“`html
Meg Washington on Creativity, Purpose, and the Joy of Making Music
Table of Contents
Melbourne, Australia – Award-winning musician โฃMeg Washington is โcontemplating the core reasonsโข behind her enduring passion for music, aโ question that has taken on new weight as her career has blossomedโ over nearly two โdecades. The singer-songwriter, โขknown for her introspective lyrics and versatile vocal style, โhas become a prominent figure in Australian culture,โ balancing โmultiple creative endeavors while grappling with the role of art in a capitalist society.
A Multifaceted Career
Washington’s career beganโฃ with a meaningful earlyโข success, winning an ARIA Award for her debut album,โค I Believe You Liar, inโ 2010. Beyond โคher solo work, she has gained widespread recognition as the voice of Calypso, the beloved teacher in theโ animated children’s series Bluey. In 2024, she further expanded her creative portfolio by โขco-writng theโข screenplay โfor the film adaptationโค of Paul Kelly’s iconic song, “How to โคMake Gravy,” alongside her husband, director Nick Waterman.
“I love having a million different things happening and I love learning,” Washington โshared โขin a recent interview on Double J’s Take 5 program. “I love learning new ways to be creative.”
Did โขyouโ Know? Meg Washington’s work on Bluey has introduced her music โto a new generation of listeners, solidifying her place in โaustralian popular culture.
Theโ Question โคof Purpose
Despite her achievements, Washington has been engaged in a period of self-reflection, questioning the purpose of creating music within a capitalist โขframework, โขnotably as her professional โฃlife has diversified.This โinternal โคdebate โคled herโค to a basicโข realization.
“Because its โin my โnature,” โshe explained. “Ifโค I was on a desert islandโ all โขby myself and there was nobody to listen to me, I would still โขsing because I’m there.” This intrinsic motivation is a โฃcentral theme in her latest album,โข Gem, specifically in the song “Honeysuckle Island,” where โฃshe sings, “It’s all orโ nothing.”
“I really โdo think thatโ you have to fully surrender to the mission. You can’t halfโ try,” Washington emphasized.
Gem: A Newโ Chapter
Gem, a self-described “concept album,” marks a significantโค turning point in Washington’s career as her first release โof original music โขsince โbecoming an independentโ artist. โThis transition prompted a deeper examination of her relationshipโ withโฃ music and her artistic practice.
“I had to renew my vows to myself andโ to ‘The Muse’โ and whatever my art practice means to me,” she stated. “And it means โthe same thing now that it did when I wasโข 14. Now I’m kind of showing up in a way that before I didn’t really feel like I had the capacity to.”
A Shift โขin Songwriting
Washington’s approach to songwriting evolved with Gem,moving away from strictly autobiographical โnarratives. Previously,herโข songs often drewโค directly from personal experiences,such โฃasโฃ her โ2014 album There There,which โคexplored the complexities ofโฃ a broken engagement. However, she found that repeatedly revisiting painful emotions during live performances could be emotionally taxing.