photo credit : Tom Drizners
28th June, 2023
What was it like opening for Babymetal on their Australian tour? Were the fans very receptive?
It’s near-impossible to describe. The tour was absolutely phenomenal, especially since it ran so smoothly despite how high the stakes were. Babymetal themselves, their team and their fans are all such welcoming people and we felt right at home all throughout. And yep, definitely a receptive audience – the feeling of putting my hands up and having thousands of people do the same night after night is unlike anything else. I’m still buzzing from it a week later.
What were some of the highlights for you?
I think every show had its own little “pinch me” moment. In Brisbane, being the first night, the sheer volume of the cheer when we walked on stage really threw me off (in the best way). Sydney was my favourite overall, a highlight there would’ve been knowing our families were out in the crowd somewhere witnessing such a special event in our career. Then in Melbourne, I’ll never forget when the whole arena got their phone lights out for Second Nature.
With your last EP, I Don’t Know What I Am, being released last year, when can fans expect to hear some new Reliqa tunes?
We’ve been working really hard on new material since around November last year, alongside our producer Chris Blancato. We’re sitting on a body of work now that we’re super proud of and over the next couple of months we’ll be bringing it all together in the studio. I can’t reveal too much just yet, but 2024 is gonna be a big year for releasing!
Where do you get inspiration from for your lyrics?
My lyric writing has developed a lot over the years. I started out by sort of conjuring up stories that didn’t really exist in my world – it just felt easier to create a narrative rather than dig into personal territory. But when approaching our latest release, IDKWIA, I made it my mission to start writing lyrics based on personal matters, like my real fears and experiences. So many artists I love do that with ease, so I really wanted to add that to my own toolkit. I’ve been writing more personal, introspective lyrics ever since then and it’s a challenging but rewarding process.
How would you personally describe Reliqa’s sound?
I think I Don’t Know What I Am about sums it up, haha! Our music has always been a bit of a mixed bag that even I struggle to describe at times, but over time we’ve gotten really good at packing a whole load of inspirations and sounds into cohesive, accessible tracks. Genre-wise, we call it ‘progressive metalcore’. Some might say it’s a little System of a Down, a little Karnivool, with some of the catchier, modern grooves of today’s metalcore shining through as well.
How did you first discover and get into heavy music?
My older brother had a metal phase in his early teens, exposing me at age 10 or so to bands like Atreyu, Slipknot, System of a Down and Evanescence. From there it only grew for me, especially once I hit high school and met my now bandmates who got me into Linkin Park and Disturbed.
Who were/ are your music heroes? Who inspired you to want to be a vocalist?
Some of my forever favourites would have to be Myles Kennedy, David Draiman, Amy Lee, Serj Tankian, Chester Bennington, Gerard Way – exactly the idols you’d expect for someone of my generation. They’re all legends for a
reason!
Do you play any instruments?
I play piano, which makes an appearance in most of our live shows.
How did you learn to sing? Lessons, online, etc…
From around age 12 or so I used to come home from school every afternoon and teach myself whatever new favourite song I had at the time on piano. Eventually I started introducing some really timid vocals into the mix while playing, and the rest is history really. I had a bit of formal training in my late teens to help manage my vocal health, but apart from that I’m generally self-taught.
How often do you get to practice with Reliqa?
We used to practice around once a fortnight, but at the moment we’ve gotten ourselves into a good, well-oiled groove of dividing our time between writing in the studio and doing solid 3-4 hour pracs when we need them, like if a show/tour is coming up. So while the frequency of our pracs has technically gone down, we’re working together more than ever.
How are Reliqa songs conceived? Music then lyrics, jamming ideas at practice, etc…?
We work in a bit of a production line when it comes to writing. Usually, our guitarist Brandon will come to the table with a full instrumental demo and individually the rest of the band will add their parts, while we collaboratively work on bigger-picture elements of the song like its structure. Lately though, we’ve been experimenting with a more organic writing process by getting into a room together and laying down ideas entirely from scratch. It’s less comfortable, but more rewarding overall.
photo : Ivan Souriyavong @ivans.photo
What artists, old or new, are you listening to currently?
Lately, I’ve been spinning a lot of Little Simz, the new Sleep Token album, Radiohead, some older Stray From The Path, and Make Them Suffer. Quite the mixed bag!
What have been some of your most memorable shows with Reliqa?
These recent Babymetal shows certainly take the spotlight now. But very honourable mentions go to our show in March this year with Spiritbox at the Forum, and the Monolith tour last year with Karnivool. Super grateful to have had those experiences with some of our all-time favourite artists.
Who is your bucket list artist to tour with?
Definitely System of a Down for me. SOAD have played a huge part in shaping who we are as artists. And I feel like we’d make a pretty good fit as an opener for them!
How do you warm up your voice before performing?
I pretty much go by the book – steam, hydrate, run some scales with various techniques. Still trying to crack the code on the absolute BEST strategy for me, but I’m getting by with the basics.
What do you do for work when you aren’t playing with Reliqa?
I’m a full-time student studying a Bachelor of Secondary Education, and I’m a copywriter by trade.
Is it hard juggling being in Reliqa and having a day job?
It definitely has its challenges. Balancing priorities is the hardest part, I think, especially since I work from home so it’s harder to separate work, Reliqa, study, and general downtime. There’s a lot of resilience and patience involved, but it’s worth it.
Which Reliqa song is your fave to play live?
Definitely I Don’t Know What I Am! It’s such a bop, it’s in the most comfortable part of my range, and we usually close with it which means the audience are at their warmest.
Monique Pym : @moniquepym
Reliqa : @reliqaband