Romanie’s power lies in her storytelling, her ability to see the world beyond the noise, a trait beautifully demonstrated in her latest single ‘Are We There Yet?’. With the new song serving as our first taste of what is to come from her album of the same name, Romanie is excited for the LP’s release in October. We caught up with the talented singer-songwriter-musician to chat about Are We There Yet?, her progression to producing her own music and how she is going to celebrate the album’s release.

Romanie, you have just released your new track 'Are We There Yet'. Tell us about your new song, what does it mean to you? What do you hope the listener takes away from it?

Being the title track of my album, I feel like it’s the song that ties a lot of things together for me. I think endlessly about time and time pressure, the future and all that stuff. I really wanted to put that feeling of pressure into a song and the antsy persona that comes along with it. Taking the song as a reminder for myself to sometimes take things a bit slower and sit back to let things just happen. When I listen to the recording now, I feel quite content and proud — something a past Romanie would never dare to say out loud.

You took on a co-production role for this song, what was that like? Did it add another layer of pressure?

I was really nervous at the start as I’d always looked up so much to Gormie and his work (still do!). Finding out he was also just a little bit of a goofy character like me and becoming friends with him just really added to the fun of it all. He really gave me the space to grow into my own ideas and I literally could not have done all of this without him. His knowledge and creative ideas just complemented my ideas and vision really well and made me think a lot about recording processes. So much that I now write more with a produced vision from the get-go, which has been a really fun process.

“I’m very excited to share the whole album with everyone, it’s been finished for quite some time but I still feel deeply connected to all the songs and hope people can connect with them too.”

— Romanie

'Are We There Yet' is our first sample of your forthcoming album of the same name. Is this track a good sample of what fans can expect from your new body of work?

Definitely! All these new songs have been a much better representation of who I am as an artist/person than anything I’ve ever released before. It’s all a sign of growth I suppose, which is a very interesting trajectory to see for yourself. Taking the time to stop and look back can sometimes be so rewarding, and actually really good fuel for new songs. Last month I went home (to Belgium) for the first time in years and some friends brought up my very first single release in 2019. At first, I thought I was going to die on the spot of embarrassment. Then a friend pointed out how proud I should be to see the exponential growth I’ve made if I thought that that was a ‘bad song’, which was a very sweet realisation (and rescue from my embarrassment heart attack).

I’m very excited to share the whole album with everyone, it’s been finished for quite some time but I still feel deeply connected to all the songs and hope people can connect with them too.

When is the new album 'Are We There Yet' being released? Do you have anything special planned to mark the occasion?

The album comes out 26th of October, which seems both far and not far away. Time moves so fast nowadays, I can’t believe we’re already over halfway through the year (or I’m getting old?). I collaborated with my friend Sebi White on a little merch range to celebrate the album and am super happy with the merch designs, so that’ll be very exciting to see some people in Romanie merch! Also potentially play a few shows and showcase my amazing band - we’ve been rehearsing and playing around town a little bit and it feels so good to play these songs live.

What genre box are you putting the new album into?

Gosh, I feel like I’m giving an ever-changing answer to this depending on what mood I wake up to. I’d say Alternative, Indie Rock just because that’s most of the music that I consume and have referenced during the recording process, but putting things into a box always feels so restrictive. There are some heavier guitars and drums than my Little Big Steps EP so I’ve definitely branched away a little bit from the singer-songwriter folk realm, but I’d still consider myself a folk artist as well — just because of the way I write and say things I suppose.

“Living a really fast-paced life, working multiple jobs to finance being an independent artist and always being out and about to see friends — time always seems to be running short for me”

— Romanie

You have been quoted as 'This whole album is basically an ode to my obsession with time, timing and movement in space and time". What is the 'pull' of these subjects and how did the obsession start?

It’s probably my whole personality, to be honest! A friend recently told me I need to stop referring to myself as chaotic, but I do feel like it’s been a very big theme in my life for the past few years. I moved to Melbourne at the end of 2019, not really knowing where the best place to be was (definitely turned out Melbourne was not the best place for a lockdown, but in hindsight I’ve made the best online connections and written my best songs throughout it). During these past years of being stuck, a lot of things happened in various places and time moved both at the fastest and slowest pace I’ve ever experienced. I think this was probably the starting point of my obsession with time.

The nomadic pull probably added the last sprinkles to it all. I had lived most of my life in a smallish town in Belgium, and moving away was both liberating and sad at the same time. I’ve missed many friendship milestones, housewarmings and weddings cause I always seemed to want to move around (Brisbane when I was 18, Spain during uni) — always feeling like I belonged somewhere else than the place I was currently in.

Living a really fast-paced life, working multiple jobs to finance being an independent artist and always being out and about to see friends — time always seems to be running short for me. Writing the music that I write is probably the only time where I sit still to think about stuff and process emotions. Probably makes it all the more real, which I really like.

Do you have a favourite song off the album or one that holds a special place in your heart?

I think Nomadland will always hold a special place for me. Both the songwriting and recording process of this song was quite pivotal — It’s a song about displacement and feeling lost. I wrote it after watching the movie Nomadland and I remember feeling so many emotions whilst writing it like I was being pulled by something. When Gormie and I started recording this one, we both looked at each other and really locked in (I think we might have even cried, or at least I did). The song became something so spacious in the recording and I remember showing my mentor and friend Kate, and endlessly reworking the lyrics until the end of the recording day until we all were like: ‘Yes, this is it.’ This song is also the first time in a live set where I’ve gotten rid of my guitar and let Rory lead the way so I can just sing and it always is one of the most special moments in the set. (This is an unreleased song so I’m really teasing here now.)

“I really love recording music, but playing live might still be my favourite thing in the whole wide world.”

— Romanie

Are there plans to tour for the album?

Yes, really dreaming and hoping I can bring the album and my band to places. I really love recording music, but playing live might still be my favourite thing in the whole wide world. Playing together with my band (who are all really good friends of mine), connecting with audiences and feeling the energy in the room is always super special.

Who in your crew or team deserves a shout out but never gets one? And what is it they do that keeps your world turning?

Honestly, everyone I work with are absolute angels. I love this question because everyone needs to get a shout-out more often. I’m very, very grateful that people who I admire endlessly want to work with me and I would not be sitting here without any of the people that were involved in the album and in my current surroundings. It’s been such a big few years personally (for most of us) so it’s the daily reminders that we’re all still here and the genuine community that I’ve got that keeps everything turning. Sounds so cheesy, but it’s the biggest truth.

What's next for Romanie? What can fans look forward to?

I have big dreams! But also taking things one day at a time — something I learned after writing an album about time pressure and patience haha.

Interview by Michelle Symes

August 2023

Another little big step for Romanie