Q: Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how your childhood impacted your musical direction?
A: First of all, Hi, my name’s Osska Perrett. I’m a Melbourne-based artist and I love music. That is the one thing anyone who knows me would tell you. I’ve created music since a very young age. I was quite inspired by my mum and dad who have both been artists throughout their everyday life. From an early age, I learned to express myself through creativity like it was a second language.
Q: How are you planning on growing your fan base and sharing your music with the world? What message do you have for anyone who is about to discover “Osska Perrett”?
A: A fan base is much more than a group of people who enjoy an artist. A fan base is a tribe, a family of individuals all connected through the same emotions and ideas. When playing, it’s the most beautiful thing seeing that tribe in unison with me, feeling the same emotions I’m feeling. I plan to build my fanbase by bringing that same feeling to every gig. If you’re new to my music I want to express that music connects people by the souls. We all share moments in life that we show that we are all extremely similar. Music is a really powerful force that can evoke deep emotion. It’s my passion as an artist to share these emotions that I feel and others feel too. I love seeing the connection I make with my audience. Whether it be a line in a song that resonates deeply with someone, or that one of my tracks has become the soundtrack for a moment of their life
Q: Who is the most inspiring artist for you right now? And where do you find inspiration for making music?
A: Before creating ‘Don’t Feed The Strays’, some of the greats of punk and alt-rock were earworms in my head. The most inspirational for me was the works of The Gun Club, one of the most ‘unusual’ outfits of 70’s to 80’s Los Angeles punk rock. The lyricism, the imagery and the sounds hypnotised from the beginning.
Q: Can you tell us about the story or message behind the ep, “Don’t Feed The Strays.”?
A: I wrote this EP at a time in my life when I felt that I was begging for attention, searching for reciprocal love. That’s where the metaphor for the song ‘Stray Dogs‘ comes from, all of us can feel like a dirty and flea-ridden mutt, and when we are given a glimpse of what we think we need, we don’t realise it’s over until it’s too late. The name ‘Don’t Feed The Strays’ in itself is very tongue-in-cheek and sarcastic. Telling everyone that, you shouldn’t feed the strays, cause they only come back for more. My question is, would you feed a stray?
Q: How would you describe your sound in one word for potential listeners?
A: Pansy-Punk, Does that count as one word? I’ll count it. People have tried to describe it, and the closest I’ve ever gotten from somebody is “noisy shoegaze bedroom pop DIY.” I’ve always described my sound as Pansy-Punk, my genre which encapsulates my music and myself as well. When you’re a Pansy-punk, you’re not afraid to be yourself and you’re not afraid to show people what you’re capable of.
Q: Did you face any challenges while writing or recording “Don’t Feed The Strays”?
A: Yes! Definitely! I began recording the EP with my song Lonely Streets, at that time I was set to go into surgery for my shoulder due to dislocating it the year before. Imagine yanking the handbrakes while travelling 100 km/h (or 60 m/h, whatever you fancy). It hit me full force, stopping me at a grinding halt. But I was back on my feet very quickly, playing my first-ever festival a month later.
Q: What is the message of your music? And what are your goals as an artist?
A: As an Artist, my goal is to spread the message that music is for everybody. I will scream that from the rooftops as I believe that never will a song be for one audience. Music is a universal language, and it is for you the listener to draw your message from it. In short, don’t gatekeep, that’s lame.
Q: Who is your dream artist to collaborate with? (dead or alive)
A: Ooooooo, So many answers I could give you, however after a lot of thinking, my final choice would be Jessica Pratt. I was very late to the party but her self-titled album sent for an absolute spin. I can’t get by without my fix of Bushel Hyde.
Q: What is your advice for people interested in pursuing music as a career or for those trying to enter the industry?
A: The first thought that popped into my mind was do it, release those demos you’ve been sitting on, join a band with your mates, and put yourself in the spotlight. We all can shine. My dad has always said ‘You don’t want to be in your adulthood, sitting and thinking, I really should have tried harder and pushed further when it came to what I’m most passionate about because we only get one shot at life.’
Q: If you could go back in time and give a younger you some words of wisdom, what would they be?
A: It would be, Don’t Feed the Strays.
