FOR Newcastle singer-songwriter Grace Turner creative forces were around her from a young age.
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The daughter of two well known Newcastle creatives, the late Mazie Turner and Richard Tipping, her childhood was one in which she was immersed in the arts.
“I guess it was a creative up-bringing, but they were both more interested in music rather than being musicians,” she said.
Turner learnt classical piano from about 7 years old, giving her a musicianship she is grateful for.
“That taught me to read, and I never forgot that,” she said.
“I started guitar when I was 15 and that’s when I started writing my own songs.”
By 17 Turner began to throw herself into music. She joined a psychedelic rock band called The Tremendous, formed with class mates from Hunter School of the Performing Arts.
After school she studied voice at the Newcastle Conservatorium of Music.
“In a way that took me away from performing and writing,” she said.
“For those years I was thinking more about my technique.
“After I graduated, I started working with a producer who really pushed me to use my voice in ways The Con would say was not how you sing.
“Since then I have been experimenting with knowing the rules and knowing how to break them.”
She moved to Sydney, and in 2012 released the single Sweet Life. It was a collaboration with William Montgomery and received airplay on Triple J.
“It was more electronic … it’s so different to what I do and what I have always done,” Turner said.
In 2013, her mother became ill and this became the focus of Turner’s life. It saw her return to Newcastle.
In 2015 she released Live at Turning Studios, a five track EP. It’s available for free on SoundCloud.
“It’s very raw, when I hear it now I think I could have done so much more, but it is what it is,” she said.
She has spent the past 12 months recording new material with Mat Taylor.
“He has come from more of a hard rock background,” she said.
“But that is what I wanted. People hear my music and want to make it sweet, he gets the more full-on side.”
The result of their work will be released on seven inch vinyl in the coming weeks. The A-side song is Angry, the B-side is Feel My Mind.
The pair have recorded a backlog of songs which they will be releasing over the coming months, with a view to releasing a full length album in 2018.
For information on upcoming gigs and recordings follow Grace Turner on Facebook: facebook.com/graceturnermusic