Phebe Starr has a complicated relationship to summer. The musician has spent the last few years low-key releasing a string of albums, dropping her debut Heavy Metal Flower Petal back in 2022, and then following it up with this year’s Dirt. Both records have a faint glow, one familiar to the songs that come up in your suggested songs on Spotify when you listen to Chappell Roan.
But still, despite that somewhat glow, Starr “wasn’t genetically built” for summer. “I hate playing in summer, if I’m honest,” Starr explains.”I’m extremely translucent and white with freckles, so it’s always a struggle in the heat.
“I grew up on the mid-north coast of Australia with a surfy family by the beach, so it’s been a constant battle throughout my life to try and avoid the sun while ending up in really sunny situations. Being a musician on the festival circuit is one of those situations.”
So it goes. “I’ve learned to lean into it,” she says. “Sometimes it can inspire an outfit—a giant hat, a veil, and a quick exit from the stage. Where there is a problem, creativity thrives!”
As to her plans for this forthcoming summer, Starr is looking forward to changing gears. The process of writing and releasing Dirt was “all-consuming.”
She describes the record as “connected to the past,” and refuses the idea it’s connected to nostalgia. “Unlike nostalgia, I wanted to explore being connected to heritage and understanding the sources of inspiration and symbolism we draw from to build on our collective narrative. The downside of social media is that we are losing reference to where things come from. We are losing deeper meaning.”
But now that Dirt is done, Starr’s gaze has changed direction again. “My number one tip would be not to worry about what everyone else is doing and work with what you’ve got,” she says. “I had horrible experiences growing up, with people negging me to get a tan and wear more revealing clothing, but I never felt comfortable doing that and and that developed my grandma style which I love. I found my way of doing things.”
Like her music career, sun safety is something that Starr does on her own terms, which makes for an idiosyncratic journey. “I enjoy the shade, chilling under trees, wearing oversized clothing, applying my mineral sunscreen, and carrying a giant parasol like I’m from the 18th century,” Starr says.
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