Steele’s journey of self-discovery is evident on her new record. A departure from the sound cultivated with Little Birdy, Humans is a musical landscape infused with glitch-ridden electro pop and gospel-like melodies. It’s a statement that is boldly refreshing and timely. “I wanted to do something that was a real departure from Birdy,” says Steele. “I knew people expected me to do a certain thing and I didn’t want to be put in that particular basket.”
The drive to create something contemporary led to Steele developing a new musical vocabulary. “I didn’t want to do a classic ‘60s sounding record, but I equally didn’t want to do a classic gospel thing. There needed to be that middle ground,” she says.
Steele found that middle ground with the help of co-producer Matt Gio (Rudimental, Troy Sivan) and renowned mixer Eric J (Flume, Wafia, Chet Faker). Their influence encouraged Steele to experiment with unconventional recording techniques, loops, and percussive layering. These elements add a contemporary flavour, which elevates Steele’s songs to a new sonic terrain.
Although the bulk of the record was tracked in Perth, several of the songs were written in an underground studio in Dumbo, Brooklyn. “This [album] really is a snapshot of the last few years of my life,” says Steele. “I put myself under a lot of pressure in New York. I was on edge the entire time I was there. If you suffer from anxiety that place brings it out in you. You don’t get any kind of space.”
Although a struggle creatively, Steele believes her time overseas served as the inspiration and the catalyst for a lot of the source material in her songs. “The great thing about this whole process is that I can look back and say I’ve had that hard patch. I’ve done that, and I’m a different person now. That was the whole point.”
A headstrong and opinionated artist, Steele has never catered to the whims of others and she doesn’t shy away from expressing her thoughts on social issues. Her time overseas has afforded her a unique insight and perspective when it comes to the issues faced by women in the Australian music business. “I feel like there’s a huge perception problem here,” Steele says. “It’s worse in Australia than other places. Men need to make a stand and own it. It’s down to visibility – if men see something they should stand-up and say something”.
Steele also feels that artists play an increasingly important role in keeping people engaged when it comes to political issues. “It’s about transparency,” she says. “Our role as artists is to keep communicating as artists, look at the artists of the ‘60s like Joan Baez. Where would the world be without those songs? It’s all well and good people talking but we just need to keep the momentum with things like the Women’s March, artists need to continue to speak out and be present.”
It’s been a long process, but Steele is looking forward to taking Humans on the road, reconnecting with her fan base, and hopefully engaging with new audiences.
By George Hyde
