Casey Barnes on the art of writing a good song about sex
The Gold Coast-based country artist on choosing between music and footy, the role of TikTok in modern songwriting, and working with his wife on raunchy music videos.
Casey Barnes, 43, is a Gold Coast-based country singer-songwriter whose sixth album Light It Up is released next month.
Q: If you weren’t a musician, Casey, what would you be doing with your life?
A: Since I was a little kid, I can remember always having a vision of standing on a big stage in front of a huge crowd. I think it has a lot to do with having two really amazing parents, who’ve always supported me. I grew up in Tassie, and got to a point where I was doing really well at AFL footy. I had to make a decision between whether I was going to concentrate full-time on music or footy. I’d love to play one game of footy on the MCG – so now, because I can’t do that, my goal is to one day be able to perform at an AFL Grand Final.
Are your daughters fans of your music, or do they cringe at what Dad does?
[laughs] On the whole, they’re pretty supportive. Sometimes I’ll be taking them to school, and if my song happens to pop on the radio, it’s a pretty funny feeling. But they’re both amazing: my eight year old is still at that point where she thinks Dad is the bee’s knees, whereas my 13 year old is starting to get a little bit embarrassed. But I think because some of her friends don’t mind my music, she’s sort of okay.
How much does video sharing platform TikTok figure into your songwriting?
Not even 12 months ago, I was like, “What the hell is TikTok – and can we get our kids off this thing, because it’s poison?” I used to be a little bit cautious about it, but I’ve totally changed my tune now. I understand it really is going to be a huge platform for music, full stop. I think it’s already superseded YouTube. It’s not something where I would sit down and go, “Let’s write a song for the record that’s going to be suited to TikTok”, because I’m not that type of artist. But I do understand that if a song goes viral there it can make or break things. It has a huge impact.
What role has your wife, Michelle, played in your career?
My wife’s been my biggest backer and believed in me the whole way through, even all of the lowest parts. She was always pushing me to keep going – to the point where, when we came up with a music video for this song Come Turn Me On, she was the creative director. On set, we had all of these attractive young ladies that were part of the video. A lot of my mates were like, “Was your wife okay with this?” I said, “My wife is the director – she’s the one who cast everyone in the bloody video!”
Come Turn Me On is rather direct in its raunchiness. Is there an art to writing a good song about sex?
[laughs] I think the art is getting as close as you can to the edge without going too far. There’s a song off my last album called We’re Good Together, and there’s a couple of lyrics in there that are really pushing the boundaries. Thank God, most of the time they just go over people’s heads; they’re just at the gigs and singing along, and they probably don’t understand what they’re singing about. I think you’ve got to be a little bit discreet. But at the end of the day, my fans are very aware that I’m a happily married man and a real family person. Come Turn Me On isn’t a true story; it’s about this guy that’s gone out, travelled the world and had his fair share of good times – then he realises that what’s back at home is where it’s at.
Light It Up is released on February 25 via Chugg Music. Casey Barnes’s 24-date tour begins in Forth, Tasmania (February 25) and ends in Miami, Queensland (May 21).