Inspired #347 - Carmody
Last month, London-based artist Carmody released ‘Constellation A’ the brooding and mesmerising A-side of her long-awaited debut album Imperfect Constellations, out June 10th 2022 via Young Poets. Pairing intimate and haunting storytelling with atmospheric, hypnotic and fluid electronic influences, ‘Constellation A’ is comprised of three soulful songs, including a collaborative track, ‘Memory’, featuring Alfa Mist and Laura Misch. Carmody took a moment to talk to us about some of her current inspirations.
Who are your top three musical inspirations and why?
Leonard Cohen - I love his husky voice, songs and poetry books. He was a beautiful writer, he also wrote the lyrics "so come my friends, be not afraid, we are so lightly here, it is in love that we are made, in love we disappear" which has a special place in my mind always.
Tracey Chapman - she's an incredible songwriter and has written so many classics, I went to see her years ago in New York and it was one of the best shows I've ever seen.
Joni Mitchell - I think she might be one of most songwriter's top 3, but I adore her music and her lyrics. I'm in awe of her ability to just hear tunings that she wanted to write in, I also love how sparse a record like 'Blue' is, and how much the songs could carry themselves with no need for much additional production.
Is there a certain film that inspires you and why?
I thought Searching for Sugarman was really inspiring. I guess nowadays you would know if you had a big fanbase in South Africa, but it was that magic of how far the songs travelled and all the miscommunication in between that was finally, and beautifully, rectified.
What city do you find the most inspiring and why?
Istanbul - It is such a beautiful city, I love the people and the music, all those quarter tones that I can never get my head around, but are so inspiring to listen to. I also love that you can just wander the city and you always end up finding something to get lost in.
Who is the most inspiring person to you and why?
My dad, although he died two years ago, he is forever inspiring me and I'm still learning new things about him and what he meant to us as a family.
What were your inspirations when writing ’Constellation A’?
I was really inspired by Rebecca Elson''s poetry book 'A Responsibility to Awe'. She was an astronomer and wrote about mortality and the universe in a way that made me feel more accepting of the cyclical nature of life. She found the beauty in everything and really influenced me to write what I see and look at experience in terms of community/the world and to look beyond myself. As this constellation is themed around the concept of memory, I think working with people living with dementia and their carers really influenced me as it was very inspiring to work with people who were coming to these music workshops to reawaken their memories, even momentarily, through song, and that felt like a very beautiful and interesting way to explore how we remember, and carry things, within us.
How would you like to inspire people?
I would love to inspire people to write songs. I think even if you can't sing, or play an instrument, writing a melody with some lyrics can be so therapeutic, and I always think songwriting is transcendent, so it can be quite prophetic, or teach you something about yourself and how you're feeling about a certain situation.
Interview by Karla Harris