In The Media
BEAT Magazine Interview - 27 March 2019
When you think of soul or blues, your mind may drift towards old men in smoky bars plucking at double basses and a drummer wearing sunnies at 9pm at night.
This is fair, seeing as blues and soul are not just genres, but also cultures of their own; multifaceted, and constantly evolving. It’s this evolution that has allowed Melbourne-based neo-soul powerhouse, Bernadette Novembre, to flourish since the relatively recent conception of her career.
Novembre, a native Melburnian of musical background, began her musical career at the tender age of six. During these early years, she toured Australia and Italy alongside Italian musicians, singing in English, Italian and French, and had her first taste of the road to come.
“I loved it for a time, it was a great experience,” she says, “however once it was enough, it was enough. My family were always so supportive, but mum was never one of those helicopter parents; as soon as I said I didn’t want to do it anymore, she was fine with that as well.”
From this brief stint with youth stardom, Novembre has had to work from the ground up while restating her place in the industry. In particular, she’s received momentous support from the team at FAD Gallery in the CBD.
“Johnny [Halleday] and Oriana [Wister-Zimmerman] have given me so much of their time and their love, I’m so grateful to them. With our residency there at the moment, the band and I currently play there on the last Thursday of every month – it’s a night called NEON SOUL, and it’s so much fun.”
Having returned to the stage after over two decades in retirement, Novembre is fronting the initial labour of love that comes with establishing yourself in the particularly intense Melbourne music scene.
“I grew up in this scene, and everyone is obviously so welcoming and there’s always a lot to do, but it’s definitely a hard one to crack,” Novembre admits. “Sometimes I end up paying the band out of my own pocket, but that’s just how it is at the start. I’m okay with that as long as I still get to play with them and we keep having as much fun as we have been.”
At the mention of her band, Novembre’s smile is audible. Truly her home away from home – she regards them as family – practice and performances are as familiar as a group that’s been together for decades, despite only having been playing for less than two years. A ten-piece group, Novembre coordinates and leads the band.
This coming April, Novembre is releasing two tunes and videos to match. Hosting a launch at Fitzroy’s staple live music venue, The Night Cat, Novembre and her team are planning to take over the space with audio-visuals, screenings, and two live sets.
With support from artist Jane Marie and go-go group The Super Vixens, as well as video-projections installed by Melbourne-based visual artist Rhys Newling, the night is set to be a huge event. Two video drops are happening throughout the night, with the videos being screened followed by a live performance of each song: ‘Delirium’ and ‘Forgotten Times’.
The video for ‘Delirium’ is reportedly a sombre take on the darker moments of her recent past – which was a big factor contributing to her unexpected return into the music scene.
“This one is understandably a bit more shadowy, and – I don’t want to say gloomy … but it’s tackling a time in my life where I wasn’t really doing a lot, I wasn’t going out and taking advantage of the great Melbourne music scene.” The whole event will be dedicated to raising funds for Beyond Blue, one of the premier Australian mental health charities that provides assistance to Aussies suffering from mental illness.
“The video reflects a certain time of my own life … so that gave way to the fundraiser. The video was filmed at the Old Melbourne Gaol, and they don’t let anyone film there, so I had to write this explanation of the video and the song itself and this sort of narrative that lies behind it. Essentially, I’m in there and then these oiled up male dancers are doing their thing behind me, and they represent those bad thoughts that tend to ferment and take over your mindset when you’re in those darker spots.”
Despite the intense imagery and themes, Novembre’s bubbly sense of humour shines through as she shrugs on the other end of the line.
“It may have also been an excuse to grease up some hunks, I don’t know, it’s hard to say,” she laughs. “‘Forgotten Times’ is very upbeat, very uplifting. It’s kind of the other side of ‘Delirium’, they complement each other. So don’t worry, it’s not all doom and gloom; the night will be loads of fun.”
By Lexi Herbert
Bernadette Novembre will be launching her music videos for singles, ‘Delirium’ and ‘Forgotten Times’ at The Night Cat on Saturday April 27. Head to venue website for more information and tickets. Find out more about her monthly FAD Gallery residency via her Facebook page.
This is fair, seeing as blues and soul are not just genres, but also cultures of their own; multifaceted, and constantly evolving. It’s this evolution that has allowed Melbourne-based neo-soul powerhouse, Bernadette Novembre, to flourish since the relatively recent conception of her career.
Novembre, a native Melburnian of musical background, began her musical career at the tender age of six. During these early years, she toured Australia and Italy alongside Italian musicians, singing in English, Italian and French, and had her first taste of the road to come.
“I loved it for a time, it was a great experience,” she says, “however once it was enough, it was enough. My family were always so supportive, but mum was never one of those helicopter parents; as soon as I said I didn’t want to do it anymore, she was fine with that as well.”
From this brief stint with youth stardom, Novembre has had to work from the ground up while restating her place in the industry. In particular, she’s received momentous support from the team at FAD Gallery in the CBD.
“Johnny [Halleday] and Oriana [Wister-Zimmerman] have given me so much of their time and their love, I’m so grateful to them. With our residency there at the moment, the band and I currently play there on the last Thursday of every month – it’s a night called NEON SOUL, and it’s so much fun.”
Having returned to the stage after over two decades in retirement, Novembre is fronting the initial labour of love that comes with establishing yourself in the particularly intense Melbourne music scene.
“I grew up in this scene, and everyone is obviously so welcoming and there’s always a lot to do, but it’s definitely a hard one to crack,” Novembre admits. “Sometimes I end up paying the band out of my own pocket, but that’s just how it is at the start. I’m okay with that as long as I still get to play with them and we keep having as much fun as we have been.”
At the mention of her band, Novembre’s smile is audible. Truly her home away from home – she regards them as family – practice and performances are as familiar as a group that’s been together for decades, despite only having been playing for less than two years. A ten-piece group, Novembre coordinates and leads the band.
This coming April, Novembre is releasing two tunes and videos to match. Hosting a launch at Fitzroy’s staple live music venue, The Night Cat, Novembre and her team are planning to take over the space with audio-visuals, screenings, and two live sets.
With support from artist Jane Marie and go-go group The Super Vixens, as well as video-projections installed by Melbourne-based visual artist Rhys Newling, the night is set to be a huge event. Two video drops are happening throughout the night, with the videos being screened followed by a live performance of each song: ‘Delirium’ and ‘Forgotten Times’.
The video for ‘Delirium’ is reportedly a sombre take on the darker moments of her recent past – which was a big factor contributing to her unexpected return into the music scene.
“This one is understandably a bit more shadowy, and – I don’t want to say gloomy … but it’s tackling a time in my life where I wasn’t really doing a lot, I wasn’t going out and taking advantage of the great Melbourne music scene.” The whole event will be dedicated to raising funds for Beyond Blue, one of the premier Australian mental health charities that provides assistance to Aussies suffering from mental illness.
“The video reflects a certain time of my own life … so that gave way to the fundraiser. The video was filmed at the Old Melbourne Gaol, and they don’t let anyone film there, so I had to write this explanation of the video and the song itself and this sort of narrative that lies behind it. Essentially, I’m in there and then these oiled up male dancers are doing their thing behind me, and they represent those bad thoughts that tend to ferment and take over your mindset when you’re in those darker spots.”
Despite the intense imagery and themes, Novembre’s bubbly sense of humour shines through as she shrugs on the other end of the line.
“It may have also been an excuse to grease up some hunks, I don’t know, it’s hard to say,” she laughs. “‘Forgotten Times’ is very upbeat, very uplifting. It’s kind of the other side of ‘Delirium’, they complement each other. So don’t worry, it’s not all doom and gloom; the night will be loads of fun.”
By Lexi Herbert
Bernadette Novembre will be launching her music videos for singles, ‘Delirium’ and ‘Forgotten Times’ at The Night Cat on Saturday April 27. Head to venue website for more information and tickets. Find out more about her monthly FAD Gallery residency via her Facebook page.
BEAT Magazine Interview - 31 January 2018
Bernadette Novembre: Melbourne's new voice of soul
“I asked myself, ‘What do I really want out of life?’. You really have to hit rock bottom to make these decisions.”
Bernadette Novembre first sang onstage at age six. Even as a child, she owned the stage, making up for her small stature with an outsized presence. Now, after 22 years in retirement, Novembre is back with the six-track soul EP Rebounding, her first record.
Novembre spent the ‘90s touring Australia and Europe with pop artists like Toto Cutugno, specializing in Italian and French-language covers of Elvis and Connie Francis. But as high school approached, she struggled to balance performing with keeping up on classwork.
“I gave it up at about 13 because touring was getting too much,” says Novembre. “So the music stopped.”
After getting a BA from La Trobe University, Novembre found herself working as an administrative assistant at a Melbourne accounting firm. Though she rarely thought of performing, she remained a keen listener of artists like Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings and Amy Winehouse.
In 2016, Novembre unexpectedly lost her job. Now, she had to decide between returning to life behind a desk and risking everything by going back onstage after a 22-year hiatus.
“I asked myself, ‘What do I really want out of life?’” says Novembre. “You really have to hit rock bottom to make these decisions. It’s been a struggle both emotionally and financially, but it’s well worth it in the end. I believe that having a sense of achievement is one of the most important things in life.”
Novembre was singing with a ten-piece swing ensemble when she started work on Rebounding. She sent a Facebook message to Ryan Ritchie, the brash personality behind some of Melbourne’s trickiest-to-classify musical acts and owner of RHyNO MUSIC studios, who signed on to co-write and produce the record.
Ritchie and November met weekly for ten months to write, compose and bounce ideas off one another. Ritchie had a strong guiding influence from the beginning, says Novembre.
“My idea was to write a swing album,” she says. “I wanted to be like a female version of Michael Bublé. When I met with Ryan, he was down with the idea, but when we started working, he was like, ‘Nah, girl, you’ve got a soul voice. You haven’t got a jazz voice.’”
Novembre’s nostalgia for the musical forms of the mid-20th century – for the soul, surf rock and jazz she first encountered in her mum’s vinyl collection – is clear from Rebounding’s opening licks.
“Ryan really helped bring Rebounding into the modern era,” says Novembre. “If it were up to me, I think I would have left it entirely retro.”
Rebounding isn’t just a nostalgia trip. The EP also draws on Novembre’s checkered dating history – on experiences most women might rather forget, like being cheated on or being dumped by SMS.
“I’ve always loved too much, and it always bites me in the backside,” she says. “To live your day-to-day life, you have to bury those emotions. But when you’re songwriting, you need to dig deep and feel those emotions again. It’s cathartic. It’s good therapy.”
The music video for the EP’s single, ‘Everybody Knows’, shows Novembre sitting opposite her hipster-chic boyfriend, who seems more concerned with his iPhone than with her.
“‘Everybody Knows’ is about about being in love with someone who’s wrong for you,” says Novembre. “Everybody knows they’re wrong for you, but you don’t.”
Writing and composing Rebounding was a trial by fire for Novembre, and at times the enormity of her choice to leave office work for the precarious life of an artist leapt up at her.
“I’ve always doubted myself,” says Novembre. “Even now I doubt myself. Sometimes you have a songwriting session and it’s really difficult to get anything out. You start to think, ‘What have I done? Why am I doing this?’ You have a moment of panic. But, if you’re too sure about yourself, if you think there’s nothing else to learn, you won’t strive beyond your comfort zone. As weird as it sounds, I think doubt can be a positive thing.”
But now that Rebounding is ready for release, Novembre is seeing some reward for the turbulence of the past few years.
“It’s so strange seeing your face on the front of a record,” she says. “It’s so surreal. You’re like, ‘I did this?’ It’s almost like it’s your baby. It’s your soul made tangible.”
The launch party for Rebounding will take place at the Night Cat, with Novembre singing with an eight-piece band.
“It’s going to be a big party,” says Novembre. “Expect a lot of dancing, a really full-on horn section, a bit of an Amy Winehouse vibe. The Night Cat is a fun venue and an amazing supporter of original music across the board. They really add to Melbourne’s eclectic and vibrant music scene.”
By Zachary Snowdon Smith
Bernadette Novembre will launch her EP Rebounding at the Night Cat on Saturday March 10. The record is out Monday February 19 and her single ‘Everybody Knows’ is out now.
“I asked myself, ‘What do I really want out of life?’. You really have to hit rock bottom to make these decisions.”
Bernadette Novembre first sang onstage at age six. Even as a child, she owned the stage, making up for her small stature with an outsized presence. Now, after 22 years in retirement, Novembre is back with the six-track soul EP Rebounding, her first record.
Novembre spent the ‘90s touring Australia and Europe with pop artists like Toto Cutugno, specializing in Italian and French-language covers of Elvis and Connie Francis. But as high school approached, she struggled to balance performing with keeping up on classwork.
“I gave it up at about 13 because touring was getting too much,” says Novembre. “So the music stopped.”
After getting a BA from La Trobe University, Novembre found herself working as an administrative assistant at a Melbourne accounting firm. Though she rarely thought of performing, she remained a keen listener of artists like Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings and Amy Winehouse.
In 2016, Novembre unexpectedly lost her job. Now, she had to decide between returning to life behind a desk and risking everything by going back onstage after a 22-year hiatus.
“I asked myself, ‘What do I really want out of life?’” says Novembre. “You really have to hit rock bottom to make these decisions. It’s been a struggle both emotionally and financially, but it’s well worth it in the end. I believe that having a sense of achievement is one of the most important things in life.”
Novembre was singing with a ten-piece swing ensemble when she started work on Rebounding. She sent a Facebook message to Ryan Ritchie, the brash personality behind some of Melbourne’s trickiest-to-classify musical acts and owner of RHyNO MUSIC studios, who signed on to co-write and produce the record.
Ritchie and November met weekly for ten months to write, compose and bounce ideas off one another. Ritchie had a strong guiding influence from the beginning, says Novembre.
“My idea was to write a swing album,” she says. “I wanted to be like a female version of Michael Bublé. When I met with Ryan, he was down with the idea, but when we started working, he was like, ‘Nah, girl, you’ve got a soul voice. You haven’t got a jazz voice.’”
Novembre’s nostalgia for the musical forms of the mid-20th century – for the soul, surf rock and jazz she first encountered in her mum’s vinyl collection – is clear from Rebounding’s opening licks.
“Ryan really helped bring Rebounding into the modern era,” says Novembre. “If it were up to me, I think I would have left it entirely retro.”
Rebounding isn’t just a nostalgia trip. The EP also draws on Novembre’s checkered dating history – on experiences most women might rather forget, like being cheated on or being dumped by SMS.
“I’ve always loved too much, and it always bites me in the backside,” she says. “To live your day-to-day life, you have to bury those emotions. But when you’re songwriting, you need to dig deep and feel those emotions again. It’s cathartic. It’s good therapy.”
The music video for the EP’s single, ‘Everybody Knows’, shows Novembre sitting opposite her hipster-chic boyfriend, who seems more concerned with his iPhone than with her.
“‘Everybody Knows’ is about about being in love with someone who’s wrong for you,” says Novembre. “Everybody knows they’re wrong for you, but you don’t.”
Writing and composing Rebounding was a trial by fire for Novembre, and at times the enormity of her choice to leave office work for the precarious life of an artist leapt up at her.
“I’ve always doubted myself,” says Novembre. “Even now I doubt myself. Sometimes you have a songwriting session and it’s really difficult to get anything out. You start to think, ‘What have I done? Why am I doing this?’ You have a moment of panic. But, if you’re too sure about yourself, if you think there’s nothing else to learn, you won’t strive beyond your comfort zone. As weird as it sounds, I think doubt can be a positive thing.”
But now that Rebounding is ready for release, Novembre is seeing some reward for the turbulence of the past few years.
“It’s so strange seeing your face on the front of a record,” she says. “It’s so surreal. You’re like, ‘I did this?’ It’s almost like it’s your baby. It’s your soul made tangible.”
The launch party for Rebounding will take place at the Night Cat, with Novembre singing with an eight-piece band.
“It’s going to be a big party,” says Novembre. “Expect a lot of dancing, a really full-on horn section, a bit of an Amy Winehouse vibe. The Night Cat is a fun venue and an amazing supporter of original music across the board. They really add to Melbourne’s eclectic and vibrant music scene.”
By Zachary Snowdon Smith
Bernadette Novembre will launch her EP Rebounding at the Night Cat on Saturday March 10. The record is out Monday February 19 and her single ‘Everybody Knows’ is out now.