Soon-to-be ARIA Hall of Fame inductees, Vika and Linda, have a newfound confidence in their songwriting.
Vika & Linda have the kind of music career that most Australian artists would sell a limb for. They have been releasing music, touring, performing, and collaborating with other amazing artists for over 35 years, have written an autobiography, and are about to be inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame for their service.
Vika & Linda
- Fri 5 Jun – The Cube, Wodonga
- Sat 6 Jun – Riverlinks Eastbank, Shepparton
- Sun 7 Jun – The Capital, Bendigo
- Sat 13 Jun – Recital Centre, Melbourne
- Thu 18 Jun – Town Hall, Kyneton
- Fri 19 Jun – WPACC, Wangaratta
- Thu 25 Jun – Town Hall, Horsham
- Fri 26 Jun – Her Majesty’s Theatre, Ballarat
- Sat 27 Jun – Arts Centre, Frankston
- Fri 10 Jul – PRACC, South Morang
- Sat 11 Jul – Play House, Geelong
- Sun 12 Jul – The Round, Nunawading
- Wed 29 Jul – Drum Theatre, Dandenong
- Thu 30 Jul – Bunjil Place, Narre Warren
- Fri 31 Jul – Burrinja Cult Ctr, Upwey
- Fri 7 Aug – WGAC, Warragul
- Sat 8 Aug – Forge Theatre, Bairnsdale
- Fri 21 Aug – PAC, Hamilton
- Sat 22 Aug – Lighthouse Theatre, Warrnambool
- Fri 4 Sep – Clocktower Ctr, Moonee Ponds
- Sat 5 Sep – Union Theatre, Wonthaggi
- Sun 6 Sep – Town Hall, Queenscliff
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When you look at that track record, it may make Vika’s reaction to the nomination seem strange:
“There’s probably a lot more people who deserve to be on there before us.” Linda adds, “Just to be recognised for our contribution is really lovely. I didn’t realise that there were only 14 women inducted into the Hall of Fame. So for this year to have lots more women involved is really another bonus.”
Their disbelief at being included is sweetly humble, yet strange given their beyond-impressive track record, which continues with their upcoming studio album, Where Do You Come From?
“Linda’s always said, we always look forward, never back,” explains Vika, “And it’s always, what are we going to make next?” Our responsibility is to keep singing and to sing great songs. And never stop until we die.”
Nine albums, however, is a lot. Inspiration can wane, no matter what your situation may be. For Vika & Linda, an invitation to the Whitsundays Songwriter Festival, a yearly event that invites a select group of songwriters to collaborate and perform on Ngaro and Gia land in North Queensland, sparked confidence and inspiration.
“The great thing about the Whitsong Fest was that it was just the right bunch of people who had come together. The freedom of that was really great for Vika in particular, because we aren’t normally great with people we don’t know. Sitting down and trying to lay your deepest feelings with a total stranger was weird. But for some reason, this one worked. We wrote eight songs, and four of them are on this record,” explains Linda.
The duo were in impressive company at the festival, working with songwriters like Mark Sholtez, Francesca de Valence, and the one-and-only Toni Childs. “She was like Renee Geyer on steroids,” mentions Vika, “She was very intimidating. She comes in and goes, ‘I want to know who you are, who you really are.’ We’d only sat down for 10 minutes and she goes ‘Sing. Because I want to hear who you are.’ We sang a gospel song, and she goes, ‘No, that’s not who you are.’ She really made us get back in touch with our roots.”
This experience and songwriting session helped Vika & Linda create what they explain as their most personal work to date. “Our motivation is not to sing bullshit,” explains Vika. “We’re not really afraid anymore to say what we want to say and sing songs we want to sing.” Linda adds, “This album is about life. It’s about birth, death and everything in between. In the past, we were always afraid to tell our own stories; this time, the motivation was that we got to do it ourselves.”
The duo’s track record of songwriting collaborations reads like a greatest hits of Australia’s finest. Starting in The Black Sorrows, the sisters have written songs with names like Paul Kelly and Kasey Chambers, so it’s understandable why there may be some trepidation about songwriting on their own.
The record explores themes like identity, ancestry, motherhood, ageing, grief, and joy, and is a snapshot of the current situation for specific members of our community, according to Linda. “If you’re interested in identity and where you are in Australia and what Australia looks like right now for 55-year-old women, this is a really good record for you. 55-year-old women who aren’t white, I should add.”
Vika & Linda’s ninth studio album, Where Do You Come From?, will be out Friday, June 5th, and the duo will be performing at the Melbourne Recital Centre on June 13th with their band The Bullettes.
Tickets are available now.
