H2Z: Hi, thanks for taking the time to chat with Hear 2 Zen, what have you been up to today?
Gaudion: Hi Beautiful People! Thanks for having me! I feel so privileged  🙂
Today I woke up to some incredible weather at my parents house in the country. I’ve been playing a few of my older songs lately which makes me really happy.

So yea just having a coffee and playing a bit of guitar so far. I’ve been trying really hard to put myself into a really creative environment since the start of Covid-19, so I’ve been spending a lot of time on my own and thinking a lot about what’s happened in my life over the past few years.

H2Z: Tell us about yourself, how long have you been performing/creating music for?
Gaudion: When I was in high school I attempted to start singing and playing guitar. The only problem was i went to an all boys boarding school and I wasn’t really accepted for trying to be creative, so I kinda dropped the whole idea for a few years when I left school. I mean, i still played in my bedroom and for myself, but it took me a really long time to jump back on stage after high school. 

I was working in a pub on the Gold Coast and a few of my mates were playing a gig on Melbourne Cup day 2018 whilst I was working behind the bar. They told me to jump up and play a couple of songs. I ended up being up there for about an hour and I haven’t really looked back since. I finished uni, dropped the graduate job I had lined up and began busking full time and working in a pub on the side.

I’ve been creating music for as long as I can remember.

H2Z: Who are your greatest inspirations?  Why?
Gaudion: Some of my more recent inspirations are guys like Jack Botts, Ziggy Alberts and Kyle Lionhart. These guys all follow a beautiful ocean influenced folk scene, which I have really grown to love. All being buskers who performed in Byron Bay and gathered the most beautiful audiences through appreciating self acceptance and knowing who they are. A lot of their music is really magical and inspires me to keep doing what I do and to accept my music for what it is, as well as myself for who I am. 

Other inspirations of mine are artists like Ed Sheeran, Lauv and John Mayer who all have a unique timeline where a lot of hard work and independence was held. These bigger artists who have come from nothing give a lot of guidance and hope to artists like me. They all believed in themselves from day dot and never really questioned their roads (well from what i can see anyway!)

H2Z: How do you create music?  Are you lyrics/story driven, or does the music/melody come first?  Explain your process.
Gaudion: Ahh always such a hard question to answer because there is no real way! Sometimes I know what I’m writing about, other times I find myself spitting out random rhymes and they eventuate into a solid meaning. I have no real way of explaining my process, every time i write a song it comes very differently from the last. 

However, I will say that when i was starting out it would always start melodically.

H2Z: What has been your greatest challenge so far in performing/creating music?
Gaudion: I would have to say that general self comparison would be the greatest challenge to any artist. YOU MUST NEVER DO IT. You must never compare yourself to any other artist or their work, or it will be your biggest downfall I can guarantee it.

It’s really an industry where there is always going to be someone ‘better’ than you and we all have to face it. Comparison of perfection is mind turning. To overcome this challenge I continue to believe in myself and work hard on my own progression. I also always try to believe in other musicians, regardless of how much they support me or my own music. 

H2Z: Tell us about your new release, how did it come about?
Gaudion: TV Shows has been a project of mine for the past 6 odd years. I began writing it when I lived in Canada working on a grain farm. I was really struggling with my own acceptance and purpose at this point in my life. I wrote the song to extract the beauty from a place of uncertainty. 

H2Z: What advice do you have to artists who are just starting out?
Gaudion: Rome wasn’t built in a day.  There’s a thing called the 10,000 hours theory. Some say its crap, others stick to its philosophy. I’ve never counted the hours by day, however i believe in its system. If you really want to make it in the music industry you don’t have to do everything right, but you have to do everything possible. 

Never turn down a gig, never turn down an opportunity, regardless of how scared you are or how stupid you think it might be… (some of the strangest things i’ve done as a musician have surprisingly turned out to be the best.) 

Write music about anything and everything; And try and create at least something every single day. Even if it’s the worst song, lyric, line or melody you’ve ever heard. One day you’ll look back at those songs and reminisce. It’s humorous and its progress in the raw. 

And most of all stay true to yourself at the very least! You know how many hours you’ve put in… If you want something bad enough you can make it happen.

H2Z: Tell us your favourite Zen practice.
Gaudion: I’m a massive outdoors kind of person. I love to go for runs / walks outside and most of all I like to do a lot of exploring. I find a lot of peace in finding new places, amazing views and relaxing in nature. So yea, it’s not an official Zen Practice, but i find a lot of beauty in stuff like that.

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