BLOCKED
We caught up with Belinda Tan, the sole member of one of our favourite artists of the year - BLOCKED. New EP "still here" was released on the 23rd of October and is filled with bedroom, indie-pop gems, make sure to give it a listen. Hazy Days Music thanks Belinda for taking the time out and having a chat.
From your very first album "almost for you but not really" released back in 2017 to your brand new EP "still here", Belinda your song-writing style is one of the most honest I have ever heard. Was it ever a struggle to be this open lyrically? What advice/tips do you have for anyone lacking the confidence to be as honest with their own lyrics?
When I first started BLOCKED, I was afraid of how people would perceive my lyrics. I was really insecure about my writing and vocabulary. I felt like it wasn't anywhere near the level of the artists I looked up too, but as I progressed and grew up, I realised it was silly to compare myself to them and if I really wanted to express myself, just write, even if it sucks, continue writing and keep working on improving that skill. That's when I stopped censoring myself and started opening up honestly.
My writing style is like I am writing in a diary for my future self to read and reflect on. I enjoy reflecting and learning from past mistakes. I have very supportive friends that give me great confidence in my writing. It's nice to hear that people out there relate to my music and what I sing about.
My advice would be to write whatever your head or heart tells you too. I always tell myself whenever I am writing that no one is ever going to hear this song or I'm never going to release it. Taking away all that pressure allows me to be more in touch with my emotions, and I can write, talk and reflect on everything openly and honestly.
Your new EP “still here” has just dropped (23/10/20), this is one of my favourite releases of the year! How was writing this EP during Australia's lockdown? Do you have any new influences that inspired you for this project? I feel like every time BLOCKED releases something new it keeps getting catchier and catchier, how has your writing/music style been developing over the past couple of years?
A few of the song ideas for this EP were written last year, I tend to record random guitar ideas on my phone and forget all about them. "all for you", "you can come over" and "2012", were all song ideas I had forgotten about, and once I heard them again I got super excited to start working on those ideas. It took a long time to work on those songs as I never found the right time or place to write lyrics and record vocals in peace as I live in a very noise polluted environment.
“end it all”, “sorry” and “never want to feel” were written this year during the lockdown and I produced them in less than 2 weeks. I’m not sure why I had that “spark”, but I was in a very bad state due to the pandemic. I lost my job and the whole staying at home rule sucked, even for an introvert like me. With financial difficulties and not being able to hang out with friends, things started to go down south. I got pretty used to being in my room all day, and I just kept thinking about really negative stuff. However, things started to get better, and I’ve found healthy coping mechanisms. I have been setting a 30-minute timer for days where I’m really down and need a break. I’ll let it out by writing/playing around with instruments or even just doing absolutely nothing but looking out of my window. So once that 30-minute timer is up, I’ll try my best to stop thinking about the particular issue and that I could focus on the present. Lately, I have been listening to a lot more Australian music and I feel like those bands have been influencing a bit of my songwriting. Bands like - Slowly Slowly, Tired Lion and Waax. Songs that inspired “still here” - playlist.
Over the years, my recording and production knowledge and abilities have really developed. I have always recorded everything myself, from the early days when I was 13, uploading covers to YouTube, to now recording and mixing my own EPs and albums. Back then, I used to record everything through my cheap guitar amp and microphone. Looking back, I could have at least used Garage Band to adjust some of the vocals and instruments haha. Hence, my older stuff sounded really distorted/grainy. YouTube has been a big help for me improving my audio production skills and teaching me important Logic Pro techniques. Being able to upgrade my audio equipment when recording the new EP "still here" has helped clean up my sound, allowing me to edit and add in additional effects if required. When recording my 2017 album "almost for you but not really", the microphone and gear I had made my instruments sound a bit muddy, and when you get that sound from the start, it gets really difficult to clean that up in the back end especially if you wanted to achieve clean sounding guitar tones.
Most recent single "all for you" was accompanied with a beautiful music video. The music video shows you exploring this vibrant, luscious, green, autumn parkland in a grainy Super 8 style footage. I feel like this music video is the perfect showcases for what BLOCKED is as an artist. It looked like you had a lot of fun making this music video, did anyone help you come up with the idea, find the location and who help record it for you?
I always pictured falling leaves and flowers when writing "all for you". Whenever I listen/play this song, it gives me autumn vibes. The video was filmed at a local park not too far away from my house and is actually a love confession to somebody who I no longer have any feelings for. We were lucky enough to get it done in one afternoon right before Melbourne’s main lockdown started. There wasn't too much planning put into the video, my partner helped record it and having him there made me really comfortable to just be myself and have fun playing guitar and dancing around the park.
What’s planned for BLOCKED in the future? Will you be playing some shows towards the end of the year now that gigs are slowly returning in Melbourne? Do you have a band that joins you on stage or is it just you?
I would love to play some shows in Melbourne when they are allowed to happen again. Before the end of the year, I have a streaming gig booked in, so keep an eye out for those details.
BLOCKED is currently just me, so most of the shows will be acoustic shows, but I have some really talented friends who play the drums and bass, and if we get the opportunity to perform live in the future we definitely will. Right now it's just too difficult to try and organise anything.
I am also currently collaborating with some DIY musicians. We hope to release something on Christmas or maybe early next year.
Stay up to date with BLOCKED on Facebook, Instagram and Spotify.