next scene. It’s tragic really.
Gadget…
Does a journal count as a gadget? I carry my journal with me everywhere I go, and much prefer writing any ideas that I have down on a page, as opposed to typing them in to Notes on my phone. I feel like an idea, especially a song idea, has more potential to continue to flow, grow and develop if it’s handwritten.
It’s really important to me that I get my ideas and feelings out of my system and onto the page, because I never know where those thoughts could lead and what I could create with them, even if what I’m writing doesn’t necessarily feel super meaningful at the time.
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Catch Gretta Ray at London festival All Points East on June 1st.
Join us on Vero, as we get under the skin of global cultural happenings. Follow Clash Magazine as we skip merrily between clubs, concerts, interviews and photo shoots. Get backstage sneak peeks and a true view into our world as the fun and games unfold.
