by Arne Sjostedt
Having busted his heart in a break up, with trouble in his ranks - Book Seeka let his feelings out in latest release, Between The Head and The Heart. Engaging with the passions and hurt of a world without sounds, it’s not always a hard life when you are following your calling. In fact, that is what artists live for - recording, the fans, those special moments on stage, and the amazing feedback from people who care.
In this interview, Boo Seeka caught up with Rock City Jester to discuss his new album, touring with Hayden James, getting up on stage at Coachella without a rehearsal, and his foodie Instagram account.
Like a compelling and emotive recheck on his memory account, like a hard drive full of emotions: living well and not, and spring boarding himself to a new level of success, this album is something you should wake up early on a Sunday, put on and listen to. Just to enjoy life some more.
Rock City
Tell me about the process of making the new album.
Boo Seeka
It was probably more confronting than I ever anticipated. But I knew that I wanted to write this record. I actually had a whole record written prior to this one that I recorded. And I completely and utterly scrapped it because I just wasn't resonating with me.
I was basically standing in front of the mirror and I was looking at myself. It was almost like I could see that other me in the in the mirror saying, “What are you doing?” Like that person was looking back at me going, “This is not where you want to be in life. This is not the person you are. And this is not where you want to be moving forward."
Rock City Jester
What drove that kind of song writing?
Boo Seeka
I did go through a breakup, but it had to do with a few different scenarios…I just had some certain things going on with some certain people in my life that really put me in quite a [bad] point in my life. And I was finding it very, very hard to get out of that rut. I've never been good with words. I mean, I still to this day think I'm very terrible at doing interviews, but I find it very easy to get my emotions and what I need to say out in songs.
Rock City
I love it when artists are honest and open. Because it's real.
Boo Seeka
Music is art. And art is going to connect with people in so many different ways.
Rock City
You've recently featured on one of Hayden Jame's tracks?
Boo Seeka
You won't know that it's me. It's his opening track of his album. It's actually me singing but we altered my voice so crazily that you can't actually tell that it's me.
Rock City
And then you toured Coachella together?
Boo Seeka
I’ve got to say I thought it was all a bit of a hoax. When he first asked me I thought he might have had too many glasses of red wine on the other side of the phone.
Rock City
What was it like?
Boo Seeka
I couldn't believe people were singing the songs back and it had only been out for two weeks. And it was just something I'll never forget, and I'll be forever grateful.
He just chucked me on stage to play without any rehearsals or anything. And he played in front of 8,500 people. I don't get nervous very often getting on stage but I do like rehearsal every now and then, and we definitely didn't have any of those.
Rock City
That is full on.
Boo Seeka
It's not a small festival. For me it's always been about having the respect in this industry and I thoroughly feel like I got that from someone that I've looked up to for for a long time.
Rock City
What a gem of a memory.
Boo Seeka
It's kind of an incredible feeling when you look back on it and just go 'Man, like he had that much trust in me to just walk onto the stage of the biggest festival in the world and just go for it.'
Rock City
What memories do you have from the performance?
Boo Seeka
I remember this couple down the front, there was a guy wearing blue overalls, and his partner was wearing a white t-shirt. I don't know what band. And when Hayden introduced me to come on a stage, the facial expressions I will never ever forget - like they just couldn't believe that I had come over to play with Hayden. I spoke to them after the show. They were just like, 'Not only are you one of our favourite artists, but when we saw that you did a song with Hayden James, which is another one of our favourite Australian artists, we couldn't believe it'.
Rock City
Who are your top two or three musical icons?
Boo Seeka
It’s one of the very cliche thing to say…and that is actually my mother and father to start with. Because they had a record collection. Growing up as a kid, that was everything.
I not only consumed music every day - I'd go to sleep still hearing mum and dad listening to records.
...and you know, having them showing me what they would do when they had enough money to ride down on their bikes or buy the next vinyl or the artists that they loved. And they'd sit on the couch and undo the vinyl and read the lyrics.
Rock City
And your musical inspirations?
Boo Seeka
If I could sum up about five of them in a row, and just say the Traveling Wilburys, I think that was a big one for me, Carole King, The Beatles, Floyd, Zeppelin. All of that kind of stuff was always what I grew up with with mom and dad. But when it came to the Boo Seeka sound, I think the record that really inspired me to go in that direction was Moby's record PLAY. I think that record really took me into wanting to write electronic music. Between that, I would say Massive Attack was another one.
Rock City
You're got that slickness of Massive Attack, where it's very ironed out and very clean, and you've also got the highlights.
Your emotion, which obviously makes it your's and your's alone - is a gift
Boo Seeka
My other ginormous passion is food. If I'm not writing or recording music, or playing music, it’s either me in the kitchen, or it's me down trying restaurants or it's me sitting in front of the TV every day watching SPS Food Channel, which drives people in the house absolutely nuts.
Rock CIty
Have you got a favourite chef?
Boo Seeka
Ben Shewry in Melbourne. He owns a restaurant called Attica. It's probably the best, best meal I've ever had in my entire life. Like it was just incredible.
There's a guy called Matty Matheson, who's another really great chef that I love looking up to. And then someone that actually combines the two together is a guy called Action Bronson, who he has a lot to do with food as well.
Rock City
And you've got an foodie Insta account?
Boo Seeka
I kinda got pushed into it. My management secretly made a Instagram page called Food Seeka. And one of my friends without me knowing did a post about it. And I looked the next day I had no followers, no posts, no nothing, because I hadn't done anything with it. And friend of mine posted and I looked the next day and there was over 2000 people following and so I was like 'I better start putting some food up. So I've been doing that on my travels.'
Rock CIty
Awesome. And to finish up - what are the top five songs that people can pay attention to on this album?
I'm gonna say I Like It Like is definitely the first and foremost for me because when you listen to the lyrics on that one, it's basically how I started this whole, you know, the thought process of having this conversation with myself within the mirror...I would say Paralyze is another one of my favourites, Nothing, Stop Me Now, and I do really like Real. I think that is one of my favorites as well.
Already an established act in the Australian musical landscape since Boo Seeka’s astral debut single Kingdom Leader back in 2015 and a debut album Never Too Soon in 2017, 2022 for Boo continues to shape itself as a year of triumphs.
Boo Seeka is touring with Hayden James from date date date.
FRI 12 AUG | FORTITUDE MUSIC HALL, BRISBANE, QLD | 18+ FRI 19 AUG | JOHN CAIN ARENA, MELBOURNE, VIC | 18+
SAT 20 AUG | THEBARTON THEATRE, ADELAIDE, SA | 18+ SAT 27 AUG | REDHILL AUDITORIUM, PERTH, WA | 18+ SAT 3 SEP | HORDERN PAVILION, SYDNEY, NSW | 18+