Page 18 - Black Velvet Rock Magazine Issue 114

BV114 pg 14-19 Austen Starr Interview.qxp_BV114 pg 18 10/06/2026 21:29 Page 5

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out loud, so it was ‘If I could read your mind, maybe I would struggles that she does. She says she likes the idea of
be able to love you better.’" helping and inspiring others.
Austen thinks that communication is very important in "I've given talks at Harvard med school about the men-
a relationship. tal disorder of anxiety, because they bring in actual patients
"Oh, 100%. Most important," she tells us, without blink- who suffer from these conditions to speak to the room of
ing an eye. "More important than pretty much anything else students and have us say to them, ‘This is my experience
in a relationship. and this is what you'll probably encounter. This is what you
"Communication is a skill that I have had to work on might think of it and this is what I'm actually thinking in
significantly. I have a tendency to omit. But I omit the things those moments.’ So, I actually think, I hope I have inspired
that are going well. And so that's what is kind of weird to some of those med students to become better doctors that
people, is that I won't tell you if I'm succeeding at some- way, by learning about what the patient experience of se-
thing. I won't tell you that I got an ‘A’ in my Harvard grad vere anxiety is.
class, but I will tell you that I said something stupid on the "If a listener to my music was really inspired by that,
Zoom today, and everyone kind of laughed at me, you then I would feel like I've done my job."
know?
"I have trouble telling people about successes and also usten is now working on getting a live band to-
telling people about plans I have, because I am completely Agether. “It is proving a little bit difficult to find a gui-
convinced that if I tell someone what I am planning to do, tarist because they see the name Joel Hoekstra and get
I'm no longer going to do it. I think it's partially because my intimidated,” she says. “I've found a bassist and a drum-
brain kind of checks it off as like, ‘Oh good, you did this be- mer, it's just the guitarist, and that situation is so difficult.
cause you're telling someone about it.’ It's like a little kind But I'm looking around. I'm here at Berklee College of
of mental trick that I have to play on myself where I don't Music, I could just pluck a couple of students from here and
tell people what I'm doing, and then I do it." see what happens!
"Performing live is definitely on the table, I just need to
aving spent a significant chunk of our time to- get a group together and my drummer, my long time drum-
Hgether talking about Austen's anxiety and insecu- mer, who I worked with for 10 years on our own band prior
rities, we are eager to try and rebalance things, so we bring to all of this, he lives in Nashville and he's trying to get a
up the song 'All Alone', which bears the lyric, ‘consequence band together down there. So then, I could jump down
of confidence’ and ask that, with the release of and positive there, do some gigs there. So, we're looking for a Massa-
feedback to her music, if she believes her confidence has chusetts band and a Tennessee band. Then we're going to
grown. start gigging.”
"In some ways," she responds. "I have released an Looking to the future, Austen can't wait to make an-
album, so I could, in theory, do it again and so, I've written other album. “I am really excited about the lyrics that I've
enough lyrics for a second album. I've written enough lyrics written so far. I've already refined them a million times over,
for probably 17 more albums! But, recently, I've written I'm trying to think of melodies and things like that. So, I'm
enough lyrics to create a second album and I feel a lot bet- really working on moving forward.”
ter about those lyrics than I did about the original ones." She laughs that she’s already sick of ‘I Am The Enemy’
She tells us, “I lacked confidence severely for a very after having worked on and listened to the songs on it for
long time. I had a therapist once tell me that I'm a reverse so long. “I'm totally sick of this album by now! But I can't
narcissist because I always think the worst things
of myself, but I'm so focused on myself and how
bad I am, I'm not seeing any of the good.
"I think the confidence is helpful in that the
lyrics I've written, which I think would make a sec-
ond album, are a little more of an exposition of
what is inside my brain, which you might be sur-
prised by because of what is on the first album,
but it's true! It gets a little more confessional.”

alfway through the album is a song called
H'Effigy', which includes the lyric, ‘Every-
body wears a mask until the glamour starts to
crack.’ We ask Austen why she thinks so many
people put on a mask and pretend or claim to be
something they are not, something we see all too
frequently in life, whether it is in person or via so-
cial media, and also, if it is something she has
ever been guilty of herself.
"I've definitely masked emotion. I know I don't
let people see how I'm really feeling a lot of the time, and I wait to play live, because I've never played any of these
continue to do this today. songs live, even 'Medusa', which has been around since I
"But, I think, people put on these masks because we was 19!"
all want to show our best selves to each other and whether Regardless of her thoughts, we're sure there are not
that is because we think we can inspire people or whether many others who are sick of 'I Am The Enemy' and, likely,
it's because we want people to envy us, there's all different many more waiting in the wings to discover it, and Black
reasons you might want to show your best self. But the Velvet is confident that those people will not be disap-
mask everyone puts on is like, ‘Oh my life is so good, pointed and will join those eager to see and hear her live
everything is great.’ in concert, hopefully in the near future. But, perhaps more
"And then, you know, you turn around and see the important than that, is her example and message for all of
Valentine's Day post she put up about her boyfriend and those who, like her, struggle with confidence and anxiety
being the absolute one up, they broke up two weeks later. which prohibits them from achieving their goals. If you are
So, maybe everything wasn't great. The glamour started to one of the many who fit that category, always remember
crack." her best piece of advice: "Just do it". Sometimes, just like
Having mentioned that there are some who make so- with 'I Am The Enemy', the results will surprise and impress
cial media posts in a bid to inspire others, we put it to you.
Austen that her words in her songs and throughout her in-
terview with Black Velvet could have the same impact for Words By Michael Coventry
the many people in the world who struggle with the same
Photos By Anthony Grassetti

AUSTEN STARR