Spin To Win #22: Gailla On How To Make Your Art More Sustainable
I spoke with the folk-pop musician about touring via public transport, remaining joyous in the face of a climate crisis and the concept of Deep Ecology.
How often do you worry about your carbon footprint? If the answer is at least “at all”, then you have British Petroleum (BP) to thank. In a 2021 piece detailing the term’s origins for Mashable, Mark Kaufman wrote, “The company unveiled its “carbon footprint calculator” in 2004 so one could assess how their normal daily life — going to work, buying food, and (gasp) traveling — is largely responsible for heating the globe. A decade and a half later, “carbon footprint” is everywhere.”
Musicians are not exempt from criticism surrounding their carbon footprint. According to Carbon Market Watch, Taylor Swift’s private jet usage resulted in an estimated 8,300 tonnes of carbon emissions in 2022. This is 1,800x the average human’s annual emissions. For comparison, BP’s carbon emissions in 2022 were 31.9 million tons.
I put this all up front to give a bit of context to my interview with Eora folk-pop musician Gailla, who’s just released her new single, ‘Run To’. It’s a beautiful track about both the climate crisis and the cost-of-living crisis and captures the sentiments of many in a way that isn’t melancholic — instead, she shares a sense of hope for the future, if we can turn things around.
I picked Gailla’s brain to learn more about how to make touring as a musician more sustainable, her views on the responsibility of the individual versus governments and organisations in combatting the climate crisis, and much more. There is a lot of practical advice here that I’m hoping will inspire artists and the industry alike. It’s certainly one of my favourite chats for the newsletter to date, and one that I think really outlines my vision for the types of conversations I want to have going forward.
Ben Madden: Firstly, congratulations on the release of ‘Run To’! It talks about your struggles with finding a place to live with your partner, as a result of the cost-of-living crisis. As an artist, how does the cost-of-living crisis impact your ability to commit to your art in the ways you would in an ideal world?
Gailla: Thank you! The cost-of-living crisis impacts us massively. Artists often live in the inner city, and we need to be surrounded by our community who live close by so we can collaborate and be connected. Cities should mandate spaces for artists to live and create affordably. Artists moving into an area should not make that area go up in price due to gentrification. Councils and governments have the power to keep prices low for art-making spaces in the city. Renting in Sydney is stressful. The lack of regulation around landlords being able to hike up prices to shocking levels with no repercussions is terrible and needs to change. This uncertainty makes it hard to ever feel safe and settled in this city.
BM: The song also captures your concerns about global warming, and the increased rate of extreme weather events that we’re seeing across the country (and indeed the world). For any artists who are looking to make their art more environmentally sustainable, what tips/tricks can you offer?
G: I would recommend taking public transport as much as you can and just reflecting on your art practice and seeing where it might be damaging our earth. I would also recommend reframing what you think of as “nature” and “the environment”. These two things are not cute green concepts we can just ignore. We each need to recognise them and the impact we’re having on them. I think that internal shift really helped. Also learning so much more about whose country you are on — this isn’t our land, it’s Indigenous land. What’s your relationship to it? What parts of it mean something to you? What do you know about its owners, and how can you learn more by getting in touch with your local Aboriginal land council? I learned that from Nidala Barker, an incredible musician and Jabirr-Jabirr/Djugun woman.
BM: And on that note, are there any resources that you can recommend for artists that are looking to make their music career more environmentally sustainable?
G: Yes! I strongly recommend checking out the Sound Country guide by Green Music Australia. It’s an incredibly comprehensive and easy-to-use guide to making your music practice sustainable. Being involved with anything related to Green Music Australia will really allow artists to make their career more sustainable.
BM: Mega-artists like Taylor Swift are often criticised for their use of private jets — and mega-corporations want us to focus on our own individual impact on global warming to shirk their responsibility. I’m curious — where do you stand on an individual’s responsibility to try and halt the impact of global warming? Personally, I think we should still do everything we can, while putting pressure on governments/corporations, but I’m interested in your thoughts.
G: I agree that we should do everything that we can whilst putting pressure on governments/corporations, and with that, I think we should not guilt ourselves if we feel we’re not doing enough. The system we exist in is designed to extract and destroy both the land and the labour of working people, and when that system puts the onus on individuals to fix the problem, that’s awful. It was a fossil fuel company that came up with the idea of a ‘carbon footprint’ to distract attention from their destruction. So I just keep that in mind when I’m trying to be sustainable.
I do think it’s empowering to boycott terrible organisations and things in our world and that that can be an enjoyable task, so long as you do it from a place of joy and pride, and not of guilt and pressure. I do also think it’s important that we support each other and build community in order to change our culture and therefore our politics. Our politics respond to the culture at hand, and it is up to us to be part of that change. But again — doing it from a place of joy, not guilt! Community is incredible and deeply necessary and I love being a part of growing it.
BM: In 2023, you went on the Public Transport Tour, which saw you travelling only by public transport. I’d love to know more about your thoughts on the feasibility of other artists touring via public transport — how did it impact your ability to tour/what should people know about trying to replicate it?
G: I think for artists travelling solo or as a duo, we really need to get in there and try to tour via public transport. I travelled twice to Naarm/Melbourne in 2023 via the train and it was excellent. I carried my guitar in one case and banjo in another and stuffed my clothes into the guitar case. I would love to see different state transport organisations and our music industry like Transport for NSW, VLine and APRA AMCOS work together to provide incentives for musicians to use trains over planes.
One example is that it’s about $90 for an Economy ticket — 1 piece of 10kg luggage and 1 piece of 20kg luggage. This could work for a suitcase + guitar. It would be great if they allowed this plus one more piece of 10 or 20kg luggage for an extra instrument — a special deal for musicians. Or put the price down to $70 for musicians travelling Economy with an instrument to incentivise musicians choosing this route over the plane. I know I feel a lot safer taking my guitar on the train over the plane, and it could be a great option for musicians if the price was really that much better than flying. $90 is too expensive to encourage people to take the train over flying.
The daytime train is lovely but if you’re not keen on spending 11 hours on a train with not much Wi-Fi and no power outlets (they really need to build new trains — the ones they have now are from the 70s!) for a whole day, then I recommend the overnight train. You just get on, go to sleep and wake up in the CBD of a new city. It’s really great. You don’t have to go to the airport, check in your stuff, get out of the airport and then get to the CBD.
BM: When it comes to touring generally/playing shows, do you have a process down in order to mitigate the impact of travelling/transporting gear, or is it a case-by-case basis?
G: It’s case by case! Our full band is a 7-piece with over 10 instruments. We are playing as a 4-piece at some festivals this year and next year and the intention is to travel via PT as the 4 of us. I intend to complete a slow travel public transport tour in 2025 around Aus that will be either me solo or in a duo. I do choose venues that are accessible by public transport and plan my trip ahead of time so that I know everything is going to run smoothly.
BM: I also wanted to ask you about the concept of Deep Ecology, which you’ve referenced when talking about your debut EP. For those that might not know, can you explain Deep Ecology, and how it ties into the themes of your upcoming debut EP?
G: Deep Ecology is a process of reconnecting with the fact that we are deeply interwoven and interconnected with our natural world. It does this through group workshops, but also through resources like books and songs and poems. I came to my first Deep Ecology workshop in September 2022, run by John Seed at Narara Ecovillage. I remember feeling really amazed by how clever and connecting the processes were, and how much awe and love for our world they inspired in me.
I’ve been to two DE workshops now and ran about five mini ones with a friend in Sydney last year, and I noticed how much these workshops gave me space to feel every feeling connected to the climate crisis — anger, grief, joy, hope, sadness — everything. This really inspired me to craft my EP songs around a different emotion connected to my experience and feelings around the climate crisis. And I just want to carry on that message that you don’t have to know everything about climate to speak on it — you can just feel what you feel and express that.
BM: For those reading this that might be feeling a sense of doom about global warming/climate change, I know that you channel a wide range of emotions into your music in regard to the climate crisis, including joy. How do you maintain a sense of optimism in the face of increasing temperatures and an uptick in extreme weather events?
G: It genuinely is hard for me to feel optimistic, but at the same time I do know and feel that another way of living has to occur, whether we like it or not. We don’t really have a choice to keep going as normal when we hit that limit of our Earth’s resources. And my hope and intention for the rest of my life is to work towards building this new world that is more regenerative, kind and cooperative with other people and with our beautiful land that we’re so lucky to live on. I am also inspired by the knowledge that we have been here on this earth for so long. We have made the wrong choices, and we have to own that and move on.
We have all the tools needed to build a better world — it’s simply about using them. We know that politicians and political parties serve the interests of the fossil fuel industry, and that with our social pressure, this can change. Politics is supposed to serve everyday people, and that is something we can work towards making happen again. So I’m inspired by meeting so many wonderful people who want to create this new world that is kinder and more gentle.
BM: And finally, as part of my research, I noted that you’re looking to crowdfund your debut EP — with a detailed breakdown of costs provided, which is very in line with this newsletter’s aim to provide more transparency. I’d love to know more about the campaign – what inspired you to crowdfund the EP, and how can people support you?
G: I’ve been planning a Crowdfunder for a while now. On one level they’re amazing and helpful because I can gratefully ask people for their financial support to back our project and see it come to life. On another level, I think a Crowdfunder is a wonderful way to express what your project is about and to engage community in helping make these dreams happen! Nothing we do is in isolation, and I believe as artists it’s important that we reach out and ask for support like this.
Music Recommendations
In Waves - Jamie XX
It’s like Fred again.., but if he made interesting music. It’s been nine years since Jamie’s last album, In Colour, one of my favourite albums of all time. It was worth the wait. Euphoric dance music that will 100% lift your spirits or your money back.
Ruby - Holly Hebe
Once you’re done letting Jamie XX raise your spirits, let Holly Hebe help you get in touch with your inner self. Ruby is full of tender, vulnerable songwriting that proves she’s ready for the ears of much bigger audiences — ‘Out Of The Blue’ is likely going to be in my Hottest 100 votes. On a side note, Gracie Abrams is touring Australia in May next year. If I was involved in booking this tour, I’d be giving Holly Hebe the opening slot.
Article Recommendation
An interview with Nettspend, the divisive 17-year-old rapper — I don’t particularly like Nettspend, but I thought this was a masterfully-written feature, especially as Nettspend didn’t seem to give the writer all that much to work with in direct quotes. One to refer back to if you’ve had a tough time with an interview subject.