Jessica Mauboy’s latest single Butterfly has a surprising Australian Idol connection
Jessica Mauboy has revealed the inspiration behind her award-winning new single which is deeply personal and goes back to her family roots.
Entertainment
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When Jessica Mauboy penned her latest single Butterfly, she had completely forgotten a famous song of the same name helped launch her to pop stardom.
It was 14 years ago when then 17, Mauboy performed a confident rendition of the Mariah Carey R&B ballad Butterfly to land in the top three of star-making vehicle Australian Idol, eventually finishing the series as runner-up to Damien Leith.
“Wow … holey moley, hang on, I need to look that up! I totally forgot I sang that song,” Mauboy exclaimed as she started singing along to the YouTube video of her 2006 performance.
“This is so freaky. I’m going to have to pull it up again and show (fiance) Them because I don’t think he ever watched Idol.
“That show opened my eyes about how to bring a performance together, it made me want to be in that world; it really launched me on the path to continue to do it, to where I am today.”
As she contemplated what to do next as gigs ground to a halt during the pandemic shutdown, Mauboy decided to release Butterfly to close the chapter on last year’s No. 1 album Hilda.
The deeply personal song was inspired by the struggles, resilience and “imperfect love” of her parent’s relationship.
But she felt the soaring ballad had resonance for those seeking to redefine their lives in the wake of COVID-19.
“So this song is about watching the struggles of my parents. They showed me that things aren’t perfect … but they also showed me the way to love even harder,” she said.
“Butterfly is about transformation and I think we’ve all been looking in the mirror right now, deciding what kind of person we want to be now after what we’ve experienced.
“It’s instilled fear in us but also the passion and the desire to transform.”
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Mauboy admits she has struggled with the lack of physical connection with fans because of the pandemic-induced isolation, so she has thrown herself into learning how to be the “queen of digital”.
Her music director Darryl Beaton and friends are helping build a small studio in her Sydney home so she can get cracking on the next album.
Part of her new set-up is last week’s surprise birthday gift from her partner Themeli Magripilis, who proposed to Mauboy last October while they were on holiday in Greece.
His present reveals a musical secret Mauboy has kept for years.
“Them bought me a piano! I’m still in shock; he sneaked it into the house last week when I was out at work,” she said.
“It’s this upright, compact instrument but it sounds so grand. I can’t wait to write something on it.
“I co-wrote Butterfly and Fallin’ on the piano; it’s been a bit of a hidden talent, it’s something very personal to me and family and friends know I can do it but I keep it quite quiet.
“I did lessons when from 10 to 15 but I got bored of the classics and wanted to play my way.”
During the recording of a special performance of her latest single at Sydney’s ornate State Theatre to air on new music show The Sound this weekend, Mauboy made yet another butterfly connection.
“Doing that performance really gave me the itch to play live again,” she said.
“I didn’t want to leave the theatre and stayed there until about six o’clock, wandering around and I found the Butterfly Room!
“It was so freaky, singing the song Butterfly and then finding that grand powder room, the carpet, the walls, everything covered with butterflies. Hands down, it is the most beautiful women’s bathroom.”
Butterfly is out now and The Sound airs from 5.30pm on ABC