Finding Beauty Within The Mundane With Carla Wehbe

Carla Wehbe makes music that softens the blow of life’s thunderous rage. In moments of toughness, the Eora-based indie-pop artist brings softness and in moments of discontent, she brings understanding – music-making is simply a means of coping with the onslaught of life’s mediocrity. 

Over the years, Wehbe has held a prominent presence within Australia’s pop world, her sophomore EP JUPITER AND MARS catapulting her into the eyes and ears of international acts like Benson Boone and Teddy Swims. Still, Wehbe stays firmly rooted in homegrown soil, having been on support for several Australian popstars including G-Flip and Peach PRC this year, and most recently opening for UK pop-rock artist Beth McCarthy in Melbourne and Sydney.

While Wehbe knows that the opening slot can be tricky, tour life has been experimental grounds to test her anthemic tracks out on fans old and new. Despite the outcome, it’s a self-revitalising act that pushes Wehbe to keep doing what she loves.

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“That's one of my favourite parts about what I do,” she told The Music.

“Support is always very interesting because you don't know if your stuff is going to hit with the artist's audience, they could hate my music. But all the shows that I did, everyone was so amazing. I gained a bunch of new fans who are very loyal fans now which is amazing. But then I also had people singing my own lyrics at these shows, which was the coolest thing to have.”

Wehbe’s music often feels like a deep inhale in, and a lengthy exhale out – it’s an intimate process that allows the listener to grasp the ordeal of processing grief and denial before hesitantly accepting the circumstances you’re in. On songs like Sideshow, Wehbe sings about an uncomfortable breakup that grows in perpetual drama the more you try to swerve it. In all of its rawness and sincerity, it’s one of the most honest bits of music Wehbe has written to date.

“I was always honest in my music, but I feel like there was kind of, I guess, a doorstop, like there's a little bit of a filter,” she said.

“But I think as I work out who I am more and become more comfortable with myself, the music just follows suit. And I feel like what I'm writing about is kind of expanding, there's so many more possibilities now and I'm just having a lot more fun with it. And, you know, hopefully, people enjoy that more honest kind of music.”

Hearing someone be undeniably direct and straightforward in their music is a confronting experience both as the listener and the artist – at times you’re comforted by the ability to step out of bounds, otherwise you’re unsure if that leap of faith will have a positive landing. This process of balance and figuring out how these feelings can translate is still something Wehbe is trying to do wholeheartedly.

“I think I definitely had to overcome a lot of barriers [to get there],” she said.

“I started music a little bit later than most of my friends. It was towards the end of high school I started. So I felt like I was always a little bit behind everyone else. But I think for me, I've always been a melody person. I love writing melodies. I love coming up with them. That's what I listen to when I listen to music first. But, people also like lyrics. So I had to work on the lyrical side of my music. And I think over the last maybe two years I’ve been able to develop that side of it a lot more. So there were definitely things that I had to overcome and just get better at.”

Wehbe’s recent release Life’a An Awful Mess finds comfort within discomfort. Written about the chaos and beauty of life, it’s an alleviating reminder that life isn’t definitively guaranteed to serve you or be good or bad, it’s everything and nothing all at once. This dichotomy is one that Wehbe believes is what makes us human and alive “because at some point in our life…we’re going to have a shit time, but there’s also really beautiful moments”. Coming to terms with the dirt and rubble evidently makes indulging in the diamonds and gems worth the wait. Thanks to the indescribable emotional force that is music, we’re able to reassure ourselves time and time again that things are going to be alright.

“I think I've always been someone who tries to look at the tiniest bit of silver lining,” she said. “For as long as I can remember, I've been a solutions person. So for me, I'm like, how can I fix this, and probably to my detriment sometimes. But yeah, I think I just try to hold on to any sort of hope for any situation or just try and do the best I can with whatever it is,”

“Sometimes music just explains what you're feeling in a way that you probably weren't able to explain it, you know? Sometimes you feel something and you can't put a name to it or you feel like you're having a very original experience and no one will understand because no one has been through this specific situation. But I think music has the ability to make you feel like you’re not alone. And that maybe what I'm experiencing is something that people have experienced before and it's going to be okay, people have survived this feeling before and will continue to maybe our mind is just getting the better of us in this situation,”

“Sometimes things are out of our control. But the only thing that we can control is what we take away from a situation. So if there is a shit situation, as unfavourable or undesirable as the situation might be, if we can find one thing to take away from it and help us grow as a person or learn something for next time, then I think that's one good thing to take away from it. That’s the only thing we can do.

Carla Wehbe’s Life’s An Awful Mess and her new Christmas jingle christmas doesn't feel the same without you is out now on all streaming platforms.