Ebony Buckle

“Music is a way to express the deepest parts of being a human,” conceptual pop artist Ebony Buckle begins. “It is a universal language, a way to explain things you can’t always put into sentences.”

Music has always been a part of Buckle’s life. Growing up in Townsville, Australia, she was part of a close-knit arts scene before going on to study classical music and opera singing in Brisbane and then changing paths to begin musical theatre school in London.

Despite her musical background, Buckle admits that becoming a musician never felt viable. “I realised music could help me explain my brain to the world, but I never considered it as something I could do with my life.”

It was only later that her desire to be an independent artist became a reality. Getting started wasn’t easy however, as Buckle’s song //I Think I Just Saved My Own Life//, a single due for release in September, reveals. “In 2019 I stopped drinking and it changed my life,” she states. “I wasn’t an alcoholic but I drank a lot and it was numbing me. I wanted to make music but I was scared.”

Having overcome her initial hurdles, Buckle took the leap of faith and has been carving a unique space for herself in the musical world ever since. Her debut album //Disco Lasers// received critical acclaim following its release in 2021. Now, in anticipation of her second album //Hearts Get Started// (out in October), Buckle has released a captivating new single //Fall Behind//.

//Fall Behind// was one of the first songs Buckle wrote for the album, alongside husband (also co-writer and producer) Nick Burns. “The song invites you to let go of who you think you should be and embrace the uncertainty instead,” she states. “The album is quite eclectic but the songs all represent moments in time, puzzle pieces that when put together reveal the whole journey.”

Buckle’s early obsession with fairytales and mythology helped to inspire her musical storytelling. “It is like a fairground,” she muses, “you get to wander around in this magical world. Once I’ve finished a song, I work on it with Nick. I create the stories and Nick creates the musical world around them.”

Buckle speaks about the lyric-based nature of the album and how the membership platform Patreon, on which she has built a strong community of supporters, has helped to inspire creativity. “I have to write a poem every week so I get many of my lyrics from these.”

Making music, like any form of creativity, can be exposing, a concept Buckle is all too familiar with working as an actress (on stage and screen) as well as a musician. She speaks about her “loud inner critic” and how “creating music from the soul” is often more exposing than acting out stories that are not her own.

Building an emotional connection with her listeners is what drives her, however, as she concludes. “I always hope my listeners will feel some connection – it’s what I love to do.” 

LINE-UP: Ebony Buckle (singer, songwriter)

SOUNDS LIKE: Imaginative storytelling and lyrics with touches of Kate Bush, Florence & The Machine, and Regina Spektor.

CURRENT RELEASE: New album //Hearts Get Started// is out in October.

WEBSITE: ebonybuckle.com

— Francesca Tyer