Hailing from the sun-kissed shores of Geelong, Australia, indie artist, Stefan West creates music with a fusion of indie, pop, punk, and folk rock elements. We caught up with the artist following the release of “Happily Ever After” to find out more about this artistry and influences.
– Hi Stefan! Can you share a bit about your background and how you got started in the music industry? What inspired you to pursue a career in music, particularly in the indie genre?
well firstly Blink 182 were the band that made me want to do this, I was obsessed, and they are still my favourite band of all time. But as far as that indie genre, There’s something that I just can’t deny about the feeling of listening to an indie rock song with the guitars, catchy hooks and full band sound, I grew up loving the pop punk genre with bands like blink 182, sum 41, and brand new. And then that indie rock/pop genre became huge shortly after and I fell in love with that in the same way, I think there are lots of crossovers as far as energy is concerned and it just lights me up.
– Your latest single ‘Happily Ever After’ delves into the themes of love and imagining a future together. Can you elaborate on the inspiration behind the song?
Yes absolutely! It was inspired by a relationship I was in at the time, we had moved in together in a little place on the corner or Orrong road/cambridge street in Caulfield north, Melbourne. We taught pilates at the same yoga and pilates studio, and to be honest, it was the most safe and secure I had ever felt in a relationship before. She really did accept me for me, and love me for me and I had never felt that before. I used to spend Sunday afternoons writing all day while she was in the studio, id write clean, run around the house, while a chicken curry slow cooked in the kitchen. I had been playing around with this idea of a song, and she came home that afternoon and it all just clicked for me, I was in this position where my home felt like a kingdom, like no one else was allowed in but us, I was better than I had ever been (mentally/physically/emotionally/spiritually) I was grounded and I was safe. And I was like I could do this for the rest of my life, like happily. And I realised in that moment how young I felt, this like giddy feeling with no restraints, and that forever young line made sense, I had always thought it mean something completely different, I seen people get older and keep partying, and continually ride themselves off, almost like screaming we’re never growing up, and that always confused me because I didn’t feel like that was true for me. And In that moment of clarity it was like ahhhh thats not being young forever, staying curious, staying playful and continuing to learn is how I stay young forever, and if we do that together, in our own way, that I think is how we make it a lifetime.
– How did the creative process for ‘Happily Ever After’ unfold? Any specific experiences or moments that influenced the songwriting?
The lyrics and chord progression were written in my home studio just off Cambridge street in Caulfield north. I used to spend Sunday afternoons as kind of cocoon writing days because I was alone, my girlfriend at the time would teach Pilates at a studio that we both taught at in Balaclava, I remember her walking in the afternoon i had this concept because it felt like everything slowed down, and the space was filled with complete clarity.
Schembri and I hung out a bunch together at the studio in which this was recorded. The first time we ever played it together was back in 2019 on two acoustic guitars, in the smokers room out the back. Two, two seater couches facing each other filled the entire room (yes very small), I was sitting on the armrest in one corner and he was sitting on the same couch on the other side, there must have been 6 people in this tiny room. We played this song over and over again, I remember the room being filled with smoke (I didn’t smoke anymore so it was quite hard to breathe) but we kept playing, I didn’t want to stop. The piano that you hear at the start was originally a guitar riff. To me, it added the emotion that I felt the lyrics were conveying. I could have played it all night, or at least till I lost my voice from second hand smoke inhalation hahaha. 12 months later, we demo’d it during covid to be the first complete track of the album
– The song is taken from your upcoming album, ‘Cambridge’. Can you give us a glimpse into the themes of the album?
the themes of the album are really just what my life was like from 2019 – 2023. it has themes of my struggles with mental health, drug addiction, falling in love, thinking we’d be together forever, breaking up, me trying to better myselfd, when self help goes to far, me reflecting on my best friend comitting suicide, embracing advercity and hard times, feeling like i cant go on, reflecting on past bands and relationships. it really does cover everything and thats what i really wanted, the full scope of the human experience. or as much as i could get down. I think we did a good job of capturing that lyrically and musically.
– You are a passionate advocate for mental health awareness and addiction recovery. How do you hope to use your music to inspire and uplift others going through similar struggles?
Just by simply talking about it, writing about it, singing about and by striving to always see new perspectives and then sharing those. I dont think anyone is every right in these spaces, because there are always so many changing truths, which are obviously different for everyone, i think all we can really do is be as honest as we can, and share what we know about ourselves. rigid beliefs systems dont help, however an expansive mentality and a willingness to learn is how we continue to evolve together
– Any last words for our readers?
If you’re interested in the exploring what it means to be human, if you dont accept rigid beliefs around what life on this earth should be and if you want to feel see and experience more, come along for the ride with me, because these are all the things that i am constantly looking for within myself, and id love some more like minded individuals to come along for the ride.
Make sure to check Stefan West’s latest track:
