Industry Mums - Emma Bosworth

Broadcaster and mother Jane Gazzo continues her series asking women to describe their triumphs and challenges as working mothers in the Australian music industry.

Emma Bosworth is a singer songwriter and National Programs Manager at Green Music Australia. Before going green, Emma was the Queensland Writers Representative at APRA and also worked for the State Body QMusic.

She grew up in Logan, Queensland and is now based on the Sunshine Coast.

Emma is a married mum to two children, Franklin and Josie, and is just about to release new music.

Describe your current job

The work I do at Green Music Australia is varied but my main focus is helping the music industry understand, monitor and improve its environmental impact. I’m grateful to work on projects that are meaningful to me and enhance communities and the world around us.

I also work closely with an environmental trust, Wild Mountains, where I host songwriters’ retreats and mini artist-in-residence programs.

Where did you grow up?

I was born on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, and after dire family and financial issues, we (Mum, Dad and my older sister Sarah) sold our family car and bought a block of dirt on Yugambeh and Yuggera country (Logan City) when I was about three.

At the time, Logan seemed really “out in the bush”, and there was quite a lot of undeveloped land there at the time. I spent both my primary and secondary school years in Logan and have fond memories of making makeshift bridges over creeks to get to school, writing my first song under a big umbrella tree, and meeting my first band mates.

I didn’t leave Logan until I turned 21, and soon after moved to London.

What is your earliest musical memory?

Singing around the dinner table to The Beach Boys with my Dad and my sister. Dad was always a bit of a larrikin at our house parties. It wasn’t really a party unless Dad had stood on the coffee table with a cricket bat microphone, belting out a few Daryl Braithwaite numbers.

Often my sister and I would get the salt and pepper shakers out and be the backup Chantoozies.

First record you bought?

My first vinyl was Faith by George Michael - such a Saturday morning fire starter for a 7-year-old!

I started a pretty good cassette compilation collection too – you know, like Be Happy (1989) with classic Kylie and Jason numbers. The first CD I ever bought was the Tomorrow EP by Silverchair. The first full length album was Cyprus Hill’s Black Sunday. I certainly never stuck to any real style, but when I loved a song, I became quite obsessed.

First concert you went to?

Mum and Dad used to take us to heaps of great shows of classic Australian musicians when we were kids. I reckon I’d been to a dozen Daryl Braithwaite shows before I went to a show without my folks. The first big show I went to with my mates was Salt n’ Pepa’s on their Very Necessary tour. It was at Boondall in Brisbane, and I was so excited that I fainted!

How were you raised?

We were lucky Mum was home a lot when we were kids, so we had a lot of guidance from her. My Grandmother left my Mum when she was two, and she was raised by her Dad and her Aunties in a little town in England. When Mum and Pop left England by boat, she became a bit of a caretaker for her brothers and sister and she didn’t get much of a real childhood. Mum wanted a different upbringing for us, so we were really looked after and had a very playful and enjoyable childhood.

I had no real clue about looking after myself when I left the nest - it was quite the steep learning curve. I remember in those early days after I left home that my biggest frustration in life, and still to this day, is struggling with the lack of time for “play”.

What were your mother’s morals and values?

Mum was so FAIR! Everything was accounted for between me and my sister: the number of books we had, the number of times we could see our friends, the money spent on us at Christmas. I remember that so clearly. But the values she instilled in us the most was doing things right, not lying or cheating, looking after your things, working hard and being faithful to your friends and family.

Looking back, the “look after your things” mantra has contributed to my drive to look after the planet.

What teachings/values/morals from your mother have you taken and/or implemented into your own family?

I try my best to teach my kids about looking after their things and the value in not buying bad quality. We try to avoid screen time as much as possible, and we always have dinner at the dinner table and have a ritual where we tell each other our compost (bad thing) and daisy (good thing) of the day.

When did you know you wanted to work/be part of the music industry?

As soon as I realised that I could write a song, I wanted to be involved. Still to this day I search for magic in a new song. I crave to discover new songs that make me think about the world differently.

I write and create music with three of my best mates, I feel very lucky to have an outlet for my inner workings. We finished recording our EP in our home studio just before we relocated to Gubbi Gubbi Country (where I was born) in December last year. I’m looking forward to getting the songs out into the world - I’m more proud of this work than anything I’ve ever done.

Music gives me hope for a better world and often resets a frame of mind or a bad mood. To be able to discover or experience music that shifts something in you is so special in this world. How could you not want to be involved in a crazy form of magic?

What was your first industry job?

I was definitely a musician before I was a music “business” person, but I always wanted to be closer to the action. I did lots of volunteering and short term paid contracts after school at festivals but it wasn’t until moving to London that I started dabbling in more permanent work.

My first real industry job was working at The Worker’s Beer Company in London.> They hold the license for the alcohol tents at festivals like Reading and Glastonbury and I worked in the office as a Volunteer Coordinator and Manager. Through this job I was able to go to some of the world’s biggest and most innovative Arts Festivals. It was an amazing experience that I’ll never forget, particularly seeing Brian Wilson at Glastonbury and people literally crowd-surfing on surfboards. The best!

Were there any female mentors you felt you could call upon when you started out or did you have to navigate your own path?

In my teens and early 20s I had some amazing women that I looked up to in film, technology, dance and design that mentored me in special ways.

A lot of them were from Logan or had worked there. I am still in close contact with them and am constantly inspired by the way they conduct their creative businesses and trail blaze their way through life. Check out Claire Marshall’s incredible choreographed films and Tracey Robertson who now heads a major television production company. I met both of these incredible women when I was a teenager volunteering for things in Logan.

Were there women you looked up to at any time in your life who wasn’t your mum?

Creatively, it was always Adalita Srsen from Magic Dirt. I loved her non apologetic way of performing and playing. As an innate tomboy that often finds herself surrounded by more males than women, I could see myself in her more than any other musician on the radio or in the tabloids.

There was also Susan Zoomers who is one of the main caretakers at Wild Mountains where I host my songwriters’ retreat. I am in awe of what they’ve created there, and always leave with a sense of wanting to do more for the earth, but not in a way that makes me feel anxious or inadequate.

Did you always know you wanted children?

Yeah, I did but when we started consciously trying, it was a fragile experience, having endured half a dozen or so complicated miscarriages.

Although I was maternal, the juxtaposition was that I was also very freaked out about how it would work with our lifestyle and my strong desire to be there for the kids. Somehow, we’ve made it work and have maintained a solid marriage. We continue to do things in our career and musical endeavors that challenge us.

Amongst all the chaos we’ve also managed to completely renovate our old ex-commission home, build a studio, and Pete completed a mature-age apprenticeship.

Did you worry about how you would make motherhood and the music industry work?

Yes, I certainly did. But I was very determined.

When my youngest was only a few months old, I was offered a part in a female-led music group, The Soldiers Wife, which toured and played a sold-out show at the Sydney Opera House. Nothing like throwing yourself in the firing line to see what you’re capable of!

Was there a time when it fell apart? Or felt like it was?

It didn’t quite fall apart, but there have been times when I’ve been away from the family, playing music for long periods of time, where things haven’t gone quite as planned – and I have had to really question what the hell I was doing it all for.

When there’s a disappointing show or performance or a misunderstanding on the road, as a Mum, you just have far less patience with trivial shit. I’ve had to make sure that I only ever say yes to something that is a 100% yes, otherwise it’s just not worth the stress or pressure that it puts on me and my precious family unit.

What skills have you learnt to deal with every day or occupational challenges which come your way?

Deep breathing is my definite go to, along with regular yoga practice and rest. Limiting alcohol consumption is also a big helper to my mental health and when the heart rate just won’t go down… the mantra “none of this will ever really matter” is what spins around in my head until I feel like I’ve landed back down.

Since having your children – what has been your proudest moment?

Moving to the Sunshine Coast was really a huge decision for us but we knew it was the right one. Once we got there my son’s performance and attitude really changed at school, and about school.

The fresh air and salty water is really doing them wonders. They’re really happy, loving and fun kids so we must be doing something right.

‘We’re not like other mothers’ – how would you explain this quote to a non musical/non artistic member of society?

As artists, there’s a lot of events on weekends and in the evenings. It’s hard to juggle mentally “I should be there”, “I should be at home”... it can be a hard mental debate.

How could the industry be better at supporting caregivers?

I’d really love to see more live music events that start earlier in the evening, and that are less centered around alcohol. It’s pretty difficult staying out late to see your favourite band, then getting up and being awesome for the kids in the morning.

What do you do to take time out for yourself?

I do exercise three times a week, it really helps me to replenish my energy both physically and mentally. I also try to get up at least once a fortnight, super early, and watch the sunrise at the beach. It really does make you feel amazing.

Motto or words you live by:

When all the "stuff" becomes too much and you're a little confused, I always go back to something my dear friend and incredible musician Jackie Marshall once said to me:

"Go where the energy is".

Emma Bosworth + The Meeting Seasons release their EP “Placement” on November 26.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Jane Gazzo
Jane Gazzo is a broadcaster, TV presenter, music journalist and published author who began her career in radio, aged 16. Since then, she has presented nationally on Triple M and Triple J as well as BBC Radio 6 in the UK and has hosted television shows such as Recovery on ABC TV. She spent eight years as a presenter on Foxtel's Channel V, where she reported from music festivals, red carpet events and hosted live TV shows, interviewing some of the biggest and best names in the music world.

In 2018 Jane became Chair of the Australian Music Vault Advisory Group and in 2020 she hosted ABC-TV's flagship music show THE SOUND and co-founded the popular Facebook site Sound As Ever (Australia Indie 90-99).