Clare Bowditch, singer, 38

THE musician and actor on Leonard Cohen’s proposal, going solo and reaching her prime.

140712 TWAM NO REUSE FEE APPLIES EMBARGO TILL 12 JULY 2014 ISSUE Singer Clare Bowditch Pic : Andrew Vundsay Picture: Caption...

YOU’VE won an ARIA for best female artist, have been a Rolling Stone woman of the year and co-written songs with Gotye. Is it true Leonard Cohen proposed?

I was touring with him a couple of years ago and he was being absolutely playful. I was sure I was one of 100 ladies that week that he was playing with. He said, “How would you like to be my wife for a day?”

What was your first band?

An a cappella band with three girlfriends when I was 16. Then I started singing in pubs and in back-up bands. I quit to concentrate on uni but continued to write songs. I didn’t share them with anyone because I thought they weren’t any good and I was sensitive and shy.

When did you get back into singing?

When I was 21 I had this fortuitous meeting with a guy called John Hedigan in a chai tent at a festival on the Murray River. He sat down with a guitar and started playing. I started singing, we looked at each other and said “let’s start a band”. We started a band called Red Raku. I went solo when I was 25.

You play the musical partner of Eddie Perfect’s character Mick in Offspring. Do you like acting?

I’ve been part of Offspring for the last three seasons. It’s a very small role but I love it. Acting isn’t something I pursued but if the role’s great and the time’s great I’d consider it.

Is it difficult being 24/7 with Marty Brown, your producer, collaborator, husband and father of your children?

It is. Some days are better than others. We started doing a date night about two years ago and that helps. We usually just go somewhere within walking distance of where we live in Melbourne and talk about something that’s not work-related.

Are your children Asha, 11, and twins Oscar and Elijah, 7, musical?

Yes, we have a household full of musical instruments. They play drums, piano, cello; they sing. My theory is everyone is musical. A lot of us buy into the theory that we’re not musical if someone tells us we sing badly.

Your father died of Parkinson’s disease and your sister Rowena died when you were five and she was seven. Do you fear mortality?

Absolutely. It makes me live my life every single day with the knowledge that it’s finite. I don’t have a fear of a final moment or where I go; my fear is of wasting the opportunities of life.

Do you feel a sense of unity with other redheads?

I’m a redhead by choice. I have golden brown hair but started dyeing it at 16. At the time I went through a period being obsessed by Vali Myers, Kate Bush and Tori Amos. Some people feel betrayed that I’m not a real redhead but after 20 years I’ve earned it. I think for me it works.

When and why did you buy a cricket ball for luck?

I was 31, and realised I had to make my own luck. I walked into a second-hand shop in London and there it was. At every airport terminal they try to take it away because they think it’s a weapon. I carried it around with me that year and I had a great year. It’s stored away now.

You’ll be 40 next year. How do you feel about that?

I’ve waited my whole life to be 40. I’ve never fitted a young person’s body. I remember at 21, thinking: “I can’t wait to be in my mid-40s.” I’ve always thought that was the prime of a woman’s life. I thought 21 was hard.

Clare Bowditch’s Winter Secrets tour runs throughout July and August. clarebowditch.com