Q&A: meet Niamh, Central Coast youngster with talent beyond her years

Central Coast youngster Niamh Watson is groovin’ through 2020 as she drops her new dreamy pop track Sugar. Still only 16 years old the young singer-songwriter has launched onto the music scene with a sense of calmness and fiery passion.

Her new track Sugar is a happy-go-lucky song that highlights Niamh’s crisp vocals. The song centres around the excitement of a new found love. It’s got this nostalgic feel to it that takes you back to your first love, ditching school to hang out and choking on your words kind of love. The Indie-pop song is a straight up beauty and we would like more of this please and thank you @niamh. 

Recently our sister from up the East Coast signed her first publishing deal with Origin Music Group. A great and exciting achievement so early into her career. 

We caught up our Central Coast slice to chat about her new track, where she hopes to take her music and what it’s like juggling her teen life whilst trying to make a name for herself. 

Check out all the feels below through a snippet of our conversation:

Hey Niamh, so take us on your music journey, where did it begin?

I have been singing ever since I was a little kid. I used to make up these silly tunes that made no sense but would be stuck in my head and would annoy my family heaps because I wouldn’t stop singing. During the final years of primary school my mum thought I sounded pretty decent singing in the shower so she took me to singing lessons. From there I learned guitar, a bit of piano and I started busking and getting little gigs at cafes. I wrote my first song when I was about 13 and have been writing songs, gigging and performing ever since.

Let’s talk about your new track Sugar, how did this song come to be?

I was offered an amazing opportunity through Origin Music Publishing to work with producer Mario Spate in Sydney’s Forbes Street Studios and I jumped at the chance.  Mario has worked with some really big names in the industry so I was kinda nervous meeting him but he put me at ease straight away, he is a lovely guy. The plan was simply to get in the studio together and see what happens. We really hit it off and ended up writing and recording a few songs in a couple of days.  

Sugar came about through a challenge we set ourselves during the session to write a 'happy' song. We had been discussing how sad songs seemed to be easier to write than happy ones. We both loved the breezy indie pop vibe of Sugar and so here we are. It’s very much a chilled song about the excitement of new love with a slightly fun feel to it. Although the vocals are loud and clear in the final track, I actually sang the lyrics in a whispering vocal style, something really quite different for me and actually not that easy to do. To get the right sound level and vibe,  I imagined that I was singing to someone who was sleeping while trying not to awake them. Like a kind of slightly creepy lullaby.

What was it like working with Berlin producer Leon Blake and Puerto Rican duo SACH?

Firstly, I have never actually met any of them – we were introduced through mutual muso friends on Instagram. For both tracks, I ‘toplined’ by writing lyrics and recording the vocals at home to lay over their almost fully formed tracks. This is quite different to how I usually work as I tend to tweak and mess around with the chords and melodies of my own music while I write the lyrics to make it all fit together. The guys in SACH are these two crazy futuristic jazz/funk artists and are really accomplished musicians - they messed around with the timing and order of my lyrics quite a bit to fit with their vision for the song. By contrast, Leon Blake is more dance oriented. He took my lyrics and vocals and laid them over the top of his track and it turned out really cool. Although these songs don’t exactly match the style of music that I want to be putting out as a solo artist, I feel blessed to be featured on their songs and to have had the opportunity to work with them and in different genres to my own.

How do you juggle being a 16 year-old and starting a music career?

Balancing my school life, music life and social life can be super difficult. Sometimes when I have to go and do homework all I want to do is sit down and write a song, so organising my life and making time for everything I want to do is definitely a challenge. Heading into the HSC next year is scary because I’m not “normal” in that most kids have a paved path for their chosen career path. Some will go straight into the job they want to do and others will go to uni, get their degree and then get the job . With music I think it’s not as simple as all that and there is no right, wrong or even a direct or fast path. Being someone who usually likes to plan things to death, it’s a challenge getting my head around it all but I think that’s the beauty in it and I’m excited to see where I go. It will be a hard slog I’m sure but I’m a hard worker and I’m up for the challenge.

I’ve never been to the Central Coast, what does one do there?

Well, it’s quite a pretty place with beautiful beaches and cute little cafes and restaurants.  If you surf, this is the place to be!  You really should come visit once this Covid thing has ended.

What flavour thick shake would you order?

I usually go for a salted caramel shake. Although I do love strawberry shakes too when I’m in the mood. 

Would you rather sneeze brown sugar or cough up flowers? 

Now that is a unique kinda question and one I’m pretty sure I haven’t been asked before.  Honestly, I feel like sneezing brown sugar might be a bit painful so I’ll have to go with coughing up flowers because it’s wonderfully weird and it might be nice to have flowers every now and then.

What’s one goal that you absolutely WANT to smash over the next few years?

I want to write and record an EP or album that tells a story and is like a piece of art in its own right.   

Niamh has such a beautiful tone to her voice and an ear for music. She may only be early in her music journey but she has already made some huge statements with her accomplishments so far. We can’t wait for what’s next.

Check out her new track below or head to our "Siri, play chill music" 🔀 playlist to hear more spicy songs like this one.

By Samuel Seedsman