BUTT GRABS AND PAY GAPS - Uncut with Jessica Mauboy

Life Uncut podcast acknowledges the traditional custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land.

Sea and community.

We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.

This episode is recorded on Gaddigal Land of the Aurora Nation. Hi guys, and i'll welcome back to another episode of Life Uncut. I'm Laura and I'm Brittany, And can I just say, Laura, you look particularly good today.

I mean you always look good, but something about you today looks extra good.

I think I'm just wearing a shirt that you haven't seen before, and as.

We do have, Laura and I have a really bad habit of wearing the same thing every single day.

But you look really he's looking great. Your outfit looks great.

I just wanted to propy on it.

I mean, I'm gonna take that and I'm going to run with it because I've actually been feeling very self conscious this weekend because i have a fierce case of perioral dermatatis that's come back up on my face.

Well, if it makes you feel better, you can't notice it on your face.

Just so you know, it's because I'm wearing makeup. And everybody who gets periolderm dermatic. I can't even say the word. Everyone who can't say it. Times if you get PD, I know that you're going to get into my DMS and say, yeah, Shure, don't wear a breakup when you've got bada. But the thing is is that if you've got it, then you have to wear makeup because you don't want to leave the house without it. But anyway, that's on my face right now. Yay, let's tell you

And I had a real moment Laura in that interview, and I think I might have been not cool enough, and I told Jesse I had a real moment where I thought, oh my god, I am living my dream. I am getting to speak to these people that I grew up admiring and I grew up listening to and watching, and now I'm sitting in a room talking to them. Because it's pretty easy to forget that sometimes. But I had this real reality check where I was like, I'm fangirling hard and.

Realizing that we're nowhere near as cool as her. She's exactly so cool, I said to her.

I was like I had to interrupt her in a sentence while I was like, I just need to be as cool as How.

Do I be as cool as She's like, It'll never happen bringing anyone who asked anyone asks how to be cooler? Will never be helping cool.

Okay, Jess is an absolute dream boat. She's so interesting, she has such an interesting life. She became famous very very young.

She came into the spotlight in two thousand and six on Idol, Australian Idol, and I think the incredible thing about this story is that just didn't even win Australian Idol, but she definitely gone on to become the most famous from that season. If not, well, I mean I shouldnt say from the entire thing. I know Guy was from there as well, but she's one of the most famous people that have come out of music related reality TV in Australia.

Speaking of Guy coming full circle, they both now I want to say hosting, but they're not their coaches on the Voice. So they've come from being contestants to winning slash almost winning, to now being on the other side. And there has been some stuff going around in the news. I don't know if anyone's seen about the pay discrepancy for the coaches.

On the Voice.

Yeah, so basically they've got Rita Aura, They've got Keith Urban, they've got Guy Sebastian and then also Jessica Malboy and it's been reported pretty widely in news recently that Jessica is being paid the least out of all of the stars and being paid the least by far. So we actually get into that in the conversation as well. We ask her how she feels about it and what has been the outcome of it, and yeah, that is all

So Sherry, welcome to Life on Cut. Thanks for jumping in the studio today. Also, I say jumping in the studio, you are literally sleeping in this room.

Sure, we just had to fold the mattress up.

In the room so if you could record, Welcome.

Thank you.

This is not your first appearance. Actually you have done an episode before, but it's been.

A little while, and we did when you were on our show last I mean, we talked about nutrition, but you also spoke about what your experience was like and how it has been wearing hearing aids, going through the process of knowing that you needed to wear hearing aids but then finally accepting and actually wearing them, And a part of it was because you talked about the judgment that you felt at the time. Yeah, I did.

There is still such a stigma on hearing aids. I think we think it is an old person's thing. And then I guess when I got told that I was hard of hearing and needed hearing aids, even as a young adult, I thought, oh my god, everyone's gonna be able to see them. This is such an old person's thing, and it was, Yeah, it was.

It was hard to accept that I.

Was going to have to wear hearing aids forever.

And just to get some people up to speed that haven't maybe listened to the episode that you were on, just tell everyone quickly when you were diagnosed and how you were diagnosed with your loss of hearing.

So I think you helped diagnose me, Brittany, because you told me that I couldn't hear anything that you were saying.

Yeah, probably didn't say it that nicely. I was like, why are you listening to me?

So my hearing loss is genetic, So it comes from as you know, our mother, our brother also has hearing loss, and it is something that has just happened gradually. And I suppose in my late teens early twenties, is when people around me started noticing that I was not picking up on things.

I wasn't getting jokes.

Well, I was like, why that's really funny, whyn't you laughing?

I wasn't getting jokes. I was missing ends of conversations. I was missing words. So I got my hearing checked and I am at about a forty percent loss. So I am somebody who thankfully can get through life and work and the day.

But I do, yeah, I do get a lot of benefit from my hearing aids. And with something like this, and specifically talking about Mattel and Barbie bringing out a doll that's wearing hearing aids, what impact do you think this has in terms of inclusivity. I think it is going to be huge.

So when we grew up, Barbie's were, you know, skinny and blonde and hot boobs and.

Unrealistic.

If you actually took her measurements, she would fall over, she would not be able to stand up.

I don't think her stomach realistically could have actually housed her organs. I think it's going to be so important, not just for children growing up that are hard of hearing or death and wear hearing devices to see and play a doll that looks like them, but also for.

Children who don't wear hearing devices to play with a doll that doesn't look like them. And that's really going to encourage and celebrate that children are different and that it's not weird. You know, when we were little and you see a kid with hearing aids, do kids think that person's stupid or that person can't speak. So I think it's going to encourage, yeah, people just to be more accepting, and I think it's going to be really important for kids to see themselves represented well.

I think this is one of the big things that we spoke about before we jumped on here, is this idea that hearing loss that there is some sort of synergy between being not intelligent, and that's the thing that people draw the bullying that goes on in schools is that some kids think, well, because this person can't hear properly, that therefore they don't understand or they aren't as intelligent,

Well, Barbie has released this deaf barbie, so she actually has you guys can google it. But she's really really cute.

She's got these.

Little pink hearing aids and they match her lipstick. She's got pink lipsy gone with. But they have a whole range of other barbies. They've had thirty five plus skin tones in their range now ninety four plus hairstyles, and nine different body types. They also have a barbie in a wheelchair. They have barbies with prosthetics, and they have this one I think is really really cool and should have been done a very long time ago. But they have a barbie that suffers from the skin condition vitta ligo.

Well, I think the interesting part about this whole conversation and I know that, like, we can celebrate the inclusivity of where Barbie is headed, and that it's amazing that as a company, Mattel has evolved with the times, and that they has been an evolution of the doll. But I don't think that we can have this conversation without acknowledging the fact that the original Barbie has contributed over the years so much to the social stereotypes of how

A small child, when we are so susceptible to other people's opinions of us massively, Like I have learned to not really care what people think of me now, but that's because I'm thirty two years old. But even at like you said, I was early to mid twenties when I found out I needed hearing aids and it was hard then. I can only imagine how hard it would be as a small child, not only not seeing myself represented, but having other kids, you know, gawk at me at

Was there a time where you were like adverse to using them? Like, were you told that you needed to use hearing aids and then you were like fuck that? At well totally sent them.

Back, I said, yeah, I did.

So.

I got my first set in my mid twenties and I trialed them and I hated them. I hated how they looked, I hated how they felt I felt like I couldn't adjust to them, So anyone out there who is hard of hearing would know that you never truly get one hundred percent used to them. I like, that's why I'm not wearing them right now, because the feedback of both of you laughing would be too much and overwhelming for me. So I do take them out, so it's really hard to get used to. I sent them back.

Also thinking like this is a piece of technology or a device that I'm now going to have to use every day. Like from one step you're like, this is my life, and then you're like, cool, now this is a core part of my life. And it feels probably like it's a much bigger deal than it actually has to be.

Yeah, it's really not a big deal, but we I think we make it a much bigger deal than it needs to be. And like I said, I sent my first step back because I really wasn't ready and I thought, I'm just gonna wait until it gets worse, which is so stupid because I would have really benefited from them in those years that I just put up with it. And you know, prelude conversations with if I ignore you, I'm not being rude, hahaha, I'm just deaf.

Don't do that.

People.

If you are hard of hearing, please reach out for help, because we know that people that don't reach out for help are more susceptible to depression and things like that. They're more susceptible to not being employed, or if they are employed.

They are less productive at work.

So there is absolutely no shame in If you think you may need hearing aids or you may have some sort of hearing loss, go get a free test. It is free in all the hearing testings around Australia and then you can get a good idea. And Brittany, that's you.

You're next.

Well, yes, I imagine I'll need hearing aids in the next ten years if the family history is correct. Good on Mattel for finally jumping on board and really pushing this in the right direction. And Sherry, thank you for jumping on today and sharing your little journey and how.

It's affected you.

And I think again, if anyone hasn't listened to Sherry's podcast, give it a Google. She talks about it a lot there. Give it a Google, you know what I mean. Search it in a podcast, searched on the intwebs. No, but have a listen, and I'm sure we've got a bunch of new listeners show that you have just helped by sharing your journey again, so thank you. And I'm taking offense that you took your hearing aids out because you said off record that my laugh wouldn't go down well in your hearings.

I said your cackle would not translate through my hearing aids very well.

Anyway, love that for me.

All right, let's get into accidentally unfiltered slash confessional. I know, I want to say, I'm pretty sure actually some of you guys might not know this, but we actually unfiltered as kind of bold over time. Sometimes we do actually unfiltered. Sometimes we do confessionals. And Brittany has a confessional for us today.

I've got a confessional that I just thought was really funny. I want to know who you would do this, I became pretty okay friends with my flatmate. We were around the same age and had lived together for a few months. She started seeing this guy that I had a big crush on. It was Valentine's Day and there was a knock on the door. I answered it to the biggest bunch of flowers and a card from this guy addressed to my flatmate. It was honestly the most romantic thing

I think it's karma.

What the fr.

I'm laughing out of disbelief because somebody.

Would do this, like okay, I can't absolve that.

I think it is so funny and funny, funny in like it's mean, like they could have gone you who knows they could have gone and got married, you could have stopped something in its tracks.

But I hasn't been that jealous. Look, I take it back. You've obviously you're obviously going through a hard time. You've had some time to reflect. You know, you don't ride in here for judgment. I just think, surely, surely doesn't he come over, like, wouldn't he have seen the flowers? Like were they doing long distance or something like why didn't he see that there was a present that had

I just reckon, there's been a big blow up.

I reckon. She's just gone to him.

Obviously there's some sort of discussion about, like, you better get me something from Valentine's Day, to the point that he's like, I promise you I did, and she's like, well I didn't.

This is why you have to lower your expectations. I don't expect anything for Valentine's Day or Mother's Day or anything. Honestly, I this year was convinced that Matt was going to forget Mother's Day, and so I did not that I did a whole lot of stories about shitty Mother's Day gifts, just to try and like really drive it home. And I woke up in the morning and there was a bunch of flowers money. They were dried flowers, and I hate drive flowers. But it was still seldom from the neighbor. No,

I don't think we can absolve this one.

No.

Look, say a few Hail Mary's and you're absolved, all right. Okay, this is my accidentally unfiltered that's not mine, it's come in. This is I read this one out to Matt and he had a good truckle, so hopefully you guys do too. Okay, So I stayed at my boyfriend's house last night and I have my period, so of course I wore my favorite period undies. I then woke up and I went to rinse the mat. It was pretty early in the morning.

Pop ha, how she just had to say, what does.

She used it? Using his empty toothbrush pup full of bloody red wa and He obviously was like, what the fuck are you doing? And then she wrote my life.

Can I just give you one piece of advice, This is why you use a moon cup. Ladies and gentlemen are mind period undies?

I wear period undies.

Well, I'm sure this girl minds that she wore period onneties on this particular day. This is a prime example of when you should use the mooncr.

Pritty, We've had period undy sponsored the PODCA.

Yeah.

Sure where I wear them.

I wear them to bed at my own home, But I'm not going to go to someone else's home when I know I have to rinse them out and put them in a plastic bag and then put them in my handbag to sit in my handbag for a whole day work, when.

I could just put a minute cup through. This is like pick your time. Yeah, don't play the away game with your period undies.

Don't pay anyway, It's just not worth the risk.

Okay.

Off the back of that, I think there's no better time to get into the chat with Jess And can I just say, do you ever think that our guests hear the ship we talk about before we introduce them and are just like, why the fuck am I following that? Yes, yes, I literally think that every single episode. Anyway, let's get into the chat with Jess. Jess Malboy is one of Australia's most successful female artists. She has achieved six top ten albums and sixteen top twenty singles. Because the albums

She looks shocked as I'm saying this, like she doesn't know.

Jess has collaborated with several international artists such as Flow Writer, Snoop Dogg, Ludacris, Jay Shawn and Pitbull.

Laura didn't know who Pitbull was, but we'll leave that to other day world one.

That's embarrassing for me.

She has toured with beyond saying.

She's also an amazing actress and known just as an all round nice girl. What an intro, Jess, now boy, is there anything you can't do?

Tap dance? You tap it? I can't do a backflip this time?

We can work on that. No, Jess, Welcome to life on HI. Thank you for finding the time today.

Thank you here. Thank you so very much for having me.

I like that when you sat down, I was trying to explain to you how the microphones work. And then I was like, Laura, this is definitely not the first time you sat in front of.

A Microsoft just as first.

Sometimes, no, trust me, Like when I'm in a studio and I'm working on some new stuff for writing new material music. You know, I have a lot of producers that you know do the same because I often kind of go off mic and I do a thing where I'm just doing my uncut version of how I'm singing physically, because I you know, when I am in a studio, I sing physically different. So I got to project a lot more when you don't have an audio because you're you know, you're in a box, and so you have

You know, I about to say it's part of the opposite.

Is that really hard when you're in this little box, you're on your own, and you just know there's like ten people looking at you like you're a Zoo Animal through the Glass?

Is it hard to get really emotional?

Well, I like to work with only two producers, well, a producer and a songwriters, so there's literally just three of us normally in a studio space. But yeah, when there is a lot of people, that can be scary. But I think the most people can be the most naked because you're literally just filtering and you don't have any reaction.

When you're saying that you're there and you're like expressing yourself. I mean, firstly, before we get more into how you write your songs and how you've gotten into music, we do do this thing called accidentally unfiltered, where you tell your embarrassing story.

Yes, don't think you can the very the very.

First time, when you just said and then I'm standing in this box naked, I was like, fuck, that's going to be.

A great story.

Are you meant vulnerable? I get it now? Yeah, yeah, totally.

Imagine.

Wow. I was like, oh we got there quickly. Just what is your accidentally unfiltered story?

I think it takes me back to when I was about eleven years old. I have three older sisters and one younger sister, so yeah, I'm pretty much in the middle, and I thinking of beauty, taking it back to kind of beauty and discovering myself and what as you do when you're that age and when you have older sis, does you kind of pick up on things that they do?

And so I went into.

The bathroom and it was it was school morning, and literally got the shaver out and put it towards you know, my eyebrow, lent it on there, and then just went across, you know, did that cross thing took my whole eyebrow off and you and I just.

Thought, hang on, what is going on?

Like hang on?

I just boiled my eye screen and I bore my eyes out, and I was so embarrassed because I knew, you know, my parents were very much like, you know, you don't need makeup, you don't need any of these things your eyebrows. Yeah. I just remember, like, you know, being in front of my dad's face and he's like you're a little silly girl.

He told me. I remember that, and and I just.

I was like, I can't go to school, and he made me go to school. And I remember like just like sweeping my my my bangs at the time over one eyebrow. Yeah, it was pretty embarrassing. I had no idea.

I feel like this is something that we can all relate to as teenagers.

We are sh.

We all over parked so to the point of like it was the smallest little taility and but you just.

Took it one.

I did the whole thing.

You were in the whole kitodle.

I mean, I grew up hard during the nineties though, so like having no eyebrows just kind of in fashion and beyond mine is still recovery to this day.

Took it to another level.

Just talking about your childhood. You grew up in the Northern Territory, what the early years like like, what was just like when she was a little girl before she became the super megastar that you are today.

It was pretty It was kind of a bit of a breeze and we had to use our imagination. It was always kind of go in the water holes and you know, we'd kind of check if there was any crocs in there before we'd put our bodies in there, and we like, it was quite wild and free, you know, bush bashing and Dad's you in the back of the youth trying to hold on and going through you know, potholes and trying not to get thrown off the back of the ute.

You're like, what can I can't say? He'll know.

Yeah, yeah, you know, like climbing mango trees. That was pretty much, you know, being out in community on country. Growing up on Larachiere Country was very much a cultural thing. Learning language and just being with family. That was pretty much the routine.

And were you always super overachieve that and really musical? And is it something that you knew you wanted to do? You know how we see like the Taylor Swift child prodigy and it's like recording hit albums when she's two years old. Were you like that kind of a child or did you grow into it a little bit?

Yeah?

I grew into it.

My grandfather all grew up singing in a church, so sang a lot of hymns at first, and then you know, mom's and dad's music kind of came into play a lot of seventies, a lot of kind of rocks or cultures or abba and then yeah, my grandparents used to look after a church, so that they were basically caretakers of a church, but also did a lot of the sermons, did a lot of the Sunday School choir singing, and so yeah, just kind of I grew into it. I wasn't taught it. It was really something that I just

I was just about to say, who was your inspir because Laura had some posters she used to make out with the pants and Hans.

I still think about the days when I thought I was going to marry Taylor Hanson. I got Taylor, I was convinced you.

Used to make out with your posters.

I'm like, no, no, it's fun. I think about one point.

Like I did like love eye contact, you know with with Hanson's poster and Taylor and I like I would literally talk to like if he was there.

Of course, I like had a hollow wire, had a whole follow folder folder.

It was actually my choir, my choir, like had all my sheets of like choir music, and I turned it into a poster folder.

Okay, but this is different for me in that there was never a chance that I was ever going to meet these people, whereas for you, like you have like moved into a world reality. Yeah, where like these people that you idolized as a child, you've had the opportunity to meet some of them. Yes, what's that experience? Like?

Yeah, well, I mean even like Snoop Dogg was a huge one for me. My elder sister was like a Wu Tang you know, Warreng fan Biggie Small's and so I was introduced to Snoop Dogg through my elder sister.

And when I wrote Get Him Girls.

When I was in Atlanta recording my my second record, I was working with Bangladesh, who happened to be seen a lot of stuff for a little Wayne at the time, and actually litl Wayne was just coming up in the world and they were all kind of working in the same studio. And I wrote the song get Him Girls about all these different styles of shoes. I got on my get them Girls. I got on my get them Girls, I can catch one my way to the front page. I got on my get them girls. Put to get

You know, do you have anybody in mind?

And I thought, well, I don't know, there's a few people that come to mind, but you know, what are your thoughts?

And he, you know, he dropped Snoop's name.

It's just check my diary. I am free for Snoop Dogg, yes forever.

And literally the next day that I rocked up to the second of studio, he said, I've got someone special coming in and a few hours a few hours later, Snoop comes through the door and I'm literally fangirl girling, like I'm like, yo, my elder sister is such a huge fan. But because of you, I was able to be introduced to your music and understand, you know, the words that you spit. And it was crazy because he was like I the first thing he said was well,

But it was one of the wildest moments of my life.

And I just thought, thanks to my sister, I actually you know, I became a huge fan.

Yeah, well I am.

I am fangling that you fangirl Snoop. Yeah, what's he like? Like is in real is he It's cool in real life?

It's a super cool, super chilled. He's totally about in the moment. So when he's in the moment, he just speaks of the moment. But he's also quick to change his mind too, so like if you know he likes something in that one second and then.

He'd like yeah, it's yeah. He's very quick.

He's just obviously he's a busy, busy man you can imagine, but a very family orientated. I felt like when I first met him and when he introduced me to his family that came along to the music video, like I felt like I'd known him forever.

Does it still feel surreal to you when you are in these situations and you're working alongside other huge stars or is it kind of like, ah, nah, this is my this is my space now, like I'm comfortable with this, or yeah.

No, I still get I still get anxious. I still get like, how does that affect them? You know, when they're meeting new people. So I tend to think of that first, and then I think, yo, I'm actually in front of this person that I've listened to, you know, I've followed their story, and then I actually get to collaborate with them. So yeah, it becomes like wow, is feels normal, And yes, I respect that there's like this human connection happening and playing out right now, but yeah,

Circling back on your story and how you got into music and you as a little kid. I think so many people who remember would know you from your stint in reality TV at the very start, like that is kind of how you broke into the music industry. Can you talk about that period and what that was like and how that was the springboard of what put you into the for the forefront of media.

Yeah.

I have to say it was the most beautiful time too, because I just turned sixteen. You know, I was at the end of finishing school and kind of not having a plan for school for studies particularly, and I knew that music dominated everything at that point, and at that age I had an intuition. My intuition was I'm going to do music for a long time. I just need to get on board with it. I actually need to be not half hearted, I need to be fully in it. And I knew that I was going to be spending

Like I didn't know anything about it.

I just knew that I had to be prepared mentally and physically whatever was going to be thrown at me. And the Idol was that idle doing that show was that eye opener of like, yo, it's bigger than me.

And I think for anyone who doesn't remember this, like Jess was on two thousand and six, I think season four of Australian Idol. And this is also like at the time where like Australian Idol was the biggest reality TV show in Australia. It was such a fucking behemoth of a show.

Yeah, but in your.

Experience, like you as a person, I guess like at that time in Australia in two thousand and six, it was such a huge underrepresentation of Indigenous women having these successful music careers anywhere. For that man, totally, I'm being this like little kid from the bush. How did that experience shape for you? And not seeing that there was somebody else who's kind of paved the way or had that success. Was there not a moment where you were like where do I fit in this world?

Yeah?

Well, I was lucky enough to have a few role models, and I think Shelley Morris plays a huge part in the Northern Territory community. She's that kind of alternative, folky but soul. She's got like a lot of jazz in her in her voice, and she was someone that I just paid a pathway for me.

Another is Christina Knew. I mean when she came out with.

Why don't you come join my party? Let's move to the break, I'm done, gotta hit the music, bring in, bring it on.

She blew my mind.

And as a Torrest straight woman, it very much stands for her culture and where she comes from. That played a huge role in terms of me growing up on Larachia Nation and you know, being a prod cook analogy and what common woman. But also I identified in a way was she's someone who's of color and a woman and is really kind of dominating this her spirit in this music space and I thought, that's what I want

I'm going to do it.

Yeah, and Christina knew, God, she had some bang. It's like I remember that. It sounds different when I say, but she was just well, I won't make you suffer that your ears will bleed. I'm the t tone deaf, but she was so incredible. But I think around that time, we have to remember that because I think we're about the same age.

Six seven whatever.

He's counting at a few.

But I think people, you were so young, right, you were fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, We didn't even really like this is when the Internet came in, So it's not like we just had this excessive access to Google people and to search people. And for I think when you actually put yourself back then in a position of you as a fifteen year old being thrust into the limelight, and for you to say, I'm just going to commit to this,

To go all in and dedicate my entire life to this. That's not something we come across often.

No, not no, And yeah, I guess when you put it that way, I was determined. And I think because of you know, my parents, them seeing the pental, them seeing the ability that I couldn't quite understand. And I think we do come of a generation that we just had to because we didn't have the tools, and they weren't kind of a way that they are now.

I mean, they're crazy.

The access is intense and is insane, but we didn't have that particular access.

Yeah, we couldn't just look people up.

And even the way that we went to gigs or we bought music was completely different.

We physically bought a ticket and you had to make sure you turned.

On wait yeah wait.

We would wait for the tickets to go on sale, and we didn't know whether you know, and we had to go to the CD store to see them on sale. You know, very very different now, But I think when I look back at it, it was very encouraged and supported, Like I had a very supportive family that could see something that I didn't quite understand then. But and I think having not understood it made it a lot more impactful because I just I was intrigued.

I wanted to know. I wanted to do the work.

I mean, I've heard you speak before about growing up in your words, Paul Poor, Yeah, what was that like for you? Do you recognize now that there were sacrifices made, or that your family might have had to have worked a little bit harder to encourage you to get to where you are?

What was that like?

Yeah? I guess being one of five, I think there were a lot of things, you know, particularly how we even ate, how we even ate together at the table taught us a lot.

And I guess in portion.

Too, just I think the way that both of my parents grew up, particularly with my dad growing up in a village in Indonesia with no hot running water. It was always kind of going to one hundred k's down the road with your bucket to go get the water.

Out of the world.

So I think the way and the lifestyle of living kind of taught us siblings development of actually working hard, so physically working and what my parents didn't have and who they didn't have, you know, not having their parents to kind of guide them. So really that plays a huge role in the way that I do my work, or the way I see my work and be humbled by it and to love it as much as I can and hold onto it.

How do you go through the process of how you actually write a song or your inspiration for writing a song? What is your process for this?

Generally, my process is I love to start off with like humming a melody, like and that's you know, that could be from the sound of the atmosphe that's playing out outside on the streets or where I'm sitting at the time, whether it's a cafe or sitting at a train station, or there's so many sounds that things are making that are creating melody, the hum of the air condition.

I just actually think I heard you humming when I was in the bathroom.

Were you getting inspired by me because someone was humming?

It was you?

Yeah, And I.

Don't think it was you urinating that it inspires her. That's what you're getting. Who knows, Laura.

But it's it's always it's I think it's just a habit thing that I do as well, that I naturally hum and sometimes I don't even know that I'm doing it. And I did that a lot in school, and I would get in loads of trouble for disrupting the class for humming and not knowing that I would be humming and the teacher would get up and you'd be like, you know what you're doing and I'm like no, She's like, you're humming and it's really loud and.

You're disrupting the classroom.

So sometimes to you know, obviously, the punishment was for me to go and sit with my face near the wall of the of the concrete wall and think about classes.

Can you imagine that though, because as a teacher, you would think this habit that you have is in no way going to benefit your future? What is what made me who I am?

I've thought about that, you know, quite often, and kind of giggle to myself and you know, wonder about that teacher and where she is and you know, thanking her for you know, allowing me to reflect on what I've just done you know, thank you missus Burke.

When you write, say, when you do write a song or you collaborate with someone.

How does it work?

So just say like ludicrous orf snoop right, they.

Want to do a song with you? Does someone just.

Slide into DM and be like yo, like let's hit this up. I don't know if they speak.

Sometimes producers, yeah, producers will kind of. And because of the way of connecting with everyone now, with you know, the certain accounts that we have and platforms, it's as easy as sending sending a message people dming and going, you know, like hey, you know, I've just finished writing this song.

You know, do you want to hop on it?

Or Apple Juice Kid, who's an incredible he's going to die but he he actually did.

A remix of my song Butterfly.

Butterfly He's Gonna Keep the Flying. And it was mad because he created this whole new production and actually did a like almost like a bass drop.

At a weight line, so it's like a boo and it's like vibe. It's like a vibration drum. And I remember.

Losing my shit hats because it was just it was just something that moved me and I you know, you know, you've got your favorite songs that move you, whether it's the melody or whether it's the bead, the tempo, or it might be just a lick in the song that someone's singing. And he's like someone who's just reached out recently, and I've just adored the way his processes and how he produces and so hopefully, you know, this kind of

It's crazy, you can actually live in that world now. I mean, like we get a lot of guests on like that. We just slide into a DM and we're like, well you come on the podcast.

But it's pretty incredible.

Well, the opportunities that can arise from now are incredible.

Well, I think it also shows the accessibility, whereas, like before, when you would have someone who is a superstar, whether it be an actor or a singer, they seem so far away from us. They were so unattainable, whereas now we have this like incredible almost voyeurism into people's lives, Like you know, I can jump on your Instagram and I feel like I have this higher level of connection or I understand like day to day, and I.

Think that's the most important.

I feel like I had come on the scene well whilst that was still happening, so you know, it was like, let's not do none of those levels of things and let's just kind of separate. Like, I feel like there was definitely a separation of that time when I was coming into the music scene, because that was the thought of creating. What's that word when it's like, yeah, just unreachable. We're all very much doing our thing. You know, we're all very equal, and I always have to wonder that.

I think that's good.

Now.

This might be a bit of an odd question, but it was something I read recently, and it was actually something that Taylor Swift had said in terms of women in the music industry, and she said that like as a female in the music industry, there is this pressure to constantly recreate, stay relevant, almost like reimage your Have you felt that you've had these different almost like recreations of your image of yourself as an artist or do you feel it's been a very like whether it's been

I feel like there has been both like a conscious but also there has been pressure as well, you know, And I think when you work with all kinds of you know, you have so many different relationships, whether it's the label management, digital creative team, like, there's like all these things people are channeling through. And so for me, I think it took me time to find the right people to then deliver, you know, the right thing, and

Well, it's like a package, right, because I think we can focus so much on just the music, which is obviously like the most important terms of creative outlet.

Right.

But then there's also Jessica Malboy, who is a like you are your product as well.

Crazy.

It's so crazy to even think of it like that because I was I was having a big conversation with my sisters because half of the time, like will go out and you know, we'll be halfway eating through when someone comes to and it's like.

You just a calm alboy, Like you just a cool malboy. My sister's like here we go.

Have a photo and fuck well.

Like literally halfway with like spaghetti and mouth. But sometimes I like, I totally forget and using my my real born the name that I was born with, you know, because most people go out with their alter ego name or you know, it's it's a it's a made up name. It's because of a like this is my proper my on my birth certificate, it's my passport, is on my driver's lesnse.

What you say is true, and I think we Laura and I were talking about this the other day in regards.

To the conversation we're having, was around Justin Bieber's and I think it's the same with you. When somebody is in the public eye from such a young age, there is just a natural evolution of you and your brand and finding who you are. And I don't think a lot of the time it's people saying, oh, like Justin Bieber, I'm going to be a bad boy.

Now, like I've got no no.

I think, of course there's conscious decisions as well, but you are just literally growing up in the public eye and we're just trying to go along with you while you signed yourself.

Yeah, and I find that I have grown up, growing up and changing in the eyes of the of the public has been very natural for me and exciting too, because I do have an alter ego that has kind of formed during business or age, or you do have a side of you that is a little bit more like spicy.

You're still the nicest girl and.

It's still nice, you know.

That's it.

That's it.

But do you know what I'm thinking sitting here the whole time? I can't you probably see me looking at it.

You I'm just like, she's so cool.

I'm not corner.

Like.

I'm like, I'm looking at the earrings and the top of the necklace.

And I was like, I'm more, Hey, we do that.

I do that.

Like I sit there like, you know, even like my manager over there, she's like sitting there and I'm like, Yo, her pants are so cool. Those dude, I'm going to try and build that tomorrow, you know, And I'm gonna wear something like that tomorrow.

You know.

We do that.

We do that.

How humanizing is that? Though? Because I think like you can look in and you know, through social media, as we spoke about things can seem so unattainable in certain ways still, you know, and like we put people up on a pedestal and then it's so incredible to have these conversations. It's so humanizing where it's like most people are still figuring it out all the way as well.

Yeah, I just decided I'm going to get a second. There's so many I want to I want to talk to you about love. Yeah, we love love here at Life on card and your fiancee.

Congratulations Emily.

You guys have been together, well, I know you long distance for seven years, but how long have you been together together?

We have nine two and nine.

So someone in the room did a mouth or fourteen fifteen.

Fourteen, fifteen, fifteen, fifteen years.

Yeah, the first two years was actually it was the second year. You know, when you meet the person and it's like you go through that phase in your life you're like, oh, you have a particular look of a guy that you go to. And I was I was literally like eighteen, you know, I was like sixteen seventeen eighteen.

And they were an influence I was.

I mean, I was sixteen at the time when I first went into this girl band and they were crazy, and you know, I cured us to them. They were the girl band at the time, I mean I remember, and strong women as well, but ah, crazy crazy in a very good way, in a very strong way, but I remember meeting up a maid of my girlfriends, and you know, we decided we're going to go out, and normally we do like a little playing a game like truth or Dare.

In this case, yeah, this was This was a damn moment.

It was I had kind of missed a lot of those games in the club and they decided to get me, get me really good. And one of my best friends she was like, Yo, we're gonna play truth. Dad just hasn't been here, so it's her turn. She's up, girl, what are you gonna do? I'm like, all right, Dare? And I was just in a daring mood because I didn't you know, when you see your girlfriends, you go you go off like you you know, drop down and

What was the dad?

The dare was they knew of this, so I didn't know this, but they went to school with this guy. Well, my partner, now she goes, what did she say to me, Oh, I'm going to point my finger's going to point to a person down on the dance floor. Because we were literally on like the third floor of this club called discovery, mind you, discovery.

Wow.

She points to this person in the in the crowd and she's like, he's wearing white.

He's the only guy that's wearing white.

She's pointing, and I'm looking and I'm like, yo, I can't believe I'm doing this. I make my way down. I'm freaking out. I'm like, this is not me, just this is not you. What are you doing? Before I go, she says, I want you to crab claw him on the on the butt, like on the.

On his cheek, which you can't do.

You can't do that anymore.

Like we're talking.

Nine guys.

Yeah, this is when when you know, when you could.

Wow?

Yeah, thank god. But yeah.

I went down there and literally as I got closer, there was like all these fellows that was surrounding this one guy and I eventually I found a gap between one of the fellows. So they're like moving and you know, dancing to the music. And I found the gap and I was like.

Yeah, I'm actually going to do this.

My hand goes straight in and I see his cheek and I'm like, yo, I literally clawed that. As I was like, well and my hand came straight out, I ran, I ran I went straight to like what I ran?

I literally ran.

I was like, I.

Can't believe I've just done this.

I ran to the bar and I'm standing there and I'm freaking out.

I look back up to the girls. I'm like, yo, I did it, but yo, I'm so embarrassed.

And then literally like two minutes later, I've just ordered, you know, my Bodcurren Cranberry juice drink and I'm standing there and I looked to my right and he's literally standing there, and I freak out. I was like, can is my drink ready?

Can you?

Like yeah? And she's like yep.

Coming all of a sudden, I feel like this breeze in my ear and.

Like I'm like, that's like turn like he's.

Talking in my ear saying I know it was you. I know.

He was like I know it was you, like screaming in the club, like in my ear, and I'm like, yo, I don't even know who you are.

And he's like, see.

All those Wallas, like they're all my friends and they saw you do it. Anyway, he was annoying by the whole night after that, like you just wouldn't leave me alone, And I was like, yo, this well is not my type. This was a dare, like how did I get myself into this? And now you won't leave me alone?

Later?

But it was crazy because, as you know, would come home every four five times a year. I'd see him at the places that I would have my favorite coffee shop or you know, the shopping center, just places, and I just started to see him and I was like.

Yo, Universe, what are you doing.

It was that following year that I said, Yo, let's I'm willing to make this work if you are this is actually what I do. Is my profession, so hardly have a home, but you know, I'd like to make this work. And yeah, I felt like that.

Then the universe, how did you make it work?

Folks? I think so many people long distance is hard, Like long distance is something that can for any even a great healthy relationship. Can you throw a huge spanner in the works? How did you guys make it work? And for anyone listening who may be doing long distance, what's your advice in that?

Yeah?

Well, there was a lot of like you know, texting, calling.

I used all my credit, my.

Votophone credit an.

From that connection. We just kind of just allowed it to happen. I think it was just calling each other, texting each other, you know, yo, what are you doing? And he didn't know what I did, Like it was just weird. But his friends knew because they had watched the show, so they knew I was just a maleboy from Australian idol and you know that I was becoming an artist. And he was like, well, yeah, yeah, that was the day that.

Was you know, like from the dance floor.

Yo. But I think just that opposite worlds like completely just attracted, you know. I just you know, loved how he was as a human and I started to understand his world and like how family orientated he was and how close he is with you know, his.

Siblings and mom and dad.

And that was an important thing, you know for me is that I'm very close with my parents and get along so well with my family, and I think that was the one thing that really bonded us. So when our families did meet, it kind of seals the like our dads are bombardies, like from the get go, like they would take each other out fishing, cook each other breakfast. Even our moms you know, would hang out until you know,

And do you think as well, like, because it must be such an immense amount of trust that you have to have in your partner when you're not in the country as much distance. Yeah, as much as staying it is important.

But just there was a lot of that, Like there was a lot of kind of heartache in the sense of distance, and like you would see my family out, you know, there would be a little bit of jealousy, like you'd be hanging out with my you know, my family at the same time. You know, you just go through those stages of how things are developing and how we react. And there was a lot where I just

Yeah, and I also imagine it would be hard. Like long distance is one thing, but when it's long distancing that you know, you know your partner's a babe, then you know they're hanging out with some of the biggest names in the world.

It must it's got to be. There has to be one hundred percent trust.

Because if I was sitting back and I my partners with all these Victoria's Secret models.

And that, Yeah, and that's the great I think.

I think because he was so oblivious to he just didn't know my world enough to feel like that. But I would be the opposite, which kind of drove me insane because I'd be like, yo, like be weird, like I don't know, like when you don't know your partner's friends enough or haven't hadn't had spent that time.

I think.

Yeah, I think those things really developed and kind of hit hard at home a lot, and I think that definitely just made me stronger and made me realize, yo, I do.

Anything for this feller. So yeah, yeah, very cute.

Yeah, which is not only I mean, not only do you have your most recent single that you've released, but also we've been seeing you on our TV screens on free to air. Baby you are, yeah, that you are one of the hosts of the Voice, And I think that this is a beautiful full circle story for you, going from being a contestant on Idol, yeah, to being the judge behind the scenes now who is yeah, mentoring and taking these it's next wave of talent through that process.

Yeah, what has that been like for you?

It does overwhelm me at times, Like sometimes I'll sit there and I'm like, I'm literally watching someone so brave tell their story through a you know, like a song or even you know, some of them come up and sing my songs and I'm like, I see what you're doing with that.

You completely made it your own.

You went, you did something different, you know, and being consistently this is my second year of coaching on the Voice, and just unbelievable kind of witnessing young mob I've never studied, only ever sung in their bedrooms. That brought back a lot of those memories of me discovering music. Brings a lot of kind of humbleness I guess as a coach because I don't know everything, but at least my process was very authentic and wasn't just like I kind of wasn't just thrushed. I mean I.

Busked my way.

I I did the streets, you know, singing on the streets, I did, playing backing tracks and singing people's covers, and then developing myself vocally whilst doing all those things. And for a lot of these artists having that first hand opportunity to go on a show like The Voice, I mean does wonders, It does everything in one moment, it.

Could make or break you.

And I've seen that as that have come off and said, you know what is actually not for me?

I do want to ask you something that we're seeing in immediate at the moment, like literally in the last couple of days, and that is the paid disparity. Obviously, you're with your hosting duties, You've got Guy, Rita and Keith, and we're seeing a lot about a potential mass walkout because people are not being paid equally. Is there any truth to this? And I just feel like it is a constant battle in all industries for women to be paid the same amount as their male colleagues.

Yeah.

Look, I haven't had that extreme experience of that at that level, but yeah, you know, it's always kind of a conscious thing, you know, like how much.

Is he being paid?

But there's always kind of that in the background because you've you've heard so many and they've you know, people have uncovered and have shared their stories and put that in perspective of all, well.

Does that mean they're better than me?

You know, and sometimes like that can play emotionally fulling my strings here, you know what I mean, you're really making me.

Think when I shouldn't.

And it's value based. It's a legitimate amoun it's saying this is your worth and this is this person's worth. And that's a really difficult thing to swallow when you're all doing the same job. Essentially, it's hard to go down.

You know, just talking about it is even important and it makes you have to change, you know what I mean.

So yeah, I'm really excited for our future.

I mean, I'm sure you're the generation to come because they're going to be fully equipped. They're going to be like, you know what, yo, you do it yourself.

And also I think people are frightened to ask for what their worth because they don't want to miss out on an opportunity, because especially in the nentera, in an industry, there's always somebody who's going to be willing to take that spot, you know, and do it for less because they want out too.

You know, because then you're like you're having to weigh that up.

Not that I want to end this on a negative note by any means, because I mean, like, if you do, I'll bring it back up. Yeah, it was like a negative question to ask. But do you feel that you have ever experienced discrimination or racism in the music industry? Coming from like your own unique background and being a proud Indigenous woman, do you find that you've had moments where you're like, this doesn't quite match the way that other people are being treated.

I mean, there's so many I have experienced that, and I think by experiencing you learn, so you try and you go in a different direction. I think that's the thing. Don't be afraid to switch it up and turn left. And I think that's what's happened to me in the last i mean five years of realizing my worth and my position, more aware than I have ever been in the way that I release it, you know, and who I release it with, I mean, and team equal, you know.

Well, speaking of next, and what is next? Congratulations on your new single Automatic.

I watched it and listened to it.

It was great.

One question before before I ask what's next for you? Did you do those.

Stunts on the I did not do this, just a badass.

You guys have to see the film. You have it. She's only a squad bikes.

She's like one of them, you guys, like upside down on two wheels.

One they wouldn't have led me to.

I do not know how to do those backflips on particularly on a quad bike.

So there's one thing she can't do.

We found out she can't do two wheelies on a bat But what is next for you?

When are we going to see you? Touring?

What do we? What are we?

What are we going to see now?

Yeah? Well I had I was fortunate to kick off my Boss Lady tour the beginning of the year, which was totally awesome to get back on the road and just bring my you know, my family band who lost a lot of work for the last two years. So it was nice to just gather all the roadies or the tech people and build a show and build a

Yeah, yeah, that was allowed it.

That one's allowed in it, like come on w A.

So yeah, that's the kind of plan.

And then head up to the NT and do some community work there and showcase the show there and Taz like I want to get back to Tasmania and see that beautiful country there and.

Then get married of course.

Yeah, I mean that would be like, that would be the icing. I mean, you know, I've thought about it. You know, I've been with my pun for such a long time, as we spoke earlier, and it would be a beautiful gift.

That would be the icing on the top. It would be nice.

Jess, thank you so much. Honestly, we know that you are such a busy woman and we're very grateful for the time that you've given us today. But you are, honestly just like.

You're a breath of fresh air.

Oh you're wonderful to talk to you like you're.

To get such a piss, I'll come with you.

I want to get a fourth Yeah, let's do it.

But Honestly, I've loved speaking with you today and thank you so much for being a part of the PODCASTA.

Thank you boss, ladies doing it full of women, thank you always such a pleasure.

You guys know that we never finished an episode without our suck and our sweet, our highlight and our lowlight of each and every week. Brittany Hockily, what is your suck for the week?

I know it's against the rules, but I'm just gonna say I don't actually really have one this week, and before anyone comes from me, and so there's the rules and I have to it's only because my sweet is so sweet. My sister and her fiance Jay have come to stay with me for a bit over a week, actually maybe like ten days. We went away from the weekend to the Blue Mountains. We had you know, there was no TV, no Wi Fi. We had a really wholesome weekend.

Where are they sleeping because we're currently in the room. That's your spare room. I haven't known.

This lounge is an amazing qualam One of those flap out mattresses is so good.

I have one of these.

They tidied it this morning just so that you guys could come over and record.

But that's my sweet.

We had a really great weekend and it's it's just nice to have some family time again because I don't live they live up north in Queensland, and my sister and I have been in separable our whole life.

We've always lived few streets away.

We've always worked in an emergency department literally together for twelve hour shifts. We've lived together, We've done everything, traveled together. This is the longest we've ever been away from each other. And I had to let her, you know, she had to spread wings and get married and live her own life. Apparently how to touch to my dismay, But yeah, that's my suck, and my sweet, what's your What.

About being in the Blue Mountains? And I saw I saw your Instagram over the weekend, And let me tell you, that's my suck.

I wanted to go somewhere dog friendly. That was my biggest thing. I wanted to take Delilah out into the mountains and give us some time to run. Felt bad for sending her to military school. So we went to the Blue Mountains and there were so many amazing dog hiking areas And if anyone wants to you just google it. A lot of people have messaged me saying, oh, he's

On this track.

They were in swimming waterfalls and they were running around together and it was really really wholesome. So if anyone wants a little get away, I can recommend that.

Well.

I was looking at your Instagram this weekend and I was like, I want to be there by myself. No, I love my family. I don't mean that my suck for the week. Actually, my suck just happened on the way here. I was like holding my holding it in. I wasn't telling you when I arrived because I was like still fucking dying inside. But I wanted to tell

Was like, fuck, fuck, anyway, there's a spider and you stop it.

On the drive here, I felt it crawling down the back of my neck, and I wish I was making this up, but I'm not. I felt something. I felt, you know, when you just can feel something in your hair, and I was like, fuck, there is a spider in my hair. And then I was like, nah, you're just being paranoid, like you're you're thinking yourself, You're willing yourself into thinking that you've got a spider on you. And then it started actually crawling down my neck. And spider,

Okay, so that makes me feel physically ill.

My sweet for the week is actually, do you know what my sweet is? I just remembered, we don't. My scene is that I took Matt and I took Marley and Lola and our nieces Millie and Charlotte with Auntie Kate. That's so weird that I just had to rattle off everyone that came with us. We all went to a concert on Saturday called City Diver. So you guys might know Matt o'kine. He's like, he's a comedian. He used to do morning breakfast radio on Triple J. Like he's

Is he like the new modern day wiggle? Is that what the vibe?

Yeah? But cooler and better for parents because you make strokes about farts and butts and stuff. So it's like the kids love it. Very mature. Better guys, that is it from us. Another episode down and dusted. Tomorrow, we have an exciting little project that is coming out. I know that we've spoken about it a little bit, but Hooked, Hitched,

Tell you mum, tell you dad, tell you dog, to friends and share the love because we are love. I really love your sexy boy, said them.

It's getting bitter of those.

Yeah, I'll t a therapy.

It's bell.

I'll cut a