Truth in songwriting with Tully on Tully's Natalie Foster

She's a bit shy but seems sweet. Her long hair is untied and gets tangled in the wind, and when she speaks you can see a gap between her front teeth. This gap, it's adorable and endearing, and you start to think that maybe you could be friends. 

 

And then she begins to sing, and you realize this is no ordinary girl.

 

Her voice soothes and soars. If you listen closely, it's almost like reading a diary. It's easy to relate to the lyrics, a lot of which Foster says are about relationships. Although the themes are generic, Natalie Foster of Tully on Tully turns the experiences into music that's both familiar and new at the same time.

 

Aussie and epic

 

A blend between epic post-rock and adult contemporary songstress, Tully on Tully was, initially, a solo songrwiting project by the Australian gal. When gigs and invites to play eventally snowballed this was the time the current line up of the band gestated.   

In mid 2011, Tully on Tully was formed with keyboardist Pete Corrigan, guitarist Greg Rietwyk, bassist Thief MacRae and drummer Frank Lees, who all went to university together in Melbourne, Australia.

 

In high school, Foster began songwriting, something she says felt a connection to more than anything else. "I just kept on going and after a while I had a bunch of songs. . .eventually I got together with the band and they helped me express things in a different way," Foster told GMA News Online in a telephone interview organized by Karpos Multimedia Inc. on May 8.

 

At first, the songs were a bit quirky, which Foster says was because she hadn't developed her arranging all that well. "Me and the guys decided that we wanted to write music that was more mature," she says.

 

So far, the band has fans both for the music and lyrics. "I get a lot of people saying that they love the lyrics. . .Luckily I have an amazing band who, we all work together to make every part of the song what it is. Hopefully it makes them connect with the song in a way," Foster says.

 

Be unafraid to experiment

 

Foster's advice for budding songwriters is to experiment with different forms. "I would definitely say to just keep on working on things, and experiment with different forms. Like, combine two forms with one form and stuff like that," she says.

 

Truth, according to Foster, is one of the most important things in songwriting. "Whether or not you're writing what has happened, or whether or not you're writing something that you're making up, I think as long as you are feeling it, and you're very honest in what you're writing, it will come across that way," she says. 

 

Since Tully on Tully released their first single, the uplifting and emotive "Naked," the band has been busy performing at bars and pubs around Australia. Foster shares that when she's part of the audience, larger venues are challenging. "If i'm not at the front I can't see anything, because I'm short," she laughs. 

 

Playing soon in Manila

 

On the other hand, when they're performing, she loves large venues. "You can see a lot more faces, not just the front three rows. Unless of course there's someone out there that isn't as short as me," she says.

 

Asked what Filipino fans can expect at Wanderland, where Tully on Tully will be playing on May 18, Foster says she likes to try and connect with everyone in the audience. 

 

"Hopefully they'll be able to connect with me as well," she says.

 

Tully on Tully will be performing at Wanderland on May 18 at the new Globe Circuit Events Ground in Makati City. For more information, visit the Wanderland website. - KDM, GMA News