renforshort has been building an impressive career. She's toured with Yungblud, The Band Camino, and Tai Verdes, and her album 'dear amelia' evokes a sort of intimacy and authenticity that feels so rare. We talked to her at SXSW about the importance of taking care of your mental health and the challenges she's faced in music,
I feel like SXSW is where you always find artists right before they become super popular. Do you feel like you're right on the brink of a breakthrough?
renforshort: I'm going with the flow, and I" m going to keep making shit I like, and whatever happens, happens.
Can you tell me about your album 'Dear Amelia' and the themes behind it?
renforshort: Dear Amelia, the idea was to address everything to this one person, whits yourself, or a friend, or someone you lost. It's leaving all the messages for this persona, and we had a Dear Amelia initiative where you write letters and send them out in the mail then it's kind of like a journal. It's a way to be able to start to talk about your feelings more comfortably and try to be open,
What do you want your fans to take away from that?
renforshort: I would like people not to be so scared to talk. Right after I talk to a friend or my partner or my dad, I feel so much better, like a weight has been lifted off my chest. It's a really difficult thing to do, and it takes time, and it takes practice.
How do you take care of your mental health?
renforshort: I go to therapy once a week, and I'm lucky enough not to be able to do that. A lot of times, I do things I enjoy doing, like chilling with my dogs, going for a walk in the mornings, I work out. It's very helpful mentally to start the day off and feel productive. You have to find what's right for you and find the time for the things you love doing.
What are some of the biggest challenges you've faced?
renforshort: I think it's hard as a young female, people look at you, and there's the preconceived notion that we're easy to fool, which is simply not true, and establishing that I know what I'm doing and it's just about being assertive enough and finding that assertion. You have to be ten times more assertive than your male counterpart would have to be. It's difficult.
How do you stay motivated to create?
renforshort: It's all I know how to do, all I want to do. If I had to do anything else, I'd simply just not do it. There's nothing else I can do or would want to do.
Emily Treadgold
