We sat down with Pete Moses, the man at the Helm of Australian Pop Fusion collective President Street, to talk all things music, life, and inspiration
Hi Pete! So, can you tell us a little bit about your new track ‘Back Home’?
Hey Guys! Thanks for having me. Back Home is a track I wrote about the refugee crisis when I was watching the news one day and saw an image of a mother and her young kids trying to escape a war zone. I was really struck by the look on her face. When I wrote the song I tried to imagine the mixture of fear and hope that she must be feeling in that moment – the fear of her dire situation against the hope of finding a new life and happiness for herself and her kids. So I wrote the song from her perspective and tried to capture both emotions with the verses being fairly heavy but then trying to give a sense of hope in the choruses by making them feel more upbeat.
What is the meaning behind the new track? And what encouraged you to write a song about such a sad and concerning issue?
I’m really just trying to forget about the politics for a minute and focus on the human side of the tragedy. I think at that moment when I was watching the news I felt a really strong sense of privilege of being born in Australia and thought about how easy it is to take that for granted. I was also pretty horrified by the political discussions around the topic.
Why did you decide to partner up with Breaking Barriers?
I was just really proud to get the opportunity to partner with such a wonderful charity. I suppose all musos hope that their music can make a difference and I definitely hope that our partnership can make some small difference in people’s lives.
Can you imagine yourself writing any more politically orientated tracks in the future?
I didn’t set out to write a political song really and I tend to just go with what I’m feeling, but at the same time I’m not going to shy away from it. The focus in my songwriting tends to be about capturing emotions and so, while I don’t think of myself as a political artist, I can see my songs having a political slant in the future if that’s where the subject matter takes me.
What are the plans for 2019? Are we going to be able to hear you live anytime soon?
Music music music! I got new tracks which I’m excited to share in 2019 and we’re also in talks now about trying to get over to the UK to play some shows soon…
Who has been your favourite artist of 2018?
I really like what Dua Lipa has been up to.
After the success of your last music video for ‘Need You Now’ (featuring Kate Jenkinson), do you have any plans to release a music video for ‘Back Home’?
Yes definitely. I actually loved working with Peter Nathan (the director of ‘Need You Now’) so much that he has made the video for ‘Back Home’. It’ll be with you guys very soon and I can’t wait to share it with you!
And also… Who convinced you to pursue a life in music? What moment did you decide to become a full time musician?
Tough question! So my path to music wasn’t a ‘typical’ one. My mum was from a really musical family but unfortunately she died in a car accident before I turned 2 (along with my brother and sister) and then when I was 13 my dad died. So I didn’t have any focus on music at all as a kid and I really just had to try to get through life really. I definitely think that had my mum been around I would’ve had more of a typical musical upbringing with lessons, school bands, etc. But that wasn’t my path. So I stumbled into music later than most artists but once I found music it definitely took over my life and everything else took a back seat to it. Never having had any music lessons or theory I had to work it out for myself and the insecurity in me meant that it was only after people were really interested in the music that I was making did I decide to give it a proper full time swing. I like to think that my mum ultimately persuaded me in a funny kind of way.
Listen to ‘Back Home’ below, and head to https://breaking-barriers.co.uk/ to find out about the life changing work that they do.