Gretta Ray
Photo: Cybele
Ever since she was a little kid Australian singer-songwriter Gretta Ray knew life outside "the world of music didn't make too much sense." So, ever since she kickstarted her career at 17 she has been full steam ahead from one goal to the next.
This month Gretta heads out on the road in celebration of her second album, Positive Spin, which she released in August. Speaking to Pario before the tour began Gretta reflected on her journey & how she came to have such drive within her.
Developing the passion
For Gretta singing has been with her since she was "a baby" but it was joining the local community choir when she was 5 years old that really saw her passion grow. Gretta's passion was so deep that she would stay with that choir all the way through until she was 18 years old, only stopping because her professional singing career had begun to take shape.
Singing was not Gretta's only passion though & just 2 years after joining the choir she began writing songs of her own & as she says, "I've been obsessed ever since."
Luckily for Gretta, she was surrounded by a plethora of supportive people. From her parents right through to her teachers, one of whom made the introduction that transformed Gretta's hobby into a career.
"I went to a really wonderful high school & had an incredible singing teacher," explained Gretta. "I would play her all of the songs that I was writing & she eventually introduced me to a producer, who I then worked with for my first & second EPs."
That introduction & those professional recording experiences would ultimately set Gretta on the journey she is still on today.
"That experience in the studio when I was 15-16 was when things switched over in my head & realised just how much I was going to creatively thrive in that environment & how indicative it all became."
Having taken guidance & inspiration from her teachers Gretta was now out on her path & soon looking for new mentors. In stepped fellow artists such as Maisie Peters from the UK & Australian artists Clare Bowditch & Missy Higgins.
"Growing up I felt like the artists that influenced me the most were the ones that were kind of the most out of reach," recalled Gretta. "Now that I'm a part of the industry though, I think that there's so much I can learn from having direct conversations with other artists. Maisie & I have a lot of conversations about the music industry & how much we love songwriting, which I would say really impacts how I work & how I think about the industry. I've also learned a lot from Claire, who has been a wonderful mentor, & Missy was really incredible when I first came onto the scene."
Finding the silver linings
As our conversation then shifted over to her new record the beaming positivity that emitted from Gretta became even more palpable. So it only seems fitting that her new record is aptly titled, Positive Spin.
According to Gretta the concept behind the album "is really honing in on my tendency to write about hope." That's not to say that she ignores the negative aspects of life though. Listening to the record Gretta touches on darker emotions & topics such as heartbreak but she imbues them with a glowing brightness that lifts it all.
For Gretta, the pandemic was paramount to her further developing this style of writing.
"Even in my most devastating of heartbreak songs, there's always some kind of silver lining in the lyrics.
After I recognised that I realised I was even further leaning into that tendency post-pandemic, I was back out in the world & all I wanted to write about were the things that felt a little lighter & brighter. As a result, I ended up writing a very upbeat & uplifting record that doesn't necessarily ignore the clouds, but it does very much focus on the silver lining around them."
Looking to the future
With Gretta always remaining hopeful for the future we asked how she was feeling ahead of the Positive Spin tour. In classic Gretta fashion, she managed to find the silver lining in her answer.
"I feel nervous because these are the biggest rooms that I've headlined but I'm also really excited to perform these songs & see how my fans are adopting them into their own lives & their own stories.”
Follow Gretta’s Creative Journey on social media at: @grettaray
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