Bertie Blackman has certainly put in the hard yards when it comes to achieving a small piece of fame in Australia. The songstress has performed relentlessly around New South Wales for years developing a solid fan base and is now reaping the benefits with an ARIA award under her belt and a tour that hasn't stopped yet.

Blackman will be performing among a swag of some of the finest local, national and international talent when she heads to Southbound this weekend (8th January '10 - 10th January '10, Busselton). But while her journey has been long, the fame hasn’t gone to the head of this down-to-earth musician who’s still happy to kick it with the fans at her own gigs.

On The Barrier caught a few minutes of time with Blackman in between meals and her next gig to talk about her new album and the cred that comes with being an ARIA award winner.

Wow it's so noisy, where are you?
I'm actually eating Yum Cha at the moment! My publicist people told me conference call wasn’t for another 20 minutes. But never mind.

That's ok we'll try do this as painlessly as possible! So you’re coming to Southbound this year, are there any artists on the lineup you're particularly looking forward to sharing the stage with?
The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, I'm a BIG fan, I can't even say I’m looking forward to anyone else. Although there are heaps of people I really want to see.

What have you got planned for your live show?
We've been rehearsing all day yesterday for it and... well... it's a surprise really. It's an amalgamation of what we did with Parklife and the tour so it’s turned into a bit of a fantastical thing.

What will you be getting up to before and after your turn on stage? Do you reckon we’ll spot you in the crowd that day?
Oh yeah I’ll definitely be out in the crowd. Lately especially it hasn’t been so pleasant out in the crowds because people come up to me when they're drunk. I’ll wear a disguise this time maybe. But I’ve noticed people give you a lot of attention if they see you just after you play or just before you play ya know. Because people will be all like ‘oh hey I just saw you on stage’.

So you’ve just won best independent release at the ARIAs, how do you feel about that? Would you say it’s a big of validation for your work?
It’s pretty amazing, I’m still in shock over it. I’ve just been doing gigs non stop and I haven’t really had a day off. So it’s taking a while for it to sink in. I’m not sure what to do with mine though, I heard Paul Mac lost his (ARIA award) off the back of a boat.

Do you think you’ll stay independent with your music or would you jump at the chance to be signed?
I stay independent out of choice. I guess it’s a matter of working with the right people and if the right thing comes along... you never know. But being independent is kind of a lifestyle choice. Being independent in Australia is ok if you’re willing to work hard at it. Overseas it’s a little more complicated. For me it’s just about connecting with right people. It doesn’t matter whether I’m signed or not.

What’s the next goal now?
A new record. Well for me it’s a convoluted thing. I’ll probably go into studio and write a bunch of songs really quickly.

Will they be about anything in particular?
Well I’ve been reading and watching lots of weird films and trying to absorb heaps of words so that when I do put everything down I’ve got a big catalogue of inspiration. I’m the kind of person that after two weeks of writing songs I’ll hate them all. But yeah after that it’s kind of a stepping stone to recording. Moving forward depends on who I’m producing the recording with.

Ok so your latest record secrets and lies is catapulting you into the public eye again, can you give me a brief summary on the album?
It’s kind of hard to put anything into a brief summary. For me it’s one big body of work. Ok so it’s a challenging recording. It’s a record that takes a leap away from guitar and songwriting to working with a band. It’s definitely the most true to me sounding work I’ve ever done. It’s a feel good album.

How does it rate for you out of your previous releases?
It’s far more ‘me’ than my previous release. I think it’s that I’m growing in confidence now and working with different people, making different connections. It feels like it only takes a second to jump from where you are in life to somewhere else. Sometimes it takes a while for right people to come along but then it all clicks into place. Life is one big puzzle.

Did you try anything new on this one?
I’ve been doing a bunch of programming and I did a lot of cowriting with Neil Sutherland on keyboard. Most of the songs were recorded in my bedroom on a crappy microphone. I think because I felt quite comfort exploring things there is a much stronger emotion in my work this time.

Is there anything you wish you had have tried?
Not really because I’m going to keep doing a bunch of writing so I’ll just keep trying new things.

What was inspiring or influencing you while you were writing the record? Is there an ongoing theme to it all?
I don’t know, I wasn’t listening to the radio a lot, I kind of shut off from pop culture so as not to get distracted. I watched Twin Peaks. That was a large inspiration, watching this place that’s imaginary in every way.

So Your Single Heart, what is that all about?
It’s about a lot of things really. I kind of wanted to write a profile song. I wrote about eight pages of lyrics, it was a rant eventually, and turned it into a song. I wanted it to be a strange kind of voodoo, Motown sounding song.

Any particular songs on there that are special to you?
They all have a place, I think, on different days. I haven’t actually listened to the album since it was recorded. Each song marks different moments in my life.

Which song came together in the most unusual way for you?
Yeah the last track on the recording – Valentine. I woke up at 3am and had this idea that I wanted to write an acapella song. So I went up to the mic and wrote words. I emailed the solo vocals to (producer) Lee (Groves). He went ‘you know what I don’t know about this’ but I told him I just wanted the track to be really bare, a little soliloquy.

Now what’s next for you? Any new projects to speak of?
Always. There are a few projects I have in the works for this year. I’m having an art exhibition auction of my drawings and giving the money to charity. It’s ended up being quite a big deal. It’s been just a massive year and this month has been biggest month of that year.

Anything else you’d like to add or say to your fans before we finish up?
I’d like to say that today... I’m a cat.

Bertie Blackman will perform at the Southbound 2010 festival in Busselton this weekend.

By Nikkita DIxon