Resilience, Passion & Patience. This is Amy Shark
AMY SHARK HAS BEEN FILLING STADIUMS AND ARENAS AROUND AUSTRALIA ON HER CRY FOREVER ARENA TOUR.
The multi-platinum, multi-awarded singer-songwriter who hails from the Gold Coast is riding a wave of global superstardom but still likes to get up close and personal with her fans. Hot on the heels of her Arena Tour, Amy decided to tour regional Australia on her See U Somewhere Australia Tour with 60 dates from May to August and including two dates at Newcastle's Civic Theatre – 1 and 2 July.
It's hard to wrap your head around just how successful Amy Shark is. She currently has over 798 million combined global streams. She collaborates with some of the biggest names in music today, having co-written Love Songs Ain't For Us with Ed Sheeran, recording it with Keith Urban and then teaming up with Blink 182's Travis Barker on C'mon, just for starters. She burst onto the global music scene in 2016 with her 6 x Platinum single Adore, which quickly established her as one of Australia's most formidable emerging songwriters. This was followed by APRA award-winning (Song Of The Year) 6 x Platinum and number one Australian airplay chart hit, I Said Hi, and the 2019 3 x Platinum single Mess Her Up. Her debut/breakthrough #1 ARIA album and Platinum certified Love Monster was recognised in 2018 with four ARIA awards (Album of the Year, Best Female Artist, Best Pop Release, Best Producer [Dann Hume]) and was nominated for another five. Love Monster became the highest-selling album by an Australian artist for 2018.
Not one to slow down, even in a global pandemic, 2020 saw Amy release her ARIA award-winning, 2 x Platinum accredited single, Everybody Rise, which is nearing 37 million streams globally and spent 12 weeks in the top 10 Australian airplay chart. Amy's latest album, Cry Forever, was her second #1 ARIA debut holding the top spot for two weeks consecutively.
With the world reopening after the pandemic, many were surprised when Amy decided to stay in Australia and tour so extensively to country and regional towns.
"I just see it as a really good opportunity," said Amy.
"IT'S FUN FINDING LITTLE TOWNS WHEN I TRAVEL. I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO IT. I LOVE GETTING UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL."
"I don't see many other artists doing it, and I have very fond memories of travelling around when I was younger through places like Uluru, Alice Springs and the Simpson Desert. I had to convince my team to do it, and I've probably annoyed my European management, but I want to see my own country before heading back overseas," said Amy.
"And don't forget, I spent a good 15 years of my life playing music to almost nobody, so I feel at home in smaller venues."
Amy is referring to the fact that despite the perception that she had a meteoric rise to fame, she actually spent 15 years of hard graft, playing covers in pubs, learning her craft and being knocked back time and again by the music industry before finally catching her big break.
That came when her partner and manager, Shane Billings, applied for and was awarded the Gold Coast City Council's Regional Arts Development Fund, which enabled her to work with the Grammy-winning, LA-based producer M-Phazes, who is also coincidentally from the Gold Coast. Adore was released in 2016 and sparked a global bidding war to sign her.
A songwriter, first and foremost, Amy draws from her own life for her lyrics which are at times confronting, emotional and raw. She has been compared to and is often considered Australia's answer to Taylor Swift.
"I think most artists would be proud to be compared with Taylor," said Amy.
"She is inspirational to so many. Lots of people didn't believe that she wrote her own songs, and I totally get her frustration around that because the same thing happened to me. People think I only sound good because of my producer or whatever, but as young women, we've got so much to write about, and if you do it every day like I do, you get really good at it. I'm honoured to be compared to Taylor.
"I'm a songwriter first. That's how everything started. I didn't even play gigs at first – I never thought I could. I locked myself in my bedroom, played my guitar, and got really good at songwriting. But you have to learn to play famous songs and covers like Tracey Chapman, Crowded House and Cold Chisel ‘cos that's what the audience in the pubs are looking for. I didn't realise it at the time, but I really needed to do that – it was excellent training."
Amy's songwriting skills were boosted when she got to work with Ed Sheeran on Love Songs Ain't For Us for her latest album. Introduced to him by her celebrity friend Russell Crowe, Amy was a little starry-eyed when she met up with him to co-write together. It was the first time she had ever co-written any song, and she has talked about how much she learned through the process.
Sheeran told her not to "overcook" her songs – to pare them back and to let them breathe. Amy used this concept on the Cry Forever album, and the hiatus that COVID forced upon her gave her time to make sure each song was the best it could be before it was released.
Love Songs Ain't For Us, performed with Keith Urban, recently won the 2022 APRA Award for Most Performed Country Work.
"I can't believe I won in the country music category," said Amy.
"It's usually when I go get a drink or go to the bathroom, but this year they told me I couldn't ‘cos I was in the category! I didn't even have a speech prepared. It was lots of fun."
And when asked what it was like to work with country music legend Keith Urban, Amy talks about his surprising humour and wit.
"Keith is the biggest gentleman and so funny and witty. I first met him at the 2018 ARIAS, and I was so nervous, but he made me feel so relaxed. People don't realise how funny he is. He kept telling me jokes in my ears that no one else could hear. He's an absolute legend and everything you want him to be."
Amy was the first Australian artist to be crowned as the Apple Up Next Artist and, as such, covered billboards in the US and performed on black shiny floors for Jimmy Fallon, James Corden and Colbert, touring the US multiple times and winning fans all over and across the country. But for now, the US and Europe are being forced to wait while Australia's regional and suburban towns soak up everything this extraordinary young woman has to offer.
It won't be the first time that Amy has visited Newcastle, which enjoys a special place in her heart.
"I CAN'T WAIT TO GET TO NEWCASTLE. AFTER 60 SHOWS, I DON'T KNOW WHEN I'LL GET BACK – SO IF YOU WANT TO SEE ME IN CONCERT – NOW IS THE TIME!"
"The first time I visited Newcastle, I was so excited because it was the home of Silverchair," said Amy, who is a big fan. Amy covered the Silverchair hit Miss You Love on Triple J's Like a Version in 2016, the year that Adore came out and when she got her big break, to widespread critical acclaim. "They're one of the only bands I know that when you think of them, you immediately think of their hometown. There's not many other bands or musicians that you do that with. And I remember being so shocked at just how beautiful the beaches were in Newcastle – I was blown away. I'll be there for two nights, so I'm hoping to get to the beach!"
On tour for much of this year, Amy likes being on the move and finds that it helps with her songwriting.
"I'll be touring for a while, but I'm always songwriting. It's still a fun pastime for me. It's not work. I'll also be doing my television debut on Celebrity Apprentice. I'll wait for the backlash on that one!"
Amy is indeed appearing in the sixth season of Channel Nine's Celebrity Apprentice and was recently seen filming at Manly Beach, as reported by The Daily Mail. Fellow musician and singer Samantha Jade is also appearing in the show.
After so many years of trying to make it in the music industry and constantly being rejected, followed by an incredible surge in popularity and global success, does the singer-songwriter feel like she's arrived – that all her dreams have come true?
"Yes, I've definitely arrived. COVID gave me time to shift my mindset," said Amy.
"We've moved back to our house on the Gold Coast now that travel has opened up again. I've always dreamed of having a really nice house, and now we've got one. Nothing can bother me now. My family is all good. I just want everything to stay the same now. I guess if I have any other dreams, I wouldn't mind winning a Grammy! My dream is to maintain this and keep writing good songs. And not to be swallowed up by the darkness of the music industry."
Amy Shark clearly has a strong work ethic. It's a constant thread throughout everything written about her. There are no shortcuts. She is not an instant success and has worked hard for what she's attained with practice, resilience and passion for what she does. Her advice to young people who are just starting out is based on this kind of authenticity.
"My advice for anyone just starting out is to be sure you are doing it for the right reasons. Money, fame, celebrity – all that stuff just falls flat, and it's not really what it's all about. You need to have a really honest conversation with yourself. Be honest and work hard. People can smell fakes."
When Amy's See U Somewhere Australia Tour was announced, it was already an epic 42-dates that sold out half the tour within the first 24 hours. It's since expanded to 60 dates due to popular demand and the addition of extra shows. Humbled by her fans' response and thirst for tickets after just the first day, Amy was over the moon.
"Wow, I cannot believe you've already sold out 19 shows! Thanks for welcoming me into your towns with this insane response! I can't wait to come and play for you all."
Amy has promised to perform all her hits from both albums, Love Monster and Cry Forever and is genuinely excited to be
performing live in her own country again – particularly after COVID. She suspects that it will be the last time for quite a while that she will have the opportunity to perform in Australia, with US and European fans impatiently waiting for their turn to see her perform live.
Young women everywhere want to be Amy Shark – and you can't blame them. She is a genuinely lovely person, down to earth, warm and funny. She's built her career the hard way, based on talent, resilience and hard work. She's open about her issues, and the hard times she's been through, writing about them all, sharing her pain and opening herself up to scrutiny so that others can know that they are not alone in the emotions they feel and the experiences they live through. She's inspirational and writes wonderful songs that will be around for a long time to come.
Don't miss her in concert at the Civic Theatre in July – one suspects that it may be the last time you will ever get a chance to see her perform in such a small venue. After that, it'll be arenas all the way from here on in. Tickets to all shows are on sale from www.amyshark.com
