Singing, songwriting and Southbank living

Dodds St resident Chloe Violette has officially announced herself as an emerging singer-songwriter with the release of her debut EP “Gypsy Girl”.

Having grown up in Mount Eliza on the Mornington Peninsula, Chloe moved to Dodds St a year ago and said Southbank had provided her with the perfect platform to juggle work, study and pursue a music career.

As well as living in Southbank, the self-confessed “theatre nerd” also landed a job working at the Malthouse Theatre earlier this year and said she loved constantly being surrounded by creativity.

  “Working at the Malthouse has been a wonderful experience for just being in the hub of this Arts Precinct and seeing shows,” she said.

“It’s got the ball rolling for me in terms of trying to pursue music and just being around creative and driven people. It’s been really inspiring.”

While studying a bachelor of arts and secondary education, as well as a diploma of languages, Chloe has also been busy finishing a musical project she originally started as a high school student.

Gypsy Girl is a five track record that blends folk, acoustic and indie-pop to follow one girl’s story, which is imbued with images of heartache and the sweetness of being young.

Having written the title track at the age of 17, she said the EP was a culmination of years of collaboration between friends and artists who had helped with everything from artwork and photography to production and the music itself.

“Probably my favourite thing about this whole project has been collaborating with some pretty wonderful and inspiring human beings,” she said.

“It’s a culmination of a lot of collaboration between creative people from the Mornington Peninsula, which is my hometown.” “It’s a gorgeous seaside town and there’s a wonderful creative hub of graphic designers, artists, jewellery makers and musicians so it’s a really rich and close-knit community.” Produced by close friend and talented Melbourne musician Michael Best, Chloe and her band will launch Gypsy Girl at the Workers Club in Fitzroy later this month.

Chloe said she couldn’t wait to launch her long-awaited record, saying that it felt like a long journey from the time she first picked up the guitar at the age of 15.

“My guitar playing complements the melody that I sing,” she said. “I switched from clarinet to guitar in high school and words just began to journal out onto pages.” “I’m not the most eloquent writer. I’m not wonderful at the whole structural side of writing but I can do it through song. I have a lot of ideas in my head but I struggle to articulate them so music is my way of doing that.” As for living in Southbank, she said she never wanted to leave! “It’s been great just living with friends and the proximity to the CBD is incredible for going out and walking home,” she said.

“Being able to walk to the State Library, a hop skip and a jump to the Malthouse Theatre and then also getting onto the number one tram and going for a swim at South Melbourne beach.”

“Having the Botanic Gardens up the road as well. I don’t want to leave Southbank!”

Chloe Violette will launch her EP on October 30 at the Workers Club in Fitzroy.

To purchase tickets visit theworkersclub.oztix.com.au www.facebook.com/chloeviolettemusic