Australian musician Mallrat recently wrapped up a North American tour that took her from Los Angeles to New York and everywhere in between as she promoted her most recent album, Light hit my face like a straight right. Teen Vogue got to see her show at Elsewhere in Brooklyn, watching as she emerged from the dark in over-ear headphones, a plaid skirt over jeans, and dramatic black gloves.
Mallrat was at turns singer-songwriter and full-out pop star, reflecting on death and what brings her peace as she thinks about the end. She compared it to a caterpillar in a chrysalis: “It builds itself a coffin and goes to sleep and doesn't know when it's gonna wake up, and then it has wings and can fly — and it somehow still has memories of what came before.”
Below, Mallrat herself, aka Grace Shaw, shares an exclusive diary of her experience on tour.
Dear Teen Vogue Diary,
Right now I’m sitting at a hotel lobby in Denver. The van just got to the venue for our show tonight. I helped load gear in, then went for a little walk while everyone sets up. Yesterday we drove nine hours from Minneapolis to Nebraska, and today we drove four hours from Nebraska to Denver. The worst part of touring is sitting in a van for so long. I’ve banned myself from adding up all the travel time until the shows are done, because it will make me depressed.
Besides that, tour is fun. When I am enough of a ~popstar~ to have a bus, we can travel while we sleep, wake up in a new city, and have time to explore the beautiful places we pass through.
First stop was Dallas. It was incredibly special because a couple, Kavin and Warren, came to watch our soundcheck. It was a surprise that Kavin had organised for Warren because Warren is really sick at the moment and isn’t allowed in large crowds. “Groceries” is their special song, and after I played it Kavin proposed to Warren. There were tears, and I am very honoured to have been a part of their special moment. It set a beautiful tone for the rest of the shows.
As I write this I’m trying to imagine what would be interesting to a Teen Vogue reader - maybe it’s worth mentioning that I’m from Australia and so there are lots of differences between our cultures that make me laugh. Yesterday I had to explain 'meat raffles' and 'cane toad racing' but I won't horrify you with that right now. There’s only one other Australian on this tour, so we are often sharing new lingo with our American crew. I’ll give you some examples:
Reckon. Say ‘I reckon’ instead of ‘I think.'
Brekkie. Short for breakfast. On tour my brekkie is usually a banana with peanut butter in a servo car park.
Servo. This is what we call a gas station. Short for ‘service station’.
My favourite thing about tour is getting to share new experiences with my wonderful band and crew. For example, yesterday we visited the mini Statue of Liberty in Nebraska. We are also spending a lot of time with our opener, Anna Shoemaker, and her guitarist. They are so cool and funny. Another good thing is getting to try new restaurants - honestly we have had some pretty terrible meals on this trip (cough Buffalo Wildwings Meridian cough) but a highlight included going to Win Son (Taiwanese restaurant) in New York and sharing a bunch of vegan dishes with my friend.
This tour is mostly sold out, which I am very happy about. Going on an international tour is a big risk and lots of hard work, so I’m incredibly relieved and excited that it’s paying off. The craziest thing is meeting fans and hearing how far they’ve travelled to come see me. It makes it all feel worthwhile to be reminded how much my music means to some people. I have this feeling like something big is about to happen.
Ok - it’s time for me to go to soundcheck.
Thank you for reading!
Mallrat :)
