Forever After

Woodes

A healing hike through the Grampians

Why I wrote this song

As the daughter of a Marine Biologist and a Park Ranger the environment has always been very important to me and is one of the core values of Woodes.

After the pandemic, personally, I was rebuilding everything around me, including my relationship with music. I found myself playing piano again, writing songs to heal. I found myself hiking and returning to nature, starting to reconnect with myself. It felt magnificent to feel small and part of the greater ecosystem. I’m so proud of the process. It feels like my most personal work.

My new album has an accompanying Australian hike for each song, using sustainable fashion, rewilding collaborations with The Diggers Gardening Club… My aim is to get my audience outdoors for their mental health, as I know it has helped me greatly.

About me as an artist

Through a discography that spans five years of unique releases, Woodes has refined her sound into one of Australia’s most captivating, creating universes with each release that intertwine her love for music, visual art, fashion and beyond.

Woodes’ first album ‘Crystal Ball’ came out at the end of 2020, getting 4 star reviews from NME & charting at #3 in the Australian Independent Album Charts. ‘How Long I’d Wait’ was added to high rotation & fan-favourite ‘Close’ was named as one of Youtube’s Top Aussie Songs of 2020, amassing 130,000 views on her Youtube.

About the music video

For my new album I wanted the visuals to be a very simple, low impact process. I asked my audience their favourite hikes and with their feedback I put together a map of national parks.

I catered each hike to a song & I took only two friends out with me (photographer/creative director & director/cinematographer). We shared one car and it was very instinctive as we were discovering each location as we went. We lent into the simplicity and let things happen how they naturally should… rather than overthinking it. The process felt very sustainable, which is what I have been seeking in my music practice and in my relationship with my career.

The environmental organisations I admire or support

FEAT., World Wildlife Fund, Wetlands International, Queensland Parks and Wildlife, Conservation Volunteers Australia, Euroa Arboretum, The Diggers Club, CERES Environmental Park, Australia Conservation Foundation, UNICEF, 1 Million Women, Green Music Australia.