Carla Wehbe has today released her latest EP, the cinematic Jupiter and Mars. It follows on from her highly-acclaimed 2020 debut, Half Past Nine.
It’s a beautiful collection of five personal and heartfelt tracks. Three have already been released; “knight to E5”, “introvert (with extroverted expectations)” and “is forever off the table?”, and today the final two tracks “addicted to self-deprecation” and the title-track “jupiter and mars” are out in the ether.
I caught up with Carla last week to chat about the EP, her upcoming performance at Vivid Sydney and her own clothing label which is soon to be launched.
Hey Carla. Congrats on Jupiter and Mars, it’s a really beautiful listen. Did you have an intention thematically for the EP before you started?
I didn’t really have a theme for the whole EP, cause I wasn’t sure when I was writing the songs that they would be part of the record.
But I knew I wanted to call the EP Jupiter and Mars, because that song meant a lot to me. I wrote it 5 years ago and it felt like it embodied the whole EP.
I think it has a really cohesive feel to it. Sonically and thematically. You reference love in all it’s difficulties. There’s a nice juxtaposition between the lyrics and the moody nature of the songs. Was that your intention, to make them sound a little bit more upbeat when you are singing about things that might be a bit shitty?
Yeah. A lot of the songs I write are a bit sad, or heavier on the topic, but I don’t necessarily love listening to sad music. I like listening to songs that are relatable and express something that I am feeling. So I do try to have that contrast with the music. So it’s a bit of a disguise. You are listening to something that is sad, but you don’t feel sad, even though you do relate. It’s something I try to do across the board.
I read that you always start with a melody, but your lyrics are really thoughtful and well placed. They look like they’ve been worked on. You’ve got some killer lines in each of the tracks on the EP.
Thankyou!
So – lyrically, is that something you really spend time on finessing?
Yeah – melodies come so naturally to me. Over the years I’ve worked it, trying to get better at lyrics. I learnt that I need to stop trying to force the lyrics to come out, and just feel it a little bit more, and let the words come to me. If I sit there and try and force it I reach a block and have to step away. It’s more of a free kind of process for me. When something comes to me I’ll go with it and write everything down and it flows from there.
I found that’s how I best write, when I don’t need to force things.
Was there a track on the EP where it came really quickly?
Yeah – “knight to e5” was a quick one to write, and also “addicted to self-deprecation”. Even though there was a re-write of it, I had a version and re-did it, both times it was effortless to write. I think because they are two things that I have strongly experienced or felt.
What was one that took longer?
“Jupiter and Mars” – I wrote it 5 years ago and I didn’t finish straight away. It was gradually written. I really liked it when I first wrote it and I wanted to do it justice. I went through different stages when I thought a bit wasn’t right, and rewrote it. I actually only finished writing it the day I recorded it. It literally took 5 years to finish.
So – there are two new tracks on the record. Talk us through “addicted to self-deprecation”
It explores the desire to feel you are connected to something or part of something, while also acknowledging your habits of self-sabotage and self-confusion. The second verse talks about doing personality tests online to see if someone else can relate to you, so you feel connected, and not alone in what you are feeling. It’s not really about love, it’s a more self-focused song.
That was nice. I don’t write many songs about that. They are usually about love, or the lack of (laughs). It was a nice change.
And what about “Jupiter and Mars”
Jupiter and Mars are next to each other, but they are so far apart. It’s about feeling close to someone, yet so far. You could be sitting next to someone but be feeling so distant from them. Or they could be so far away, yet you feel really close to them. It’s about that dynamic. Trying to move past someone, forget them, but always feeling you’re always drawn back to each other.
Who produced the album?
There were a couple of people. A couple I co-produced. Robby Desa did a couple on there, Xavier Dunn and Thomas Porter as well
Did you do any co-writes for the EP ?
I wrote “Jupiter and Mars” on my own, but the rest of them I had people I worked with.
Do you like doing co-writes, especially given the personal nature of your songs ?
That’s the thing – when it’s for my own music. I only do co-writes with people that know me as a person, know the ins and outs of who I am. So there is that comfortability. So it’s an open space, to explore different things. I do love co-writes when it’s with people I trust.
Are you looking forward to playing these live?
I CAN’T WAIT! I love every aspect of the process, but playing live is my absolute favourite
I can see it in your face (Carla is looking very excited at this point!)
I haven’t been performing for many years, my artist project has only been the past 2 years. I feel like I’m just getting started with the live aspect of my career, and I love it more every time I perform. I’m really excited at the thought of playing these songs I haven’t played before live.
I was pleased to see yesterday the announcement that you are playing at Vivid with Dan Sultan (more details HERE).
Yeah, I’m super excited about that. Performing at Vivid with Dan Sultan will be fantastic. I’m also planning to do my first headline tour after the EP is released.
Did you listen to any other artists when you were creating the EP?
I don’t actually listen to that much music to be honest. I could go a whole week without listening to a song! I try not to listen to too much music when I’m writing to other music when I’m writing my own, so I don’t get too influenced. But, I’m not sure why. I don’t like listening to much new music, but I always just go back to music I grew up with. I’m not sure if it’s a comfort thing.
So what was some of the originals?
Avril Lavigne. That’s my comfort thing. The first 3 albums in particular. She is the reason I chose to pursue a career in music. Then I love Taylor Swift, ABBA – they are one of my favourites. Bee Gees, Beatles, Queen, The Beach Boys.
I love Celine Dion as well. Her voice is incredible.
There are some classics there. Not sure about Celine, but there you go (mutual laughter)
I appreciate the epicness of the music. She is incredible live too!
I like Harry (Styles) as well.
Did you see Harry?
No, I didn’t. I don’t like going to concerts ‘cause they give me a weird feeling afterwards. I’m not sure why. I feel things very strongly. Even music documentaries, I can’t watch them. I won’t watch recent ones, I’m not sure why.
I hear you’ve got your own clothing label coming – tell me more!
My clothing label is called Space Cowboy. It’s something I’ve been working on for a few years. It’s retro inspired street wear. The kind of clothes I’d want to wear. I’ve always loved clothes and fashion, but not necessarily the things that are in. Just what I think looks nice. So – I’m creating a line that I like and hopefully other people like as well. It ties in with my music. So elements of my songs will be in some of the designs. It gets launched in a couple of months hopefully.
That’s amazing. Good luck with it.
Jupiter and Mars from Carla Wehbe is out now on all streaming platforms. You can connect with Carla Wehbe via Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and TikTok
Header image credit: Bruce Baker
