Megan Washington reveals her Batflowers album and finds a new talent while acting on Bluey
It’s been six years since Megan Washington released a new record. But she’s finally done it, and revealed how she found her voice again as she used it on hit Aussie cartoon Bluey.
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Singer, songwriter and actor Megan Washington reveals the inspirations behind her long-awaited new record Batflowers and how she conquered her inner demons to unlock her talent for voice acting in defiance of her speech impediment.
Have you really been working on the new Batflowers record for six years?
Well, I kind of gave up on it last year. Surely it’s not supposed to be this hard. I just kept making it and making it. I made it three times and it just never felt right. And then I figured it out: I’m supposed to just have fun and do sh*t that I like, and that’s what I did. It’s meant to be easier than impossible, right?
How did you find the fun again?
Hung out with my friends who make music. The album began with the (title track) Batflowers. I was in LA being like a fancy screen composer for an APRA songwriting camp – because I am writing a lot for screen – and I just snuck in one day for fun with my friend, Rabbit, and made that track. I had an idea for the lyrics, but it was a bit slippery and evasive. So I just kind of left it and chipped away at the song in my own time. I’m gonna cry talking about it … I just spent time with myself. And I wrote the song to myself because I needed encouragement to keep going and I needed to believe in myself.
Why batflowers? I looked them up courtesy of your album title and they are quite a dramatic bloom.
I’m holding one over my face on the album cover art. When I was in LA, I was just walking around and saw that word, batflowers, on a magazine. I just connected with it. It’s like electric, I can’t really explain it. It feels kind of like me – it’s light and also dark, and it’s beautiful, but kind of witchy and stupid, and kind of pretty, but also a bit spooky.
Yep that’s you! The single Dark Parts sounds very Split Enz. I had a vision of you dressed and made up like the band in the ’80s.
And then you saw the video and it all came true. I did Tim Finn’s eyes! I did it for Tim Finn because I love him. It’s the same bonkers party music as [Washington’s debut hit single] ‘Sunday Best’. I have worked with Tim and ultimately he may see it and be like, “Oh, she loves me,” which is all I care about, because I do. He’s amazing.
Was the album track The Give really inspired by your having a panic attack in an elevator while Love Is In The Air was playing? That is a lot happening in one moment.
Yes, yes it was. I was at a house inspection in an apartment building in Sydney and the radio was playing Love Is In The Air and the elevator broke. It just stopped and my phone was running out of battery. I was trapped and all I could hear was [sings the song]. It’s quite a vibe that song. It’s a masterpiece.
You’ve been busy with television, voicing Calypso on Bluey, appearing on Play School and doing the narration for The Recording Studio series on ABC.
I think what I have learnt is that for me to be successful in anything I do, it is crucial, essential and non-negotiable that I’m having fun. I’m on Bluey because my friend Daley [Pearson, producer] is funny and nice and likes music. And whenever he asks me if I want to do anything, I always just say yes because his ideas are really weird and great. But voice acting has been a huge breakthrough for me, because I didn’t even know I could act.
Working as a voice actor is significant considering the experiences you shared about living with a speech impediment during that powerful TED talk you gave in 2014.
The Recording Studio last year involved 10 hours of narration on screen. I worked through so many demons and internal voices that said I couldn’t do it. When the producer rang me to ask me, I was like, “May I direct you to my TED talk?” She said she knew all about that but the point was they wanted it to be real. They wanted me to be me.
Does your son Amos, 2, recognise your voice on Bluey?
No. This may be controversial but at the moment he’s just all about firemen and fire trucks, and not cartoon dogs. He hasn’t quite moved past sirens and lights and hoses and fire and helmets and hats and fire engines.
So what’s the lesson you take away from putting yourself through artistic torture for six years before finding your voice again?
I guess what I really figured out is if I just do it how I like it with my friends, then it can be that simple. And fun. Can you just remind me, please? Like, if it’s two years between albums, can you just text me and say, “Whatever’s wrong, you’re not listening to yourself. It’s meant to be fun.”
Batflowers is out on August 28.
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Originally published as Megan Washington reveals her Batflowers album and finds a new talent while acting on Bluey