With sultry vocals and a captivating style, up-and-coming singer songwriter Greta Stanley has pulled together six premium tracks for her debut EP Bedroom City. It’s hard to believe the Far North Queensland-based songstress is only 20-years-old, her songwriting nuance belies her age, instead you could be forgiven for thinking these tracks had been penned by an older soul, someone who has lived far beyond Greta’s two decades of life experience. It is this – the stories of love and loss that so aptly describe different states of existence – mixed with her tight sound and stunning vocals, that will stand Greta apart from her contemporaries. Her early tracks have already built this impressive musician a stellar profile on the Queensland music scene and anticipated release of her debut EP will certainly solidify this position.
It’s evident from listening to the six-tracks from Bedroom City that music is the one big thing that Greta is meant to do with her life. Her songwriting appears effortless, her sound is sweet, a touch of folk and a sprinkle of pop. She is unique and almost impossible to pigeonhole, there is something breathtakingly original in everything that she offers, yet combined with an unforgettable musicality. It is not surprising to find out then that when it came to finding her sound, that the alluring musician didn’t have a specific direction in mind, rather just followed a path that felt natural.
In fact, that is probably one of the best descriptions of Greta Stanley’s sound. It is natural, there is no pretense or an attempt at trying to create something that isn’t there. What you see and what you hear is what you get, it is 100 per cent Greta and she can be proud of the end result. “I have never gone out of my way to have my ‘own’ sound,” she explains. “I try to be creative and different, but there is so much music out there that it can be hard to stand out at times. I just sing however I feel comfortable, I’ve never forced a kind of style and I don’t want to be pigeonholed. I’m always growing and learning, there’s so much new stuff out there every day that I’m inspired and influenced differently all the time. I suppose it makes sense to sing in a way that suits the content of the lyrics, but in a year’s time I could have a whole different sound. I’m always open to change.”
Greta’s frank honesty is both refreshing and endearing. In her short career so far, she has already impressed some industry heavyweights and made solid friends who are passionate about seeing her succeed. In fact, she attributes the ability to bring her EP to fruition to a friendship with fellow musician Fleur McMenamin [from folk-duo The McMenamins] who took her under her wing and introduced her to the people she needed to meet. After entering a local competition in Cairns, Greta won with one of her original compositions, was given an industry scholarship to attend music industry conference BIGSOUND in Brisbane and made an impression on Fleur, who has turned into a mentor. She introduced Greta to producer Mark Myers [The Middle East, Emma Louise, The Starry Field] who ended up recording the EP. Through this new partnership, she also met independent record label Junkie Uncle who were so impressed with her sound that they signed on to release her EP before it was even recorded.
Growing up in Mena Creek, a small town south of Innisfail in Far North Queensland, Greta says she initially didn’t have big plans to record an EP. However, she had a swag of songs, a collection she had been penning for years and putting online for her ever-growing fanbase. All her songs are honest and a real insight into her personality and thought processes. Penned from life experiences, she says it is always scary to put that out to the world, but she doesn’t know how to write any other way. “I find it hard to make up stories or force stuff that just isn’t there,” she says. “My heart has got to be in it.”
One thing is for sure, as hard as Greta Stanley’s sound is to pigeonhole, it is equally difficult to slip her music into a set demographic. There is a maturity in her songs that will no doubt appeal to music lovers of all ages, and a strength in her music that will draw in people from all walks of life. It is rare to find an artist who seamlessly transgresses across the age barrier, but one listen to the tracks from Bedroom City and it is quickly evident that Greta Stanley is going to be one those artists who just stands out.
Greta Stanley’s debut EP Bedroom City out now through Junkie Uncle Records.
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