Hello folks and a very Happy New Year to you. Doesn’t it feel good to see 2021 on the calendar?
For me, 2020 was filled with new ventures, one of which entailed me becoming a journalist, working for Around the Sound Magazine. This saw me interviewing artists from Ireland to Melbourne, reviewing Mozart symphonies, jazz, gospel, soul and circus women!
The seed for my vodcast series The Lounge with Aminah Hughes was sewn through an interview I did for the magazine and I’ve since interviewed some awesome people in music and film, from screenwriters in Los Angeles to Australian screen producers, from a country music star in Scotland to a stand-up comedian New York, from a feminist poet returning from the hills of Santa Monica, to a blues musician in Chicago.
It has been my absolute pleasure to discover this side to myself and I look forward to developing my journalistic tendencies as time goes on.
It is of course nice to be appreciated for my work too, which is why I was delighted to receive the news today that my review of Elvis Costello’s album, Hey Clockface, was the 7th most read article in Around the Sound in 2020! Woo hoo! Isn’t that something? Thrilled, too, that Elvis himself saw fit to share my piece with his fans.
“From the first enchanting notes of ‘Revolution #49,’ I find myself standing alone in a barren landscape, encircled by desert winds. To my left is a serpent (instrument, not snake), behind me the low rumblings of cello and piano, to my right a wailing cor anglais. The tone is dirty, not desolate, rasping yet rich – then there’s Costello’s voice emerging from the sand…”
Our job as music journalists is to honour the many hours artists put into creating their work and helping them to promote their creations, while being honest, maintaining a unique voice and keeping fans and readers engaged. It’s a fine balance and it’s not always easy to make all the people happy, all of the time. Which is why receiving messages like this one from Sony Music makes us feel extra warm and fuzzy:
“Sony would love to give a huge thank you to the entire team at Around The Sound. Your immense support for Sony Music Australia and our artists has been incredible – your commitment and passion to music is inspiring! Congratulations on what has obviously been a very big year for everyone, you should all be proud of yourselves for working so hard. The Sony Music Australia team are thinking of Around The Sound this festive season and wishing you all the happiest of holidays!!”
– Sony Music Entertainment, Executive Team.
I personally want to give a huge thank you to Editor, Andrew Thompson, who gave me the opportunity to join the magazine and who has humoured me on my occasional flights of fancy. He has offered nothing but support and encouragement as I set out on this new path and for that I shall always be grateful.
My thanks also to Manager, Ash Lee, who does a wonderful job being the glue that holds everything together, and to the entire ATS team for welcoming me and generally being cool cats.
See you on the battlefield in 2021.
