But the 34-year-old Tasmanian singer-songwriter – who has a string of accolades to her name including ARIA Awards, a Grammy nomination and a global legion of fans including former US president Barack Obama – says despite the often-confronting nature of baring her soul to the world, she’s hopeful the new film, Anonymous Club, will spark some much-needed conversations about mental health across the wider community.

The 83-minute documentary, shot on 16mm film, follows Barnett on tour over a three-year period, where the introverted performer is at the height of her success but is ready to walk away from it all.

Barnett gives an honest insight into the loneliness of life on the road, the doubts she has about her own talent, her frustration at not being able to express herself more eloquently during media interviews or get into a “zone of positivity”, and the fact that some days she feels “sad” and “lost” as she searches for her purpose in life.

“It’s amazing how different a live performance can be from day to day,’’ Barnett says in the film, which is being described as the antithesis of a rock biography.

“One day it can be so totally liberating and electric and energetic and alive and then another day it can just be so rigid and full of fear.

“Going through those motions and playing the songs and then just having this whole other narrative running in my head about how everyone is standing still and thinks I’m a big joke and talentless … sometimes by the end of the day it feel like the world is crashing down around me.’’

It’s a refreshing change from the many behind-the-scenes music documentaries that show the more glamorous and polished side of life as a rock star.

Many fans idolise their musical superstars and the celebrity lifestyles they lead, but as this documentary shows, all is not as it seems.

And Barnett, who spent her formative years living in Hobart before heading interstate and overseas for a life in the spotlight, says it’s not just an insight into her experiences in the music industry but she believes it’s also an insight into the common struggles many of us face in our everyday lives.

“I mean it’s quite a universal thought and feeling and something that obviously anyone can kind of experience at any time, it’s not music industry related, it’s just life,’’ Barnett says of the mental health related themes that come to light in the film when we speak via Zoom.

It’s a weekday morning, Tasmanian time, and Barnett is sitting outside on the other side of the globe, enjoying some fresh air on a Californian afternoon.

Too often conversations about mental health don’t happen until it’s too late.

Just think of the public outcry when comedian Robin Williams died by suicide in 2014 and a global community of fans questioned how one of the funniest men on the planet could secretly be fighting such a tough private battle.

Or the collective outpouring of grief for celebrities like Amy Winehouse, Heath Ledger and Kurt Cobain who all died at what seemed to be the pinnacle of their careers, prompting plenty of questions about the stress and anxiety of life in the spotlight and the resulting drug and alcohol dependence many celebrities develop as a way to cope with the immense pressure of life in the public eye.

Barnett says the three years of making the film were a real journey of self discovery for her. But if the film sparks a wider conversation about mental health then that can only be a good thing.

“To be honest, it wasn’t my intention to talk about [mental health] if you know what I mean,’’ Barnett confesses.

“I probably would have kept it to myself.

“But Danny thought it was an important story to tell, and he didn’t do it against my wishes …

I do think its important to talk about it. If people go away from the film talking about stuff they wouldn’t have talked about before then I think that’s great.’’

She and Cohen had worked together previously on various photography and music video projects and the idea for the film evolved from one of their many conversations.

“It just kind of came up,’’ Barnett says of the concept.

“It was quite a loose idea which just grew over time and he kind of knew it needed to be more than just filming some shows.

“I didn’t think about it that much, I just thought ‘wouldn’t it be nice to have Danny around’.

But the process of creating an audio diary by talking to a dictaphone for three years, while being filmed by Danny at different times throughout that time frame, proved to be far more confronting than she imagined. It was also cathartic.

“Confronting is the perfect word,’’ Barnett reveals.

“The final cut and even the few before it … it was hard for me to watch.

“It was such a mixture of feelings, some so happy and joyful and some so sad and for me personally watching it, I remember those moments. It brought up lot of stuff for me … [but] that’s not a bad thing, it was good for me to see a certain situation through a different lens.

“It definitely helped me see things and understand things and through that you can change and learn and grow.

“Part of me wishes it never happened and wishes no one sees it. Another part of me thinks ‘it is what it is’. I just hope that people watch it [and] they get something useful and meaningful out of it.’’

Barnett is widely known – and praised – for her witty, rambling lyrics and is no stranger to sharing her innermost thoughts and feelings with her audience, with song titles including Here’s the Thing, Take it Day by Day, History Eraser, Crippling Self-Doubt and a General Lack of Confidence, Walkin’ on Eggshells, Write A List of Things To Look Forward To, If I Don’t Hear From You Tonight and Are You Looking After Yourself?

But Barnett, who has almost 1.3 million monthly listeners on Spotify, says the film took this level of sharing and vulnerability to a whole new level.

Because when she’s writing songs, Barnett is in control of which lyrics ultimately make the final cut. But when it came to the film, she left the process in the trusted hands of Cohen.

“The [song] writing process is a lot of writing but not a lot of it makes it anywhere,’’ Barnett explains. A lot of that process is figuring something out and finding the good bits and then moving on and making [a song]. But obviously [when it came to the film] I wasn’t in charge of that process and so I have a lot of respect and lot of trust in Danny. He’s my friend. We talked so much about what we were kind of doing and the film feels like it’s a conversation with him. That’s why it’s so personal.

“There was a part in the back of my brain thinking ‘this stuff won’t get used’ or ‘we’ll fix it later, we’ll re-do the good version later’. If it was up to me it probably would have been this polished, not-completely-true film. To his credit [the film is] very honest and raw and vulnerable, he told the story the way he saw it and I think he did a really beautiful job.’’

As the film’s writer and director, Cohen says he had no real idea when he started filming how the story would unfold but he hopes Anonymous Club gives audiences a fresh insight into his enigmatic friend.

“You’re wanting to find truth in the story and get to the heart of what it is,’’ says the 35-year-old Melbourne-based director whose contemporary music videos for artists including Barnett, King Gizzard the Lizard Wizard and Kirin J. Callinan have attracted tens of millions of views online.

“And that’s probably a testament to who Courtney is, she’s not that stereotypical rock star, whatever that is – partying, life on the road. She’s a thinker and you can hear it in her lyrics. “I think it was just trying to find what makes her relatable and real and honest. And through that honesty comes relatability … a way for people to connect.

He shot the documentary on film – despite many people advising him to stick to the easier digital route – but he felt the format perfectly portrayed Barnett’s story.

Shooting had to be limited to 10-20 minutes a day due to the cost and size of film and the logistical challenges of transporting it and keeping it safe, particularly when commuting through airports where X-ray machines can damage film. “All my friends were like ‘don’t do it on film, it’s too hard’,’’ Cohen recalls of his first feature film, which was funded largely by Screen Australia.

“But there’s just a feeling of film that can’t be matched. It’s much more immersive, the way it renders colour and tones and the inherent grain that comes with it. It feels more real.

“After three years on [and off] the road, and a blurry few months in the edit suite with legendary editor Ben Hall, it’s wild to think that piece by piece, I’ve documented a story; one of a searching woman, of tremendous personal growth, and limitless talent. I’ll be forever grateful to Courtney for this experience, and I’m looking forward to sharing the film with audiences here in Australia and internationally.”

Anonymous Club premiered at the Melbourne International Film Festival in 2021, and went on to screen at the Sydney Film Festival, Cinefest Oz and Brisbane International Film Festival. The film will have its international premiere at the prestigious SxSW Film Festival in Austin, Texas from March 11-19, while Australian audiences will have the chance to see it on the big screen when its theatrical season commences on March 17.

The March release coincides with Barnett’s Australian tour dates, with shows in Perth, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane.

Barnett was 30 when the filming process began and she now “feels like a different person” than the one portrayed in the film.

Born in Sydney, Barnett moved to Hobart with her family when she was 15, attending St Michael’s Collegiate School and the University of Tasmania’s Art School.

Her parents still live in Hobart – she was last in the state two years ago to visit for her mum’s birthday – and she has fond memories of the time she spent living here.

“I love Tassie, I loved my time there,’’ Barnett says.

“They were my formative years, the end of high school and the start of university.’’

It’s also the place she first started performing as a solo artist, doing open mic nights at Lark Distillery, while also working as a pizza delivery driver to make ends meet.

Barnett admits she had “no firm goal” in regards to what she wanted to achieve with her music career at that time, but was “just kind of going along with it”, open to where life might take her.

“I knew that’s what I wanted to do but I was also trying to figure out what to do with my life,’’ she says.

“Because everyone said I couldn’t make a career out of songwriting.’’

Based for much of her adult life in Melbourne, Barnett first found critical acclaim in 2013 with The Double EP: A Sea of Split Peas and broke into the mainstream in 2015 with her debut album, Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit, which garnered a coveted

Best New Artist Grammy nomination and numerous other accolades, including eight ARIA nominations and awards for Best Independent Release, Best Female Artist, Breakthrough Artist and Best Cover Art.

In 2017 came Lotta Sea Lice, an acclaimed collaborative record with Kurt Vile followed by her Tell Me How You Really Feel album in 2018, which was awarded an ARIA for being Australia’s Best Rock Album.

Her latest album – Things Take Time, Take Time – was released last year.

Barnett has earned a reputation as a powerhouse live act, playing slots at festivals including Coachella, Bonnaroo, Governor’s Ball, Primavera, and Lollapalooza.

And now, with a new film that follows her touring internationally, Barnett has clearly proved those early doubters wrong.

Looking back she says it’s amazing to see how far she’s come.

“I think everything in this world is pretty mind blowing,’’ Barnett says.

“I definitely feel grateful for all of that.’’

Right now she’s “slowly tinkering away” at a couple of other creative projects, as well as touring for most of this year.

And while Barnett is still figuring out exactly who she is – it’s a “lifelong exploration” she discovers in the film – she hopes to continue to make authentic music and “empower people who need empowering”.

“As someone once told me, my albums won’t be with me on my death bed, holding my hand,’’ Barnett says in the film.

“This film will not be with us as we lay dying. But I like to think in the bigger scheme of things it will live on and help other people or inspire other people or create some sort of conversation for some purpose.’’•

If this story has raised any issues for you call Lifeline on 13 11 14, or

Beyond Blue on 1300 22 46366

Anonymous Club will screen at North Hobart’s State Cinema – and cinemas across Australia – from March 17.