I first interviewed Azure Ryder in 2022, a fresh-faced Australian artist about to move to London. Like many artists out of the loop from the pandemic, Azure was keen to get back into a big city and be a part of the hustle and bustle of the music industry. Having already proved her potential, her song ‘Wolves’ had gained traction on multiple Spotify playlists, amounting to over 25 million streams today.
However, the pandemic saw many ‘new’ artists become ‘old’ out of their control. Azure’s vision has always been guided by the power of live performances, and the industry’s standstill saw multiple managers’ focus switch to platforms such as TikTok. Being certain that this was not her path, Azure returned to Australia in 2023 with a library of new music under her wing. She was determined to reclaim her routes and begin a new career in a way which felt authentic and honest to her.
Speaking to Azure this month ahead of her release of ‘Collarbones’ on March 20th, we catch her in a moment of magic as she navigates a busy live touring schedule and new-found management. Her magnificent voice, mesmerizing performances and poetic lyrics are outstanding. With a feeling of singularity to everything she releases, this single is one to cut through the industry this Spring.
First of all, how are you?
I am honestly so excited to be where I am right now.
How would you describe the start to your year?
I see it as actively stepping back into my dream. Between finding my way back on stage with just my guitar, connecting face to face with humans again, and writing and recording music for and as myself. It has been the most beautiful and trust-infusing experience, taking one step at a time.
How has your opinion of being based in Australia shifted over the last few years?
We are so often told to look outside ourselves to find happiness, excitement, or achieve a dream. My experience of this took me away from Australia for some time. The thing about wide open spaces, if you’re not there for yourself, it’s easy to get lost. But for me, the best decision I made was coming home last year to my family, and re-nurturing myself and my music on home soil. It’s been a process of understanding that I never needed to look outside myself to find who I already was. There is so much art and talent in Australia which is still wildly overlooked, even by our own industry. I don’t fear that anymore though, I’d rather focus on doing my best to be a part of changing that environment and I feel grateful to have found my voice back in it’s natural habitat. I’m most proud of the new music I have been creating, surrounded by the nature I befriended and grew up with and I’m deeply excited to start sharing that from my hometown and beyond. You can be both a wanderer and a home body, because both involve the heart, same goes with dreams, they all start with you.
Collarbones is coming out on March the 20th. When did you write this song and what did it mean to you at the time?
When I first wrote this song it was about being willing to fall in love with someone else but wondering if it was ever going to actually happen for me. Until that point I’d never been met with the same willingness and I was sincerely questioning whether how big I wear my heart was too much to fall for.
What does this song mean to you now?
Since the song has lived a little for me and I have grown alongside it, I answered that question for myself. The vividness of my feelings is actually what makes me who I am. I wouldn’t change the muchness of my heart, as I couldn’t imagine living with any less, and that’s what the right people will love me for. I’m a romantic; to me that’s not hopeless, it’s hopeful in a world that will always need more love.
You’ve spoken openly before about London being a difficult time for your career. What was the silver lining with the industry stopping during lockdown?
For me the pause allowed for me to see the path I was on didn’t feel my own. I made genuine friendships in that time just like our friendship here. That’s encouraged me to find the right direction,even if it meant losing my footing in the industry for a while. I’m most thankful for those friends and family outside of the industry that reminded me I was more than that.
When we spoke we agreed that “Now & Beyond” would be the title of our interview. Would you mind explaining what this mindset means?
There came a moment when I felt I didn’t want to look over my shoulder anymore, and instead focus my energy where I am. We all have a past, a story that made us, but today I look up and see the sky is blue, I’m proud of how I stand, and deeply excited to be looking out and ahead. Our paths aren’t always going to be straight, there are still times that the past will challenge our present, but I guess this mindset is a comfort to me. In trusting that you will always find the next day when you look up and the sky is blue, choose that moment to take the step forward.
With Now and Beyond in mind, what are you hoping to achieve this year? Whether it’s in music or on a personal level.
I’m so grateful that music allows me to be a part of a safe haven, the haven that humans can still go to find themselves and each other no matter what. My hopes are that I can bring as many people together, play as many shows in as many communities as my voice will allow, record and release my new music in the way I’ve always wanted too, keep telling the story, and wear my heart on my sleeve. I have many big dreams, these might be some of them, but no one ever said to dream small.
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Words: Rosie Viva