Mornington Peninsula Magazine July 2023

Mathilde’s Normal is something special

With a captivating blend of alternative pop-rock and poignant lyrics that strike straight to the heart, Melbourne/Mornington Peninsula singer-songwriter Mathilde Anne’s music offers a powerful sense of understanding and representation. She spoke to Sarah Halfpenny.

How did you get involved in music?

When I was about five I took up piano lessons. I originally wanted to learn violin, but it's an expensive musical instrument so my parents made me focus on piano first. Once I’d done two years of piano training, they let me switch over to violin. I trained for about eight years and I did some AMEB examinations, but when I was in my late teens I quit violin and started writing music on my guitar.

What inspired you to pursue a career as a singer?

I started writing a lot of poetry during my late teens as a way to cope with the experiences that I was having, especially being on the spectrum, and feeling really isolated. So I started writing a lot of poetry and translating that into songs. And I went to Cheryl Beattie at The Music Industry School of Music for some singing lessons and she said “Oh my god! Darling, I'm getting you in the industry!” She introduced me to Max and Nay and they signed me to their label, Sandhill Records.

Tell us about your recent singles

The most recent is Crime Scene Cadillac. And before that there was I've Had Enough, and then I have a new one which I'm so excited about called Way Up There. Dancing In the Living Room was funded by the Mornington Peninsula Shire for their 321 project and the song was then performed at Drift in 2022. I wrote it with Cheryl, Max and Nay, and we used it in the Listen Up competition, which is a really beautiful competition for music for mental health, and that ended up getting us to the finals in Sydney, which was so amazing. Crime Scene Cadillac really focuses on that idea of not wanting to get better. It’s a lot easier, I think, to sit in a place of feeling very down and uncomfortable and sad because at least you know what that feeling is like, and to get better you have to actually confront what has been making you feel depressed. And I feel like that can be a very nerve-racking experience.

Are there any particular artists or musicians who've influenced you?

My dad was a musician and he makes documentaries about music, and my mum was a dancer, so I've grown up with a lot of music. Aretha Franklin and Otis Redding are massive inspirations for me, just the way that they're able to have so much power and emotion in the way they sing. Etta Jones as well – there's so much power and despair as well in a song that just hits you in the chest immediately.

Have you got a full-length album coming out?

Yeah, I have an album coming out. I can’t say when it's coming out; I’m not allowed to give away too much detail. I was really lucky to get grants from Creative Victoria and Frankston City Council. I got a disability grant for mental health and being on the spectrum, so I wanted to use that album to pay homage to the experiences that I and a lot of my friends have gone through, whether it's having mental health issues or being on the spectrum or being on the ADHD spectrum. So the name of the album is Normal, and it's about the idea of how any time I tell somebody that I have a bit of a different brain and that I’m on the autism spectrum, the first thing they say to me is: “Oh my god, but you seem so normal!” They don’t mean it from a hurtful place but it’s reaffirming that idea that you have to be normal to be seen and to fit in.

Mathilde’s latest single, Way Up There, was scheduled to be released late last month and will be available on all music streaming platforms. Visit sandhillrecords.com for details and live tickets.