What inspires you creatively and musically?
Recently my greatest inspiration has been coming from nature. I’ve been doing a lot of travelling so I’ve been inspired by the things that I’ve seen. Kind of like a painter, if you see a lot different landscapes you want to paint more, it’s the same with writing. You see things that make you want to write about it.

Congratulations on the launch of your fourth album! What can people expect from The Beautiful Emptiness?
Thank you! The album is very acoustic and features tracks that tell a story. My last albums were dance driven with a music festival vibe but this new one is more of a creative sit down type of album.

Many of the songs were inspired by your experiences abroad. What were some of the highlights from those adventures?
I took off over to South America and travelled to Uruguay, which is pretty much in the middle of nowhere. I went down to this little coastal town called Punta del Este and it just put my mind in a whole different space. I just loved it. I also went up to America and recorded some of the album with Ben Harper’s band in California, which was really amazing.

Any there any memories in particular that will stick with you?
I think the fact that not one person spoke English is a big thing. It meant I became more of an observer, which I found really interesting.

How do you think those experiences have affected you as an artist?
As an artist, it changed my canvass. Going to a whole new place everything changes; what you’re eating, what you’re seeing and I think that would affect anyone in a subconscious way. I hear the album back and it does sound a bit different but it happened without me knowing it. That’s the beauty in it.

Did you experiment with any new sounds as a result of these new experiences?
I incorporated a lot of spoken word into this album, which was really different for me. It was a lot of fun.

What are some of the themes that come through in this new record?
The major theme was a break-up I went through a couple of years ago with my ex-partner so it was about rebuilding, travelling and rediscovering myself. I was listening to an album by Paul Simon, he’s one of my favourite singers, and he was talking about when you’re travelling alone there’s a kind of beautiful emptiness and I immediately thought to myself, he’s right.

Of course you love them all but is there a song on the album that really resonates with you personally?
Definitely the track ‘Whisky’ resonates with me. After the break-up, my friends and I partied pretty hard and drank a lot of whisky. It’s kind of a dark album. It’s so personal that it’s uncomfortable at times but then again I think that’s kind of good, too. Being creative through something like that is really important.

What do you consider to be your career highlight so far?
At the moment I’m in a place where I’m happy with simple things. It took a while to get back to that but right now my career highlight would just be the fact that I am able to play music and do it as a career. Going on the X-Factor and being in the spotlight was pretty cool too but it didn’t feel right. A lot of people asked me if it was amazing going on a show and meeting celebrities and it was but honestly, the highlight is just to wake up and be able to play music every day.

Can you remember what was running through your mind the first time you performed in public?
I played a concert in Rockingham, that’s where I’m from, and they made me play for four hours! I ended up just playing heaps of cover songs and I was just really nervous. I still get a little bit nervous when I play but it has gotten easier now. When you first start singing you don’t really know your own voice and you’re looking for a reaction. As you’re singing you’re trying to imagine what people are thinking and that’s the scariest thing.

How did you feel at the end of that performance?
I was exhausted! But it was a great feeling. It just felt right and as though it was definitely something I wanted to do.

You mentioned you still get a little bit nervous. Do you have any tips for overcoming nerves?
I reckon stretching helps but I also think about the songs more. I used to think about how the audience will react where as now I just think about the song and the beauty behind it. If you focus on exactly what you’re singing about, it’s more powerful. Just focus on getting the story across.

What’s your personal definition of ‘success’?
Being able to wake up and do whatever you want to do, every day.

In 2013 you made the top 12 in X-Factor before making the decision to leave the show, what were some of the factors that led to that decision?
It was a contract that I couldn’t see straight away and that was scary because it was jeopardising my personal art. It was like I wasn’t able to be myself anymore and there was no promise that I’d be able to write my own music if I went forward in the show, which was really hard for me. The show is amazing it really gets artist’s names out there but it got a bit weird to see it as a competition because music isn’t a competition. I went on the show because I wanted to get my music out there but then to become a product, it just didn’t feel nice. It didn’t feel like I thought it would feel so I got out of there.

Are you happy you made that decision?
On one side it’s hard because it’s a lot easier to get a big crowd to your concerts and its easier to do big tours, which is what I want to do, but on the other side it’s cool because I can live a life that’s more true to myself, my friends and my family. I chose the right path.

Can you share with us some of the realities of reality TV?
With most reality television there is a producer who has a plot, kind of like a movie. After being on a show you see there’s a general gist of what’s going on and everyone is playing their little characters. X-Factor is a little bit different in that once you get past the top 12 the public starts to vote, I quit right at that point. I think they really know who they want to win and give them a lot more air time.

Lastly, do you have any advice for people looking to make a career out of music?
Document and record everything you do. Keep writing. Social media and YouTube are brilliant, they can be used for silly things but they are really good for artists. Back in the day it was a lot tougher because radio and record companies really ran the scene but now we have social media it’s a lot easier for artists to get your music out there. Be yourself and be nice to people. Don’t be too hipster and think you’re better than everyone.