The composer gives us the lowdown on all things music ahead of her Australian tour.
Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith came to prominence in 2016 with her fifth studio album Ears, which met great critical acclaim and was placed in many Best of 2016 lists.
Since then, Smith has released a further five albums, most recently 2022’s Let’s Turn It Into Sound. A staple sound across her 10 records has been the Buchla Synthesiser, an instrument that gives her work a distinct and highly-original feel.
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The artist is currently on the road Down Under and will be hitting the iconic Elisabeth Murdoch Hall later this January. Smith has been playing shows across the world since the release of her record and has been enjoying sharing all the new music to her many adoring fans.
“I am enjoying playing the new album live,” Kaitlyn says, “and sharing the full experience with the live visuals. The live visuals were made by Cool Maritime, aka Sean Hellfritsch.
“I got to wear a motion capture suit and Sean used my movement to create visuals for the complete live experience.”
It almost seems wrong to brand Smith’s work ‘songs’, as these are highly-constructed musical pieces that can morph unexpectedly after release.
“It always feels so special to complete a project and then get the opportunity to experience it as a listener,” she continues.
“I love when creations take on a life of their own and I get to know them a little more objectively.”
Many artists devise setlists as an afterthought. This process is often one of the last things thought about during recording, in particular. After releasing 10 albums in 10 years, determining how the live show proceeds seems like a tough feat for Kaitlyn.
She notes a lot of detailed care and attention goes into the setlist, often working on it a great deal in advance.
“My process for getting a set together does change from set to set but also has some commonalities,” she explains. “I usually prepare my live sets about a year in advance and commit to practising it every day until it is in my muscle memory.”
It’s unsurprising then, that for full understanding and consumption of Smith’s work, you need to experience it in a live setting, with the artist considering the live stage early in the song-making process.
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“I tend to have my live set in mind as I am recording an album so I can create the album in a way that is easy to translate into a live setting,” she says.
“Throughout the year of daily practice, I usually find out what has the potential to go wrong in my live set and create backup systems for it or solutions.”
For an artist that brings a different sound to the world of music, it’s also interesting to understand what inspires her besides music.
“Oftentimes more than music influences my work. I often think of my music as responses to all the times I have felt awe,” she continues.
“I find that I feel inspired when something feels layered and complex yet very articulate. Art is a language that can communicate polarities and multiple perspective truths – and my favourite feeling in life is when you can feel multiple things at once.”
The idea of the space around the music follows through into her performances. Kaitlyn’s concerts bringing you into her world, creating somewhat of an immersive experience, with the composer focusing on different types of sounds.
“I am really in love with listening and the psychosomatic aspects of listening,” she adds. “I enjoy how many things add to the experience of listening that we are not consciously aware of.
“There are so many sympathetic sounds happening in an environment that either resonate or don’t resonate with us. Kind of like when a buzzing you didn’t notice goes away and only in its absence you are aware of its presence.
“I like to put a lot of focus on these types of sounds, the felt rather than heard sounds.”
Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith plays Melbourne Recital Centre on January 23 with special guest Cool Maritime. Grab your tickets by heading here.
