Thanks to the Rheinische Post for the editorial piece in this weeks newspaper.
Translation:
DÜSSELDORF – Originally, Jaimi Faulkner had only planned to stay for one year – maybe two. He wanted to tour Europe with his music, spend a year in Berlin, and then return to Australia. But that one year has turned into 17. The musician has long since traded Berlin for Düsseldorf. One thing, however, has remained unchanged: his love for the stage. He is currently touring Germany with his new album “Half of It.”
Music has always played a big role in Jaimi Faulkner’s life. His grandmother was a piano teacher, his uncle a choir director. Through his family, he was introduced to blues, soul, and gospel – influences that are still clearly present today. Faulkner’s father gave him his first guitar at the age of eleven, and the instrument changed his relationship with music forever.
As a teenager, Faulkner was already playing in bars and cafés in Melbourne and throughout the state of Victoria. He studied music and released his first album, which he immediately took on tour across Australia. “Australia is a big country, but unfortunately the opportunities for musicians are very limited,” Faulkner says. Eventually, he had played at every venue in his region, and it was time for a change of scenery. So in 2008, he took the leap to the other side of the world, and Düsseldorf became his chosen home.
On his new album, Jaimi Faulkner has made grief and loss the central theme. The songs deal with the pain of separation and the sorrow of a father who can no longer witness his child growing up every day.
Musically, Faulkner drew inspiration from Ryan Adams’ “Heartbreaker” and Bon Iver’s “For Emma, Forever Ago” – both of which deal with heartbreak in their own way. “It’s my most vulnerable album so far,” Faulkner says. The subject matter is so personal and intimate that he didn’t want to make a big production out of it. Faulkner played almost all the instruments on the album himself. A drummer and a friend who is a music producer supported him.
Since September 12, “Half of It” has been available in stores – his vulnerable story pressed onto CDs and available on all streaming platforms. “I’m used to wearing my heart on my sleeve,” says Faulkner. Still, it takes thick skin to release such personal songs. After all, he hopes to reach people who may be going through something similar. “I hope the album resonates with people who have ever been heartbroken or experienced grief,” he says.
