It’s the year 2019, not a worry in the world (or a case of COVID-19), and somewhere in all that peace and serenity, you are falling deeply in love with the sweet sounds of Spacey Jane.
Hailing out of Wheatbelt, Western Australia, Spacey Jane’s lead bassist, Amelia Murray, is playing the bass, studying medicine, and very quickly approaching a fork in the road.
Facing two very difficult destinies; does she go left and follow that rock ‘n’ roll fantasy, or does she turn right and live that more sustainable, stable lifestyle?
“I consider myself a country girl... I love working the harvest!”
Now aged 25, and four years on from the life-changing decision, Amelia says she never wanted to become a rockstar or work in medicine, for that matter. Coming from the rural outskirts of Perth, farming was second nature to her and her dream growing up was to become a shearer.
I loved the feeling of writing and recording songs with my friends! It’s like the coolest thing ever… Other aspects of being a musician didn’t suit me so well.”
Amelia admits to finding the late nights and party scene difficult. The lifestyle ingrained in her included waking up at the crack of dawn to help on the farm and attending the smallest school in the state (with only ten other kids) … the drinking and party scene wasn’t where she felt comfortable. Amelia emphasises “tour life being tough” and that there are behind-the-scenes aspects of being a musician that others don’t see. Behind the rock and roll glamour, there are long nights, a lot of expectations, and many, many party commitments.
While Amelia loved the idea of making money, from what she saw as a hobby, she knew that it wasn’t something that would bring her joy across all aspects of her Hauora. Tour- life was not fueling the well-being of her physical, social, emotional, and spiritual self and she began to lose the connection to her roots and upbringing. She started to lose her love for creating music and knew a big decision would have to be made.
Lucky for Amelia, she also had a passion for helping others. Aligned with her hope to work in women’s and sexual health, her heartfelt parting words to the Spacey Jane family included “Please remember to be kind to people. Support female artists. Have fun.”
So, does Amelia have FOMO?
“Initially it was hard, but there has never been any resentment,” Amelia confirms that she was initially sad but now only feels pure happiness that Caleb, Kieran, and Ashton (and the replacement bassist, Peppa), are succeeding at what they truly want to do. Amelia feels no different and acknowledges that she made the right decision, and she is delighted and proud of what she is accomplishing in the medical world!