Austel is a prolific singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who writes songs that connect with her audience through personal experience. She weaves ethereal vocals into her dark brooding electro-pop songs that in the mirror of modern life reflect pain and hope.

An independent artist for many years, Austel has taken on the role of self-management, learning everything from putting together PR and marketing campaigns, to booking and running live shows. However, the biggest challenge in her music career has been dealing with ‘imposter syndrome’. She finds surrounding herself with a network of like-minded people is the answer for it.

She likes to be involved in the production process and collaborates on songs with her bandmate, producer, and music technologist, Adam Stark (MI·MU Gloves). Both in the studio and live on stage, Austel uses the music software Stark has designed. Together they produced her debut album, Unfold, which she self-released in 2018 to critical acclaim from BBC 6 Music, BBC Introducing, and The Line of Best Fit.

Recently, Austel released her single, “Dry” and had a full band launch show for her new EP, Cold Love. She is also planning more live shows which she’ll announce on social media, has plans on releasing her debut EP with her new band, Dust In The Sunlight, this year, and is in the studio working on more new music.

I recently interviewed Austel via email about her debut EP, her songwriting and producing processes, touring with Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly, her self-taught skills in marketing to live shows, how indie women artists can be better supported, and much more.

You self-released your debut EP Unfold to critical acclaim. What was your involvement in the making of the EP?             

Writing the songs for Unfold marked a real change for me in terms of musical direction. I’d always written on piano, but Unfold was the first time I started experimenting with more electronic sounds and textures.  I wrote and produced the EP with my producer and bandmate Adam Stark, bar one song (Lost At Home) which was produced by Duncan Pym. I like to work closely with a producer and be as involved in that process as possible.

Explain your production process.

I usually write music and lyrics quite simultaneously, often when I’m in an emotive headspace. I’ll then record a demo and start working on some arrangement ideas on Logic.  Later, I’ll take the song to the studio and work with Adam (or sometimes another producer) on strengthening the bones of the song, adding and refining the arrangements and finalising the structure.

Tell us more about how you collaborate with your bandmate Adam Stark who is also a producer and music technologist.   

I met Adam back in 2013 when we performed at Glastonbury Festival as part of Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly’s band. We instantly clicked – sharing a similar sense of humour and a mutual love for artists like Radiohead and Nils Frahm. I toured with his band Rumour Cubes and joined his other band, Munro Fox.  We started working on my songs together a few years later – he’s been an instrumental figure in helping bring Austel to life.  As well as being a brilliant musician and producer, Adam is a music technologist (check out the MI·MU Gloves). He’s designed some incredible music software – a lot of which we use in Austel, both in the studio and live on stage.

What is your songwriting process and why does it make you a prolific songwriter.

I write all the time. It’s always been a really therapeutic outlet for me; a way of making some sense of the world. They often sparked by a lyrical phrase or melodic idea. I’ll tease it out and eventually manage to pull out the threads to weave into something more substantial. I have hundreds of songs that will probably never see the light of day, but they’re stepping stones or building blocks for the ones that end up being released.

You’ve toured with Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly, and supported Fleet Foxes with Lyla Foy.  How did you get the opportunities to tour with these major artists? What were each of those experiences like? Any favorite moments?

I met Sam (Get Cape) around 2012 and started working with him when I moved up to London the following year. Performing in his band led to some incredible experiences, like playing the Glastonbury Festival and the O2 Forum in London. He also introduced me to loads of other musicians – including Adam and Terry who perform in my band – and before long, I was playing shows with everyone. It was a great induction to life as a musician in London.

A few years later, I started playing in Lyla Foy’s live band. We supported Fleet Foxes on the Irish dates of their tour. It was an incredible experience – the band and crew were lovely (one of the best live bands I’ve ever seen), and the venues were beautiful. I’d been going through a really bad time with mental health, and that experience really lifted me.

What has been the biggest challenge of your music career so far? How did you overcome it?

I think the challenge is to keep going. I’m constantly struggling with imposter syndrome, trying to shut out the voices in my head saying I’m not good enough. I know a lot of artists get that.  In terms of overcoming it, I think the tonic is to surround yourself with really good people… a support network of like-minded humans is essential.

As an independent artist for many years, you have acquired skills for everything from booking, running live shows to putting together marketing and PR campaigns.  Explain how you learned each of these successfully.  What did you learn from those experiences?

I’ve been self-managed for a long time and didn’t have the money to pay other companies, so I needed to learn how to do all of those things myself. I’d ask for advice from other musicians/industry folk, do a lot of online research and generally just test things out to see what worked. 

As a multi-instrumentalist, what is your favorite instrument to perform with and why?

Hm, it depends on what kind of gig I’m performing. I love fronting my band with my Nord keyboard – it’s such a brilliant live instrument and has some really fun synths on it.  However, I really love playing intimate shows with an acoustic guitar. I usually just play it at home when writing, so it feels like I’ve invited everyone into my living room – there’s a closeness there that I really like. Singing wins though. It’s so personal and physical. I love experimenting with vocals – I’m really inspired by artists like Elizabeth Fraser and Justin Vernon, who do a lot of vocalising and unconventional techniques. 

How do you think women artists can be better supported in the indie music industry?

By being given a platform! It’s ludicrous that so many festival line-ups, industry panels, award ceremonies, and media outlets still don’t manage to achieve an equal balance. There’s honestly no excuse.

What projects are you working on for this year?

Releasing my new EP – Cold Love – has been a long time in the making, so I really want to enjoy the aftermath of that for a bit.  I’ve spent the last six months working really hard on getting the releases together, so now I want to enjoy getting creative again and spending some time in the studio working on new music.  Otherwise, my new band Dust In The Sunlight is releasing our debut EP this year, so I’ll be busy with that too!

What are your tour plans for 2020?

We’ve got a full band EP launch show tonight at The Victoria in Dalston, which I’m really looking forward to.   

There will be more live shows coming up – in London and elsewhere! Keep an eye out on my website or socials to stay in the loop.

Thank you for the opportunity, Austel, to interview you.

Follow Austel on her Spotify Artist page

You can stream/buy Austel’s latest single, “Dry” on all major platforms.