The musical duo Digby and the Lullaby have just released their first full-length album, The Somewhere Wind. Rouchelle Hübsch, singer and pianist, answers some questions.
Good day, Rouchelle. How are things?
Great, thanks!
Darren Peens and Rouchelle Hubsch
Congrats on the release of The Somewhere Wind. During my first listen I (predictably, I guess) immediately thought of the duo Angus and Julia Stone. I see on your website you actually share a producer with them – Kieran Kelly in New York. How did the recording and production process go, especially considering it’s your debut album?
Yes, Kieran worked on Angus and Julia's record. He was great and we count him as one of our close friends. Life in studio can be tough, but we came out at the other end with a great record.
What other influences do you draw from in writing and performing? I might be mistaken, but thought I heard a lot of Sarah McLachlan-esque stylings in the songs …?
All my songs are born out of a moment – strangely, I can't actually track my influences that easily. I listen to Darren making music more than anything else, and maybe that's why our songs are so similar, haha.
On your bio it says that Digby and the Lullaby’s “journey as a singer-songwriter duo swept them off their own feet and down the aisle”. Can you reveal a bit more about this? Which came first – the working together or the off-feet-sweeping?
Darren and I had an instant musical connection, and I'm very glad to have later discovered it was something deeper. We're soulmates.
Well-received videos by you guys have been around on YouTube for some time. Why is the debut album coming out only now? What have the challenges been for you in this regard?
Well, we had to take a break to get married, haha. No, we wanted it to be perfect, and we were willing to wait for the right opportunities.
Though you operate as a duo, you’ve engaged a number of different musicians and instruments for the recording of the album. Will this be part of live shows as well, or how do you plan to reinterpret the songs for live shows?
We have plans to do live shows with a full band, maybe even bring the guys out from NY for a few shows next year before our visit to NY again.
Most trustworthy sources say you’re a performer who holds nothing back during shows – vocally and physically you captivate the audience and are immersed in the vibe. What’s your philosophy on live performances and what or how they “should be”?
One word: "free". There's no need for anyone to hold back in life. If I hit a bad note, that's fine, it's just about enjoying the moment I'm in and being who I am, comfortable in my own skin.
You’ve had gigs from Cape Town to New York … what was the New York experience like? How was it different from playing in South Africa?
New York is great, but there's no place like home.
What does the near and far future hold for Digby and the Lullaby?
All things have small beginnings, but with perseverance we plan to take our music to the rest of the world, starting with a national tour at the beginning of the year and ending with Europe and New York to record the next record.
What is the meaning of life?
Haha, I'll quote one of my own songs: "The meaning of life is like a love song ... "
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