Rachael Brady is an Australian soul roots singer who resides in the picturesque Blue Mountains, west of Sydney. Her unique voice and emotional performances have earned her a place as one of the most exciting independent artists in her genre. A gifted lyricist, Rachael's passionate advocacy for animal rights and her desire for a peaceful and loving world are refreshing and inspiring. Together with her musical partner Nigel Kerr, Rachael creates sound to replenish the soul.

 A couple of years ago, I stumbled across Rachael's music and her voice resonated so strongly with me that it brought tears to my eyes. I listened to a few of the songs over and over, and was still left feeling like I wanted to hear them again. The lyrics were evocative of a peace, love and tranquility that I only dreamed of experiencing, but the passion with which they were delivered spoke to my spirit in such a genuine way that I believed these things were within my reach.  What a gift to be able to create and share such beauty and hope. I asked Rachael if she'd allow me an interview, and with the same grace and love that shine through her music, she agreed.

When you begin writing a song, do you have a picture in your head of what you want the finished product to be?

No.  Nigel gives me the blank musical canvas and I paint whatever I feel over it according to what the music evokes.  Words and phrases come hopefully without much coercion, and I take dictation and shape them into lyrics as best I can.

How did you meet Nigel, and how much of an influence is he in the process of making music?

I was playing acoustic covers and Nigel was a friend of the guitarist I was playing with. Eventually, the other person disappeared from the picture and Nigel and I started writing original music. Our writing relationship is 50/50. He writes the chord structures as a general rule and I write the melodies and lyrics. We don't really diverge from that method apart from two songs, one of which he contributed some of the lyrics and the other which I penned entirely alone.

Inspiration comes out of every experience - from every question I'm trying to get an answer for whether it's 'why am I here' or 'why can't the males in my family remember to put the seat down after they've peed so i don't fall into the toilet when I get up to go in the dark at 2am...."

You're a vegan and an animal rights activist. Is there anything you'd like our readers to know about the causes you advocate for?

I am content with the vegan label and I'm happy to support and contribute to vegan events and causes. I do my best to live by what I hope is a happy, healthy, peaceful and compassionate example, but people must come to their choices in their own time. For me and for my family it's been one of the best choices on so many levels. I do know that it's the most sustainable and peaceful way to live and I hope others will come to the same conclusion.

Career wise, what are your goals for the next year?  

It's hard for me to think in terms of "career" and "goals". Music is a tool for expressing, processing and learning different things about myself and my perception of the world, so the only thing that I really want to keep doing is moving closer and closer to honest expression. 

What would your husband say is the best thing about you?

I asked him and his answer was "Compassion for all living things - including the ones without voices; the trees and the bugs, and that all your children have learned that from you also." 

The worst?

I asked him this one too and he said "You get a little intense when you're focused on something you're doing and the whole world stops, the house falls down around us until it gets done."

You recently had a birthday. Can I ask how you celebrated?

I'd like to thank Rachael for her kindness in taking time out of her life to connect with me and answer my questions. The following is a video of Redeemed, performed in Nigel's livingroom. 

 wild and wired, restless and driven, tripping on things that never existed before and you wait
and you hope like hell to be lifted from this puzzle where so many pieces are missing
and the answers don't answer the question you're living
they just hint at the mystery that sits patiently at your door
and maybe there are signs but you don't see them
and maybe there are clues but you can't read them
so where to from here...
staggering, stumbling, knees scratched and bleeding
don't know about help but you know you want freedom
but you're not really sure if you even know what that is
god knows there were times when you thought you were free
turns out that the chains were just harder to see because the jewels on the wall of your prison were beautiful
and you were blinded
and maybe there was a light but you couldn't see it
and you knew what was right but you couldn't reach it
but you knew you were climbing for good reason
because the view from the top of this mountain is sweet

and maybe you're the light but you just don't see it
born to shine bright but afraid to receive it
the lesson here is just to believe that everything's fine
you're divine
and redeemed
you're redeemed.