An interview with Blusher

We spoke with Melbourne pop band, Blusher, at Mardi Gras Fair Day about their connection to Mardi Gras, Pride and community, as well as how other artists have influenced their music and style.

Blusher has such a distinct sound and identity. How did the three of you find each other, and how did the band form?

Jade: “It all started back in Lauren's bedroom. Lauren kind of ‘Simon Cowell’ed the band and put us all together.”

Lauren: “We were all solo artists and have just loved pop for so long that it just made sense immediately.”

Miranda: “The first two writing sessions we had together were an instantaneous click. Not only musically, but also in terms of our sense of humor and stuff that we love, including pop culture, TV shows, movies, and it's so rare to find a connection like that with people."

You just performed here at Sydney Mardi Gras Fair Day. What does performing at Mardi Gras mean to you?

Jade: “Mardi Gras is such a huge celebration of love. And I think I just love that. It's a safe space where you can come to be fully yourself and be the boldest, brightest version of yourself, and just feel so safe.”

Lauren: “The people at Mardi Gras love to dance, and they love electronic music. They love pop music. There are so many queens walking around and it's just such a fun place to be.”

Miranda: “It's so special for us to play Mardi Gras for so many reasons. But the fact that it started as a protest against injustice and it's now this big celebration and a big party. That's two things that we love, protesting injustice and partying. It's really amazing to see all the euphoria that's happening. I think that's really beautiful. There's a lot of really weird stuff going on in the world right now, so being able to play and provide some escapism and some happiness is really special to us as a band.”

Your music has that iconic Y2K pop energy but still feels so modern. Who are the pop icons that shape your sound?

Miranda: “We very much bonded over Robyn when we first met. Charlie XCX is mother.”

Jade: We have to shout out Kesha. A massive one for us. A personal one for me is Gwen Stefani. That was my first pop concert, and my first CD.”

Lauren: “Kylie Minogue and Troye Sivan, you know, the Australian heroes that paved the way for us. We think about them very often.”

You all have such strong individual style. How would you describe the Blusher aesthetic, and what makes each of you different fashion-wise?

Jade: “The Blusher aesthetic is a combination of gritty and feminine, sparkly and fun, and athletic. It has to be something that we feel good in on stage. I feel like each of our individual styles we can kind of express on stage with small details, but otherwise we love to be cohesive. And yeah, my personal style, I like anything that is a little bit cute and a little bit ugly and, the balance of that.”

Miranda: “I love to have a little touch of sci-fi or apocalyptic. I love stuff that's a bit subversive, but also, I just love being so cohesive. We also love being sporty. I feel like maybe if you were being sporty in a weird sci-fi realm, that's what we're going for. We also love supporting local Australian, and especially Melbourne, brands and designers.”

Lauren: “For me, on-stage fashion is all about feeling tough and strong and confident, and a big part of that is my makeup and my eyeliner in particular. I put my eyeliner on and I'm ready for the show.”

You’re about to go on tour with Kesha and have been playing huge festivals globally. What’s tour life really like, and what makes a city or crowd unforgettable for you?

Jade: “Touring life is sometimes not as glamorous as you might think. Sometimes it's boiling eggs in a kettle or giving each other massages in a cupboard backstage. But it's so incredible. You experience the highest highs and you connect with people across the world who know your music.

What makes a crowd unforgettable for me is having little moments with each person when you lock eyes with someone. Game recognises Game and everyone is locked in, and you're singing to each other, and it's like no-one else exists for that moment. It's so meaningful.”

Lauren: “Today I found out that some people in the crowd had started using some of our lyrics in their everyday life with their friendship group. There's this lyric that says “Miranda, it's been ages”, and so when they see their friends, they say, 'Miranda, it's been ages' and that has never happened before. That is going to be unforgettable for me. To see those things that we just come up with one day in a room can translate to people's everyday lives.”

Miranda: “We're so excited to go on tour with Kesha. I think we've been a bit intimidated by the size of the shows. They're going to be our biggest shows ever, but we've just practiced and practiced and today felt like a really amazing warm up because the crowd was so incredible, so much energy. Whatever happens next week, I feel like we'll just call that back to our memory. But tour life is not glamorous at all. There's no sleep happening. There's a lot of time in airports. I can tell you so much about airports. We've found so many little secret passageways in Sydney airport. It's fun, it's a little bit emotionally and physically exhausting, but it's all worth it.”

Lauren: “There's something about touring that makes me really feel like we've made it. Something about being in airports all the time and that kind of lifestyle that reminds me of the pop idols that we have been inspired by our whole lives. It's tough, but our Queens did it tough before us, and it's fun to be following in their footsteps.”