Drenched in her signature blend of strong pop vocals and the nostalgia of the 70’s and 80’s, Sydney-based singer and songwriter Carla Wehbe is back in full swing with her latest release ‘hurts to love you’.
Turning her pain into song Carla opens up over an electrifying soundscape, sharing the struggles of losing someone that you care so deeply about, loving them so much that it hurts to be close to them. Effortlessly clashing her own heartache with glowing sonics of the past. To celebrate her foot-tapping new single ‘hurts to love you’ we had an A-Z interview with Carla Wehbe.
A – what was your favourite age?
I’d say twenty-seven, so last year. I feel like I grew the most as a person, and I felt most like myself at twenty-seven. I wrote my favorite music I've ever written, I made some of my best friends, just so many good things happened at twenty-seven.
B – favourite band?
ABBA! It’s between ABBA and Queen, but I’m pretty sure ABBA wins.
C – best concert you ever went to?
It would have to be... Cheryl Cole was in a girl-band called Girls Aloud, they were massive in the UK and I went and saw them there.
D - Dream collaboration? Dead or alive.
Dead, I would say Queen or the Beatles... for alive, I’d say Harry Styles.
E – The end of the year is fast approaching, what are you looking forward to in 2022?
Releasing more music and touring! I can't wait to play live again.
F – First song you ever wrote?
I don’t even remember the name of it... it was terrible in case you were wondering. I remember the chords were A minor, F, C, G... that’s all I remember.
G – Go-to album?
Avril Lavigne’s first two albums.
H – Tell me a little about 'Hurts To Love You’
It was a song that I wrote over zoom with two Norwegians. They randomly hit me up at the start of lockdown last year. It was my first zoom session; I was kind of apprehensive to do a zoom session. We wrote it and ended up becoming really good friends, we write music together all the time which is super cool. The thing I wrote the song about, I was going through it at the time... so it felt very honest and real to write about it.
I – An instrument you can play / or wish you could play?
I can play a couple of instruments averagely well, but I would love to be better at the drums.
J – When you were little, what was your dream job?
I wanted to be a vet!
K – What kind of kid were you?
I was fairly confident; I was super outgoing which changed as I got older. I’m very strong in what I believed in, my parents always said that since I was a kid.
L – Last song you listened to
I haven’t listened to music today, so it would have been yesterday... I was in the car; I was playing the Cheap Queen album by King Princess.
M – Childhood memory
This one time when it was summer holidays, my brothers and I built this big hut out of banana leaves and bamboo sticks, it was a full-on hut. We spent the whole day and all night in there.
N – What can we expect next from you?
More music!
O – Best op-shop find?
I have so many things from op-shops, but there is this one jacket I found recently. It is a 50’s tan corduroy bomber jacket, and I didn’t look at it too closely... but when I got home someone pointed out that my name was on the jacket. I didn’t even realise it said Carla when I bought it.
P – What is your prized possession?
I would say two of my guitars. I have a Gibson J200 and a 69 Rosewood Tele, it’s the one that George Harrison used to use. Or a seventies TVs it is in perfect condition. I bought it from a lady whose mum had just passed away, and she grew up watching that TV, it was very sentimental to her. She sold it to me for one tenth of the price that people were offering her, she said she felt like she wanted to sell it to someone who would appreciate it.
Q – Sum up your quarantine in 3 words
Uhhh... I loved it. I had a blast; I don’t love going out that much so it was perfect for me! I got to do all the stuff that I wanted to do but was too busy. I got to paint and make clothes and spend time with my horse.
R – Do you have any role models?
I do, two of them are my parents. Non relatives? That’s a tricky one... I don’t think I have any celebrities as role models, I get inspiration from people.
S – What does Sydney mean to you?
Home! It’s where I experienced my whole life. When I come back from overseas, I’m always comforted by being home again.
T – Favourite place you’ve travelled?
I love Norway so much. I was actually going to move there for a little while before Covid happened. I always felt drawn to it, and it is beautiful.
U – Down under – what’s your favourite part of Australia?
I love the southern highlands, that’s where my horse is. I love the countryside.
V – ‘Hurts To Love You’ music video – what was filming that like?
It was so much fun! I had a friend there, so that added to the mood of the day and the crew were amazing! Everyone was so lovely! It was cool being on a set like that, it was a 1960’s house that we rented for the day from a ninety-five-year-old lady who is such a sweetheart. The outfits and the props and the different weird scenes we were doing, it was cool to see all that turn from my mood boards into a music video.
W – Where do you write best?
I don’t know that there's a place... but the best idea I ever had was thought in the shower. A couple of songs have started in the shower! I could be having dinner and then an idea will hit me, I'll have to run and get my phone to record it. It’s kind of random. I have found that my best ideas come or when I write best is when I’m alone. I love writing with friends and other people, I just find that when there nobody else there, there’s no added pressure and I can take my time with it.
X – X-mas! What are you doing for the holiday season?
My family and I might be going to Byron Bay for a week. Not too much other than that, I’m organising a writing camp for January, and I have to organise that so I can't be away for too long. I also want to get back into surfing over the summer.
Y – Favourite thing about yourself?
My favourite thing would have to be... my generosity to people. I genuinely care about things, and my friends and family. I want them to be happy or struggling, so I always try to be there for them.
Z – New Zealand! Are you hoping to cross the ditch any time soon?
Yes I’d love to! The guy I did my last EP with is from New Zealand, I have a couple of friends there, and SACHI just released a new EP and I’m featured on that. I’d love to play a show there sometime! I also want to go snowboarding there when it’s winter.
Comments