Last month, Australian singer Phebe Starr released her incredible debut album Heavy Metal Flower Metal. And just days later, she was in Austin, Texas, playing SXSW.

During the festival, which was returning from a two-year hiatus, Starr talked with Variance about the excitement of being in Austin and playing SXSW, especially after the pandemic. She also talked about the meaning of her album, growing up in Australia and the challenges she overcame to finally release this body of work.

smartslider3[32]

"I wanted to make an album that was also about the world, now," she says of the meaning of her album title. "It felt like everything has been so violent and harsh and aggressive, and I felt like my life had been like that, and I had to be really strong my whole life, that this theme emerged of softness and the whisper over the yell." 

She adds: "I wanted to make something that was about healing, pain, and transcending that heartache, but without denying the brutality."

Check out the full interview below.