TOMALIA
Interviewed by Juliette Salom (she/her)
Hailing from the north-eastern suburbs of Naarm, genre-bending musician Tomalia (she/her) reignites her character of the chaotically evil sultress with her new single Modern Romance. Reflecting on modern dating and focusing on the idea of the situationship, Tomalia’s latest release lays the groundwork for the ‘crazy’ character the singer transforms into on stage. Playing at the Tote upstairs on August 11th with her all femme/non-binary band, Tomalia chats with Demure ahead of the show about her journey into the industry, her musical inspirations, and the singer’s new single.
Naarm
How did you get into making music? What’s the story of Tomalia?
I have been playing piano, singing, and making up dances (then forcing my patient family to watch them) ever since I was little. As I got older I started to get more interested in music theory, notation, and midi sequencing. I got really into making what I call twisted covers or obscure mashups. An example of this is a mashup I created for a saxophone quartet that combined Tchaikovky’s Swan Lake and Shakira’s Hips Don’t Lie. Another time I did a cover of Taylor Swift’s iconic Love Story and put it in the minor key and changed the lyrics to make it sound evil. I know this all sounds insane, and it was. And that’s why it worked. I then took my classical piano upbringing into a popular / contemporary music course at university which just opened my eyes to so many sounds, genres, techniques, and artists. And also so many beautiful and encouraging friends who helped me to be confident in my playing.
At uni I realised that instead of covering other people's songs and twisting them, I could just write my own crazy songs. I started playing my chaotic songs in front of people and I thought they were dark and scary... but people started laughing. So I played into that and I soon found my niche sound that involves being a bit scary and intense, but also a bit sexual and funny. I think the laughter allows release and balance from the intensity. And as for the sexual part, I just think it is fun and empowering to be a woman and sing about sexuality.
Tomalia was then created as this character who is meant to be the “crazy girl” but on an extreme, almost violent level. I am not a violent person at all haha, but sometimes using aggressive imagery can help paint the intensity of a song and also helps with the humor.
You’ve just launched your new single Modern Romance, which is available to stream on Spotify. What’s the story behind this song? How were you inspired with the concept?
Yes, Modern Romance has just come out which is so exciting! This song is about a situationship wooo! Google defines a situationship as a romantic relationship that remains undefined, and Modern Romance explores this concept as it was something I experienced. This song was written when I felt really hurt and angry by an undefined relationship. The first half of the song is quite raw and represents how confused and upset I felt at the time. I then thought ‘this is too personal, let’s flip the story’. So as the song continues my character becomes the scary, “crazy girl” with the power, who is angry and ready to push the relationship away. My character flips the story in a somewhat violent way which makes the whole song more dramatic, but also gives her chaotic power. I think the drums and guitar in the song help intensify the power and craziness. At the chorus the whole feel of the song shifts and sounds so sweet and happy. And this is sort of how a situationship feels - constant highs and lows, and constant instability.
I got to co-produce this track with my great friend Nathan Zammit who is such an incredible musician and always helps me bring my stories to life. He adds the perfect sounds and swooshes to make my songs so much fun. I also had numerous of my friends record on the track, including Ashleigh Howel on the bass, Alex Bicknell on the drums and Josh Boult on the guitar. This makes the song extra special to me and I am so in awe of the incredible touches that each of these musicians added. These people really inspire me and help me to create my art.
You say that you want your new song to be a snapshot of “the irony of how wonderfully ugly modern romance can be”. While a lot of listeners will be able to relate to this sentiment, is this you speaking from a place of experience? Do you write songs from your own life, or draw them from others?
This song is from a place of experience, but also a bit twisted to be entertaining and to make my character chaotic and evil. I often write songs when I feel intense feelings. I have this little journal that I always carry around and write random words and lyrics in it when they pop into my head. I then later try to sing them out in the shower or find some spicy and crunchy chords on the piano to match the aggressive lyrics.
The story of Modern Romance kind of comes from multiple experiences as a young woman dating. Whilst one intense feeling sparked the song, trying to find a companion or love these days is so difficult. Online dating is just the worst, people are so afraid to commit, it can be so hard to be honest, you don’t want to seem too eager or not eager enough. How does modern romance even work?? I think all of these feelings play into the song. And all of these experiences can be just the worst, but they also provide great stories to share with your friends and make you appreciate your beautiful family and friendships. And I think that is what I mean when I say “wonderfully ugly”. Constant highs and lows which is just beyond relatable to so many young people wanting to date at the moment. My lyric “Isn’t instability the new cool way to be” kind of highlights this. Do people think it is cool to be so romantically unstable? Maybe, I’m not sure!
I find it a lot easier to write songs about something I feel, and that is where most of my stories come from. To counteract this a little bit I am actually in a very beautiful and stable relationship right now so I might have to start finding song inspiration from new places haha!
Your sound is a beautifully smooth, sultry expression of modern femininity. What and who have been some of the influences on your work?
Thank you so much! One of my biggest influences is Fiona Apple. When I first heard her music about 4 years ago my mind exploded a little bit. She is a pianist and a singer as well, and she is so fierce and unapologetic. And I love how the piano sings along with her and this is something that I definitely try to replicate in my own songs.
Another lady that I am hugely influenced by is Tori Amos. She has a similar sound to Fiona Apple actually. She is a fierce pianist and singer and her lyrics hold so much power and honesty. She has a very cool live performance presence as well and plays two pianos at the same time.
I also love Tim Minchon. His songs tell such incredible stories and he is so funny! I love how he entertains a crowd as this is something I also try to mimic, but in my own spicy way.
On August 11th you’ll be playing the Tote upstairs with your all femme / non-binary band. How do you find the experience of playing live? What’s it like to hear your music in a different context to how you recorded it?
Yes I will be and I am so excited! I really love playing live and letting my character take over. She is pretty crazy and pulls lots of funny faces.
As much as I love recording in the studio, I think I prefer playing my music live and having an impact on an audience. Most of my songs, including Modern Romance, come from me playing a song on the piano to my band and then us working together to figure out cool parts for a live setting. I then go to the studio with these songs that I have already played live and have to figure out how to put them into a recorded context. I love finding elements that work in both a live and recorded context, and figuring out how to bring my stories to life.
Also my band is just so incredibly hot! Alex Bicknell on the drums, Ashleigh Howel on the bass, and Nichola Ingvarson on backing vocals and percussion and everything I need her to do. These people help me to be inspired and we have so much fun together.
Thanks so much for chatting with us! Is there anything else you’d like readers of Demure to know?
Thank you so much for having me, it is a real pleasure! I would like the readers to know that if they don’t listen to Modern Romance, Tomalia might come and chop their fingers off..!
Thank you so much Juliette :D
You can listen to Tomalia here, and see what she’s up to here.