Uprooting your life in Australia in favour of the musical opportunities America has to offer isn’t a small undertaking, as Lo Carmen has experienced all too well. Relocating to the US in order to focus on the writing and recording of a new album, not to mention further establishing herself as a touring artist abroad, has afforded the multi-instrumentalist many great avenues to explore and further develop her creative output, though it’s also been a move that has pushed her well outside her comfort zone.
Sitting down with us at the Aussie BBQ while at SXSW, Carmen opens up about her current writing and recording process.
“Weirdly, I’m a bit more isolated from playing with other people here.” she admits. “I’m used to having a great music community around me and here, I operate in more of a vacuum. But it’s a happy vacuum!”
“I’m focusing on writing and recording,” she says of her current plans. “I’m going to go and record a new album in Nashville in a couple of months. I’ve been over here for a few years, back and forth. You’ve got to be quite organised, really, which is not my natural state of mind – but I’m getting there!
“I’ve been very DIY, independent, for many years now – that’s the way I like it. If you put your mind to it and work out what needs to be done, it’s not that hard, really. I like to record as much as I can, because you keep it fresh all the time!”
Watch the full interview below and check out Lo Carmen’s SXSW tour diary for the AU here!
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