The performer cites a list of catalysts for the change in her musical journey including Janis Joplin, Baby Animals and Guns ‘n’ Roses, but there was one special foursome which kicked the woman into action. “The biggest album inspiration for me – that came into my life about two years ago – was [the Red Hot Chili Peppers’] Blood Sugar Sex Magik,” she says. “I was not the person who I am now, on stage. I was just a singer, and I couldn’t let go. I was just really afraid. I needed something really heavy to differentiate myself and sort of give myself a reincarnation. So I thought, ‘What do I imagine about this performer?’ I thought if I’m going to live it up, and I’m going to be a gangster, I’d better look like one.” Velevska coloured her voluminous hair bright cherry red, collected a band of cool dudes and didn’t look back.
The clip for single I’m Yours has received a lot of attention, and uses simple, lo-fi techniques to create a pretty stunning psychedelic effect. It makes things clear that Velevska is into all kinds of art. “The visuals are really important for me,” she says warmly. “I’m so passionate about my music but I needed to be more than just a voice. So the body paint, for me, it’s kind of like symbolically immersing yourself in your art. It’s [like] your body is your canvas. I like to break the fourth wall too [during live performances], that sort of Brechtian technique,” she adds.
Her recent live show at the brilliant Red Bennies proved Velevska’s commitment to themerits of involvement and liberty, and The Bona Fide Electric is an extension of this. “The EP is about emancipation, and removing any inhibitions about yourself. When I watch a show, I just love seeing someone who’s so into it, and sweating it out. It’s not about being pretty [or] beautiful on stage. I think there’s plenty of time for stuff like that. Although I’m a visual person, I don’t think beauty [is much of] what a ferocious stage personality is about.” It’s an awesome comment, and you can see the genuineness of it when you compare Velevska’s promo shots – shoulders and décolletage sparkling with lashes of primary paint – to her Bennies vigour, which saw her in a checked shirt and displaying an almost Sophie B. Hawkins kind of grunge and freedom in her movement.
With the kind of pipes you just cannot fault, this bird’s vocal inspirations point to an interest in the greats. “Aretha Franklin, Nina Simone. [Simone’s] got a really unique, deep, manly voice, really powerful,” she says, mentioning the blues darling’s rendition of Screamin’ Jay Hawkins’ I Put A Spell On You as a favourite. In terms of performance, there’s a mixture of the old and the new: “Tina Turner, Beyoncé of course, and Lady Gaga, just because she gives more than maybe people were expecting. [I’m inspired by] visual performers, but people who have the talent to back themselves up vocally or musically. It gives them kind of a license,” she explains.
The Bona Fide Electric was recorded in “about a week” at Sing Sing South by Prasheen Haran, one of Forrester Savell’s skilled protégés. “We started with about four tracks that we’d played for about two years,” says Velevska, “and we changed them up. But the title track pretty much came about the day before we went into the studio.” The release’s launch will be an opportunity to see our own Dan Watt spinning some tunes (“He’s so fun,” says Mimi) along with the aforementioned party shenanigans, and will also give you a chance to take a leaf out of Velevska’s own Book Of Counsel: “There are a lot of gigs in Melbourne where if you just take a chance on someone, you might discover something really good even if it’s not highly publicised or [doesn’t have] a lot of financial backing. You might find a real gem, where you weren’t expecting it.”
BY ZOË RADAS
