LOTTIE MCLEOD

Writer: Joe Maranta

As the blood-red sun descends towards the horizon the sky above is painted deeply crimson. Perched atop a hill with the lake below her, she presses shuffle on a meticulously crafted melancholic playlist. The gentle riff of Garden Song by Phoebe Bridgers plays - simultaneously evoking feelings of joy and sorrow. 

The cry of a curlew signals to her that it’s time to return home. Before departing she pens a final line from her psyche into her journal, a time capsule of the highs and lows she’s experienced during adolescence. Stories of failed relationships and heartbreak exist next to her written ambitions for the future, her pessimism and optimism combining to form an uneasy equilibrium.

In spite of the hurdles faced in the transition between childhood and adult life, she chooses to view her tribulations as necessary stepping stones instead of unscalable mountains. Having reached her car, she turns her key and her beaten hatchback sputters to life - driving away from the setting sun and into the night.

This is Lottie McLeod. 

The solo project of the 18-year-old singer-songwriter from Meanjin, McLeod’s deeply personal indie-pop ballads represent her past memories and heartbreak. 

Serving as a sonic shoulder to cry on, Lottie McLeod brings to light all the pent up thoughts and feelings that come with being a teenager in the 2020s.

JOE: Firstly, when did your relationship with music begin and when did you decide to start releasing music?

LOTTIE: Music is something I’ve been doing my whole life. I did piano lessons for a few  years in primary school, and I was doing amateur musical theatre when I was young, but I started to grow out of it and wasn’t really motivated with my lessons in the early high school years, so stepped away from those for a while.  It was during quarantine in 2020 when I asked my Dad how to play guitar, and the first song he taught me was Don’t Look Back in Anger! I think I had to have that break to work out what music was for me again. From those lessons with Dad, I started learning some other covers and began to release music a couple of years later.

JOE: Despite your first single coming out less than 18 months ago you’ve opened for Asha Jeffries, played at Mountain Goat Valley Crawl and you're on the lineup for BIGSOUND in a few weeks time, did you anticipate this much success so early into your career?

LOTTIE: Not at all, looking back, I don’t think I realistically saw a music career as an option. I was once asked by my old principal what I saw myself doing with music, what my goals were, and I told him I just wanted to play at cafes… He then looked at me and said “What about stadiums?" And I think I just laughed or something cause I really don’t think I thought it was a goal I could think about at the time.

JOE: Your upcoming single Expire is the most acoustic track in your discography, was this what you had in mind initially? Or was it something that happened during the studio process?

LOTTIE:  I wrote it as a an acoustic track but then thought it might sit well in a poppy kind of space, but the story of the song didn’t lend itself to that indie-pop sound so we then started fresh again, and decided that the acoustic guitar vibe fit the song much better.  I feel really good about the end result.  Can’t wait for it to finally be out!

JOE: Is the new single part of an upcoming project, or will it be a standalone single?

LOTTIE: I’m working towards a debut EP which has been really fun. Hopefully it will be out sometime early next year. I was in the studio yesterday with Josh Beattie, I’ve been recording heaps for this new project. 

JOE: What can we expect from the new EP sound-wise?

LOTTIE: Indie-pop will be the main sound. Expire is different to what I’ve released so far, but the latest track I’m working on is quite poppy and I see folk / indie / pop being the main genres of the EP.  It’s definitely my sound, you can hear elements of my previous releases but I think it’s clear that I’ve taken a fresh direction with a couple of the tracks also.  

JOE: Where does the inspiration for your writing come from?

LOTTIE: Lately it’s been more personal than usual. In the past I’ve found myself writing about other people in my life, since my life isn’t very eventful!  But this year, there’s been some personal experiences that I’ve been able to draw from a little more so my upcoming work will be lyrically very personal for me.

JOE: Do you think writing about painful memories helps you process them in a healthy way?

LOTTIE: Yes, 100%. I know everyone says this, but it definitely helps you to understand a bit more of what you’re feeling, it helps you connect with yourself. Some people talk to other people, I just get everything written down and I feel much better from there. 

JOE: BIGSOUND is only a month away now, are there any artists you’ll be eager to see when the festival comes to Brisbane?

LOTTIE: Holly Hebe is who I’m most excited to see for sure, I love her songwriting so much. Also Gretta Ray, Love Love Love and This New Light!

JOE: Finally, what are you looking forward to in the next couple of years?

LOTTIE: I'm excited about the EP that I’m working on at the moment. I would also love to do a headline tour here in Australia some time, but I’ve always wanted to go to the UK in general. Some time in the future I’d love to be in a position to do a tour, a festival or even just one show over there!

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