A Quick Chat with Kim Churchill
What can we expect from the It’s Lovely To Have You Here: Extended Stay deluxe album?
The Extended Stay version of the album is a bit of a deep dive. I like to look at it as staying on at a friend's place after a beautiful weekend for some more personal and chill midweek times when everyone else has left. The track with Shungudzo is a wild side quest that happened during the recording process that I wanted to hold out on for this deluxe release. “The Busking Song” has really taken form over the course of The Lovely Tour promoting the album! It’s jumping on board to reflect its life in the live show. As always, I've been travelling a lot and finding beautiful little moments in nature and with dear friends and decided to feature different versions of songs from the album that I thought were different and compelling.
Can you tell us about the meaning behind your new track “Raindrops” featuring Shungudzo?
“Raindrops” is a song about change essentially. If there's one thing we can count on in life, it's that it’s going to change a lot… and constantly! It's painful and difficult, but with it comes growth, vibrancy and brand new colours. The track plays on that idea through a lot of earthy natural metaphors. Shun and I were really vibing all of those cycles of nature and how beautifully and effortlessly the earth plunges ahead into incredible change. It's a longing to tap into that deep surrender to the process of change and evolution like we see in nature.
You just wrapped up a 50+ date tour around Australia. Can you give us a tour highlight?
A tour highlight! Absolutely. Playing the Quarry Amphitheatre in Perth was amazing, with its beautiful big tall walls and trees all around and some fantastic collaborations with Reuban De Melo, Paige Valentine and Riley Pearce also. To sell it out and play such a special show made me feel like I was at Red Rocks or something! So cool.
You’ve spent a lot of time touring around Canada, Europe and the UK. What’s your favourite thing about international touring?
Well, I love to travel and exploring cultures and different ways of life. I find when you’re travelling, it can be hard to get the real stuff. You see a lot of hostels and beaten down tourist paths, but to get the actual life of those cultures is rare and beautiful. Touring playing music is a way to be welcomed into a community and share your culture and meet the real folks! I feel so lucky to get to play music for people as I travel. It's the ultimate way to experience a place!
What’s your creative process like? What inspires you to write music?
I get up at sunrise. I turn the mics on with a couple of candles lit, a cup of tea and write as the sun comes up. It’s my little ritual and I find all the gentle voices in my head can speak up at that time. They’re often the ones that are speaking the deepest truth.
How has your approach to songwriting changed over the course of your career?
When I was younger I was kinda just fluking it. Which is still absolutely necessary, but now I know how to put all the pieces of the puzzle into place so the flukes occur more regularly. Neil Young put it well when he said, “Songwriting is the only job where you need to show up to work 15 times a day.” Haha!
What do you want people to feel when they listen to your music?
Well, especially with the live show, I always say that I want people to laugh, cry and dance. They are three deep forms of expression that are totally achievable through music – especially through live music. That’s always my goal. In their own time with the recordings – gosh, they can take it anywhere they please and use it in any way they find useful.
What has been the most memorable moment of your musical career so far?
Golly gosh... I think playing Glastonbury and singing a duet with Billy Bragg. Either that or bursting into tears with Kasey Chambers over how much we love each other’s music. That was wildly special too!