Monster Children & Up Present Travel Diaries Featuring Surely Shirley
We’re Sure About Surely Shirley
words an interview by sam hetherington.
Photos by Dougal Gorman.
Twin sisters Anisha and Jenaya Okpalanze are Surely Shirley and we’d like to introduce them.
Hailing from God’s Country on the South Coast of NSW, the duo sing layered, surfy tunes that would best soundtrack a drive in a convertible with the top down on a Sunday afternoon. They captured our attention with their style, sound and we further fell in love with them with the down to earth, loveable nature. The pair are off to Texas to play the Monster Children SXSW Showcase at Mohawk on Wednesday, March 12th, and we’re following them around for Travel Diaries, presented by UP. Get to know the ladies below.
What are some of your music influences and inspirations?
Anisha: We’ve probably got a long list. Do you want to go first?
Jenaya: We love the Beach Boys. I think they were the core foundation for us growing up.
A: Our love of harmonies definitely stems from them as well and our yearning for layers in every song. Anything they've ever sung or performed, we've just loved the depth of that.
J: The Mamas & the Papas are another one. Especially with our next EP, we've really been inspired by their world. And again, it's about the layers, the harmonies, and also the folky acoustic aspect, which is fun. We like childlike jingles and nostalgic music. The Beatles, the classics like Joni Mitchell.
A: Big time.The 70s Laurel Canyon era is definitely a core point of inspiration for a lot of the stuff we love. But we don't shy away from all different decades, genres and all eras of stuff. We’ve picked elements from all sorts.
And what about outside of music?
A: Theatre, which is quite obvious, especially in our videos. We are constantly inspired by our surroundings and the movies we watch.
J: Definitely theatre and TV shows. I love the 80s shows personally.
A: Yeah the color of the 80’s is very reflective of us, especially with our last EP. We grew up with very old movies, our great grandmother was alive until about two years ago. So we grew up with movies of the 20’s, 30’s, 40’s, black and white. We love the very old school way of executing things, the old hands on way, which is why we like to make our own props. We love that authentic touch and flavor. But yeah inspired by everything around us, vintage, characters. A lot.
Yeah on the vintage, you both have a particular style. Was it a conscious decision to dress in a certain style as performers?
J: I think it was almost just a happy medium of both of our worlds. We sort of always dressed the same kind of way, but with Surely Shirley it was more of an enhanced version. Now it has become our everyday style but I think when we started it was elevated with accessories.
A: Yeah, it’s the embodiment of art as well but pretty close to how we usually dressed anyway.
Yeah I love your style, it’s one of the first things I noticed.
A: Thank you. Yeah we’ve always loved op shopping, we’ve been doing it since we were eight.
Love a good op shop find. Now you both live in Kiama right?
A: Kiama yeah.
I lived in the Gong for a few years, and I love it down there. How is the South Coast music scene, particularly Kiama, coming up as a new artist?
A: We’ve been very held and supported.
J: There's lots here. I feel like we sort of entered the thick of it. I mean, there was so much happening in the Wollongong area but Kiama has had so many names too.
A: Yeah, some nice birthing artists. I think when we started there were a few bands rocketing into starting international shows, and that next level of things, which was so inspiring and helped us a lot. Our first kind of moment we had with Triple J before we even took the dive to do our own stuff was singing the backup vocals for Pacific Avenue on their Like A Version which was so nice.
J: There's just been such a menu of absolute talent to be honest.
A: It's been beautiful but it's nice to still be able to be close to the chaos of it but still in our own little bubble.
Yeah, it’s a little bit of paradise down there. How has the response been to your debut EP ‘Sailors and Clowns’?
A: It's been so fun.
J: It's been great. We were just saying again how it just feels so curated. The people who are appreciating it are exactly what we could ever ask for. And not just for the sound but also the visual aspect. It’s been so positive, it’s really cool.
A: Yeah, we really wanted to create a whole world thing. We started this all. All of the different elements of our creativity just fuse together, from creating a visual experience that is reflective of us to the fashion, and the music. We wanted to show all of the creative elements we love to be able to be little branches for people to connect with.
Yeah I wanted to say, you’ve done an incredible job of curating lots of little parts. I really love that about bands when they think of the synonymity of their sound with their visuals, just that extra layer of thought and care. It’s lovely to see that with Surely Shirley. Ok, a bit of a random one. I am a twin myself, although my sister and I aren’t identical - I have to ask, did you always want to sing together?
J: We have done everything together forever. Although we never really spoke about having a project together. There was stuff in the works, but back in the day, I remember I wrote something and I just didn’t know what to do with it. I had recording dates booked in, it was one of the first songs I made actually and it just felt so wrong. We never formally spoke about working together, we just did. Things just flowed organically, it was an instant thing.
A: We grew up putting on shows in the lounge room together, performing musical theatre hand in hand. That’s just been us since forever so it just made sense.
And when you write songs, what is the process with that? Is it together?
J: It’s different every time. I think whoever's got an idea, they sort of run with it and then the other helps finish it but it changes.
A: In saying that, our minds sit in such a similar plane that occasionally we’ll have an idea that we both want to stew on. We just go into separate rooms and come up with a verse each, come together and honestly the songs you hear are literally line for line from each thing we wrote.
Wow. That's cool.
A: Yeah I don't really know how to explain it.
As a twin I get it. Played Lost Paradise recently, now heading over to SXSW. Is this your first international gig?
A: Yes, it is indeed. Our first together.
Fun times! Other than playing the show, what are you excited about?
J: I can’t wait to show her the food over there.
A: Yeah, we’re foodies.
J: Eating out. Indulging a bit.
A: I really want to do a ghost tour.
Wait, a ghost tour? What is that?
A: They have a few in Texas, you get on a bus and they show you haunted sites. I don't know.
J: That's a plot twist.
A: Yeah. I really want to do it.
I honestly couldn’t think of anything worse, I can’t watch scary movies for the life of me, but each to their own.
A: I just want a little thrill. And the shopping.
J: Yeah buzzing for that.
Hopefully there are some good vintage stores in Texas. I mean America has amazing vintage in general right.
J: We’ve got a list.
And what else is on for the rest of the year? Are we expecting some touring around Australia, more music out? What's the plan?
Once we get back from Texas we really just want to get all the recording done for our next EP. We've got all the songs finalised but just need to record. We record everything quite analog. We just recorded the music video for our next single which is hopefully on the way to being out in the world soon. The last EP was very much Jenaya’s essence.
J: We take turns.
A: Of course, it's only fair.
Yes of course, also understand that as a twin (laughs).
A: This one is a bit more mine, but yeah just writing and releasing and seeing what comes of that. We’re still very much in the place where we want to keep building our world and seeing what happens.
