HEART-TO-HEART: Serendipiti
“I think that’s really always been my biggest goal with music - to create a space where people feel safe to feel their feelings, big or small, good or bad.”
Put on a song by Serendipiti (aka Jess Chate) and you will be instantly teleported into a nostalgic, dreamy landscape. Just throw on Kinda Fucked and you’ll know what I’m talking about.
Published: 21/11/2024
FHR (Flaming Heart Records): Jess, you have been absolutely killing it recently. I feel like I have been seeing your name pop up everywhere! I’d love to know what are some new artists that you have been listening to recently?
Jess (Chate, aka Serendipiti): Aw, thank you so much! Honestly, I’m so grateful to be part of such a supportive music community that just makes creating music and the world of a project feel like so much fun.
Ahh, so many – where to start?! I’ve been loving Neish, Hazel Mei and Maddison Kate’s latest tracks – all beautiful friends of mine who I love as humans and artists alike. Some other local Aussie artists I’ve been loving are This New Light, Jem Cassar-Daley, Chris Lanzon, Phoebe Go, and Platonic Sex! I am genuinely obsessed with their latest track ‘Hanging Out The Window’ – I listened to it on repeat for an entire flight and it made me feel so many feelings.
In the wider musical world, I’ve been obsessed with Hayden Everett and Hailaker for a good while recently – they’ve become my absolute comfort music.
FHR: What was your underlying inspiration for writing Kinda Fucked? What message do you want the audience to hear or feel? It’s a beautiful, yet heartbreaking track.
Jess: Thank you so much! I’m so glad you can feel the heartbreak in it haha! I think it’s really important to me that it feels exactly like that moment of realising you’ve lost someone for real – because that’s how it felt in that moment. I’d been in this very intense, complicated, intoxicatingly high and low long-distance situationship (the story from my last single, Distance), and it had just fallen very dramatically undone. I felt completely shattered the moment I wrote it – I remember writing it in one sitting and at the end I actually felt all shaky. That’s how emotionally intense it had been to just put it on paper and say it all exactly as it was.
As we recorded it, I was constantly listening to this very specific playlist that helped me through the mess and the grieving of the relationship. I’d light a candle at like 1am in the shower and just feel all the things I needed to feel listening to these songs. (I’ve actually shared the playlist if you want to listen to it haha, it’s on my Spotify!) I really wanted this track to be one of those songs that could be that for other people. I wanted to create this song where people could feel held in that tender space of conflict and confusion and loss. A song that softly holds you in that heart-wrenching aching hurt that comes with a breakup. It’s also kinda terrifying because it’s the most emotional song I’ve ever released – like it literally says ‘I love you’ when I never even said that in real life.
FHR: What are the parts about being a singer-songwriter that you are most passionate about? Are there any goals that you wish to achieve through these passions over the next few years?
Jess: Aw, what a lovely question – I love so much about it. Honestly, for me, the most special part is connecting with people. Like when I share a song and someone comes up to me after a show and says, ‘Hey, I really felt that’, that’s everything to me. I think that’s really always been my biggest goal with music – to create a space where people feel safe to feel their feelings, big or small, good or bad. Because in our busy crazy lives it’s so important to just let ourselves feel stuff and I think music opens us up to do that in such a special way and can help us to be so present. That’s what means the most to me – the connection and sharing feelings, and the storytelling too.
Re goals, I love playing rooms that feel really warm and full – that’s always when it feels the most magical, when there’s this space full of people who connect with the songs and you’re all sharing that moment together. There really is nothing quite in the whole world like playing a show and singing a song together with a crowd. So continuing to share and hopefully grow that special feeling with more people who connect with my music really feels like what it’s all about for me!
FHR: And speaking of gigs, do you have any pre-show rituals? How does one prepare for a Serendipiti show? Maybe there’s even a song that you just have to listen to before hitting the stage.
Jess: Oooh you know what I totally do – rather specifically, I love bringing bubbles hahah! If I’m ever feeling anxious, they’re just such a fun, random thing that calms me down. Also like, how can you not love bubbles, y’know?!
I always warm up and listen to anything out of my comfort ‘happiness to vibe’ playlist on the way there in the car, which helps me to get out of my brain and into the zone. (It’s got songs like Growing Up by Alex the Astronaut and such in it!) Also, once I’m dressed up and I’ve got my fun flowy outfits and eyeliner on, I tend to feel quite in the Serendipiti space!
When I’m playing band shows, I also always feel so much calmer because I just get to hug my friends! And we usually do a little ‘hands in we got this’ thing to hype ourselves up.
FHR: I feel like you are building a pretty strong visual identity in terms of your aesthetics, like your music videos for example. How important are visuals to your musical persona?
Jess: Yay thank you! I’m so glad it comes across haha! Honestly, I’ve been loving diving into the world of visuals, especially with this current song.
Y’know what, I’ve never fully thought about it like that, but I reckon the visual aspect has totally always been a big factor in the Serendipiti world. Like from the get-go, when I decided to perform my own songs under Serendipiti rather than my own name, I found it helped my brain so much to have this aesthetic that I could create that feels authentic with the project (rather than trying to brand myself as a human being if that makes sense?)
I’ve also always been super inspired by Aurora and her strong ethereal, fairy-like visual energy, and I think that’s incredibly inspired my attitude to the Serendipiti visuals. Also, I always just say that the Serendipiti aesthetic is basically Autumn tones haha.
And for Kinda Fucked especially, it’s been so amazing working with Phoebe Faye and Tayla Lauren on the visualiser! They just completely understood the song’s energy and immediately translated it visually in a way that feels so special. I also loved the concept of filming it in water because it really did feel like I was drowning in my feelings when I wrote it.
FHR: And when you’re not playing live or writing new material, what else are you up to? Say you have a free day off, how do you plan on spending it?
Jess: Hahah to be so real, it is like once in a blue moon that I have a day off! I seem to be one of those people who’s eternally doing about 12 million things at once, whoops.
But I adore travel and nature – I grew up near the beach, so I am in my absolute comfort place if I’m beside the ocean, particularly at sunset! Usually writing in my journal or playing my guitar or chatting with one or two of my beautiful friends (who I love so very much – yes that’s another thing! – I just love spending time with the people I love!) But yeah, I definitely try to escape to the ocean as much as I can. It makes me feel so calm and present (slightly harder since living in Meanjin/Brisbane though haha).
I also just love to be on the move adventuring somewhere – taking a flight and exploring, or road tripping somewhere new! I love solo travel and find such a sense of quiet in being away from everything for a moment, and just being able to look around and take it all in.
FHR: Say you have walked into your favourite recording studio. You get to collaborate on a song with any songwriter and any producer who has walked the earth. Who is there at the mixing desk and who will be writing the song with you?
Jess: Oh wow, what a gorgeous dream idea! Without a doubt, it would have to be either Chris Martin/Coldplay or Aurora I’m co-writing with (is that cheating to say two artists?!) Maybe I’ll say writing with Aurora and collaborating with the Coldplay team on production. They’re both probably my two all time favourites ever – I just saw Coldplay with my childhood best friend last week and cried the entire time!
Oh gosh, wait, this is hard now. I’m thinking further. I’m also like what about Joni Mitchell or Kate Bush or even Bowie! No no, I’m gonna go with my gut first choice. We’ll lock in Coldplay and Aurora haha.
FHR: There is a lot of young talent in the Australian music scene. Is there any advice that you would like to share with anyone reading who may want to start releasing music or getting some gigs in their local area? What are some things that you’re doing as an artist to make the dream happen?
Jess: Aw yes, absolutely! Without a doubt just go for it, it’s such a warm, rewarding community to be part of! Not to sound like everyone ever, but you really do learn the most by getting out there and meeting people at gigs! It’s super helpful to just go to lots of gigs, haha. Chatting to the folks there and learning from them – saying hey to the bands, or asking the venue who to contact re playing there.
I’m such a strong believer in building a community of people around you who inspire you. If you really like what someone’s doing, just ask for their advice, ask to collaborate on something, work together – there’s never any harm in asking and you’ll learn so much!
Or if there’s ever something you don’t understand or a skillset you don’t feel like you have – reaching out to someone or somewhere specific to learn from helps incredibly! Collaboration truly is magic! I’m eternally co-writing or going to wee business or social media workshops, or mentorship sessions and such. I find you learn so much from just connecting with people in the music world and learning about new corners of the music industry.
Signing up to QMusic or MusicNSW or wherever you live and going to those info sessions are so helpful for meeting lovely music folks in your area and finding your community in the scene! But yes, definitely give it a try, always!
