The act of artistic creation is, almost by definition, a revealing one, exposing parts of the artist themselves in the work.
For Mount Duneed vocalist Jasmine Matthews, whose debut single ‘Reverie’ is released on all platforms this week, leaning into that part of songwriting became a necessary part of the process.
“It feels very personal, your first release; I’m nervous but I’m also very excited,” Matthews said.
“When I started writing ‘Reverie’, my process was very different to what it is now. I was thinking more about what audiences would want to hear, but it didn’t feel authentic to me.
“So I took a moment to myself and was like, okay, let’s try something different.
“I try to write from a place of vulnerability, and that’s been really challenging for me to move past, but I think it’s most authentic to myself, so I really enjoy that process.”
Matthews, 24, studied criminology and psychology at Victoria University before changing paths and pursuing her Advanced Diploma of Music Industry (Performance) at Geelong’s Oxygen College, which she completed last year.
“I just felt like I was not going in the right direction, and now, graduating from music, that was definitely the right choice,” she said.
The connections she has made at Oxygen have set her up to be where she is now; gigging regularly, performing in Melbourne at venues such as the Gasometer and teaching singing.
Reverie, an alternative RnB tune with hints of jazz and neo-psych, was recorded at Oxygen with producer Phil Kearney and engineer Travis Dom.
“It’s just the three of us, and we collaborate, really,” Matthews said.
“I bring in the lyrics and the chords, so the basic song is already written, and I also come in with what instrumentation I want and what I want the song to sound and feel like as well.
“That’s super important to me, to bring out specific emotions. Finding the identity of the song is something we work on a lot.”
The single precedes Matthews’ debut studio EP, which is set for release on May 5 with a Geelong launch booked at the Piano Bar on July 6.
