Siobhan Cotchin reveals her Top 5 ‘Growing Pains’ as an artist
Image: Siobhan Cotchin. Photo: Michael Tartaglia.
For 21-year-old artist Siobhan Cotchin from Perth the creation & release of her latest single Growing Pains provided an opportunity to reflect on her life so far.
During this period of reflection Cotchin came realised she has encountered a number of growing pains as both a person & as an artist. Below Cotchin explains to City Hub her top 5 growing pains, which we are sure many of us can relate to.
Discovering Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift was the first songwriter I fell in love with, and she is the reason I started to write songs. Discovering her music when I was 9 was monumental as I’d finally figured out how I wanted to express myself. I’d discovered a part of me that was dying to be seen and heard. So I picked up the guitar and started writing songs. My Dad taught me some chords on the guitar (he was literally the reason I started playing) and I just went from there.
My first gig
My first gig was at the Civic Hotel in 2009. I was a part of a music showcase put on by the Sound Centre, which was where I learnt guitar. I remember I was on stage, my guitar bigger than me, and I felt this rush of adrenaline. It was such an important moment because performing is now my favourite part of being a musician. I feel like my most authentic self when I’m on stage.
Graduating high school
I think this is a important moment in most people’s lives, and I’m no exception. I am grateful for the experience I had and the friends I surrounded myself with, but I think there was always a part of me that felt I didn’t belong. I didn’t really have any like-minded people in regards to music that I could confide in, or even collaborate with, so I felt quite lonely. I used to spend my lunch times in the music room just practicing or writing songs. Once I left school and went on to study music full time at WAAPA, I felt like I’d finally found my people and I fit somewhere. I started to actually find out who I was and my sound.
The COVID-19 Pandemic
Like literally everyone on this planet, COVID-19 affected me immensely. I really struggled with my mental health and coming to terms with the fact that I couldn’t play gigs or travel. I think that it was an important part in my life, however, because it made me stronger and more resilient. I learnt a lot of lessons, wrote a lot of songs and worked on myself during the lockdowns and part of me is grateful for that time we had to step away for a bit and really be able to look inward.
Travelling to Nashville
I went on a family holiday with my parents in December 2016 to the US and it was so incredible and surreal. Obviously, my favourite part of the trip was getting to see Nashville for the first time. It lit this fire in me and made me want to be the best possible songwriter I could be. I felt so inspired going to all the museums, honky tonks, and, my favourite, watching live music at the Bluebird Cafe! I cried when we had to leave because I felt like I was home. It reignited my love for country music too, something that will always be part of me.
