INTERVIEW: Parker Is Refusing To ‘Lie Low’ For Anyone In 2021

Launceston musician PARKER (aka Tash Parker) released her latest single, Lie Low, on International Women’s Day, as the message ties in with the meaning of IWD. After spending her formative years trying to fit into the stereotypes that male partners had outlined for her, she’d had enough. PARKER was looking to be the fullest version of herself, and she wasn’t going to let herself get boxed in.

It’s a sentiment that many women can relate to globally, and so with this interview I wanted to shut up and let PARKER speak. I learnt a lot from her answers, and I really, really enjoyed what she had to say. We’re seeing powerful men in this country finally, maybe, potentially facing consequences for their actions. It’s fair to say, they can’t handle it.

I spoke to PARKER about Lie Low, as well as her first time attending an International Women’s Day event. I think she captures the aim of the day well - women supporting each other. For all the men who, even in 2021, asked when International Men’s Day is - get fucked. For everyone else, read on to learn all about PARKER, as well as the catharsis she felt after writing Lie Low.

Ben Madden: Firstly, can you introduce yourself and the music?

PARKER: Sure! I’m Tash Parker, a visual artist and musician living in Launceston Tasmania. I’ve been releasing electronic art pop music under the name PARKER for the past 2 years.  

Can you explain the significance of Lie Low and its link to International Women’s Day?

 I wrote Lie Low about my experience of being in a relationship where I gave up too much of myself to support the man I loved. Throughout history, it has been common for women to play support roles to their male partners in both work and domestic life. 

I felt that my story would resonate with other women who may have experienced a similar dynamic with the men in their lives.  International Women’s Day celebrates the strength and courage of women and is a wonderful reminder that women should and can step into the spotlight in their chosen field. 

I wanted to ask about the video for the track, and working with Hans van Vliet. How do you go about creating visuals for your music, and how do you interpret the relationship between audio and video?

Being a visual artist and musician and having a somewhat synesthetic experience of seeing colour, shape, tone and texture when I listen to music, I love working on visuals to accompany my music.  Writing songs and making videos are both about telling stories.  Finding parallel stories to tell through visuals for a song is Hans’ magic power.  We have long conversations about the emotions and ideas in each song we work on together and then Hans finds a way to use visual metaphor to articulate the invisible things we experience as humans. 

For instance, the paint transferring from one character to the other in this clip represents that feeling of when we give too much love and energy to another. The important thing Hans and I always try to maintain in a clip is a little bit of symbolic ambiguity.  Some things have to read in a very obvious way but other things can be more open, for example, the character kneeling down could be crying or could be praying.  The paint and colour could be draining from them by it being sucked from them or it could be being given willingly to the other character.  I love the way you can tell stories that can have multiple meanings depending on what the viewer brings to it with their own experiences.  

The song’s climax feels cathartic, at least as the listener – did you have that same experience of catharsis writing the track?

Oh my gosh yes! I usually sing in a very controlled and precise way and I really felt this song needed to go somewhere I had not explored in myself before.  I was actually recommended to find a way to express my anger by a psychologist who could see I was just holding everything in.  I’ve always used my songwriting and voice as a way to process emotions but I had never allowed myself to tap into my anger and frustration.

One day, when I had the house to myself, I set up the microphone and just yelled and screamed along with the track.  I could feel waves of anxiety and rage and I just continued doing takes until I felt something inside me let go.  When I sing this part of the song live now I tap into this feeling.  It’s like I’ve found a way to let those feelings out rather than pushing them down.  After singing this song I always feel so light. 

What does a day like International Women’s Day mean to you, and who are some female creatives that inspire you?

I attended my first International Women’s Day event in Kununurra when I was 18. I had just finished school and been invited to perform to a gymnasium full of women.  It was such a powerful experience and I formed some amazing friendships with women in my community.  I think International Women’s Day really celebrates the power women have when they support one another rather than being about the individual. Female groups in music really show this - Heart, The Bangles, Bananarama, The Dixie Chicks. 

The track’s resolution talks about finding inner peace. For anyone yearning for that peace, what advice would you give to them?

The last lyrics of Lie Low are ‘No I won’t hold it in, No I won’t bow out now for anything’.  Often we think external forces are preventing us from being who we want to be or doing what we want to do but really if you decide to commit 100% to your own self-development and success you will find a way to make it work. 

If you ever find yourself saying I can’t do something because this person or that person or this thing or that thing is preventing me from being able to do it.  Stop and ask yourself, “what is it inside me that is stopping me from doing this thing? What can I do towards my goals that isn’t dependent on anyone else?” I think you will find there is quite a lot one can do that isn’t dependent on anyone or anything else.  For example, you don’t need to be published to be a writer, you just need to write. You don’t need to have a hit single to be a singer, you just need to sing.   I find I feel most at war with myself when I am not listening to myself and making decisions to support my deepest needs for self-expression.  I think peace comes from listening. 

I’m interested in the music scene in Launceston – who are some artists we should be keeping an eye on?

It’s such a good scene!!! We have a really strong and supportive community here. We’ve got members of Holy Holy and an up-and-coming band Sumner who are currently number one on the Triple J charts.  There is an amazing young woman named Medhanit who released a kickass single late last year called Same Things.  Oh yes and Emily Sanzaro the Tasmanian Harpist is incredible she has just finished recording an album of original compositions that rival Mary Lattimore.

We also have award-winning poets and painters and a phenomenal youth dance organisation called Stompin who put on the best contemporary dance show I’ve ever seen during Mona Foma this year.  There is also an all-women guitar ensemble called Mapatazi that just started last year. I haven’t seen them play but they are performing over the 10 Days on the Island festival this year.  It’s vibrant here!!! 

Finally, what are your next few steps, both personally and music-wise?

In November last year, I did my second Vipassana sit which is a 10-day silent meditation retreat where you meditate (or try to meditate) for 10 hours every day.  It’s the hardest thing I have ever done and I had some deep realisations during this last one. I’m taking some of my own advice. It’s time to start learning more about the nuts and bolts of production so I can produce my next album. 

But while I’m learning I have a bunch of new material to release.  I just finished two tracks with Becki Whitton in the producer’s seat which will be coming out in a few months.  I’m also working on a VR music video with Gina Thorstensen from Norway for a single coming out in October this year. And I have two other music projects, Runaway Belles, my indie folk-pop band, will be writing an album in May and recording later in the year. And  I wrote an album in lockdown last year with Adam from COSTUME and we are releasing the songs under our new band name FM2030 this year.  This was a super cathartic record and I got to scream a lot!!!  I’ll probably need to do another 10 day Vipassana after all that.

You can follow PARKER on Facebook here, Instagram here and Twitter here.