the sailor

Hi! I'm giddy :) I'm a singer-songwriter born and raised on the land of the Gadigal people in Sydney, Australia. To be honest, it felt surreal to type that out just now, because just a few years ago I didn’t sing at all - no, not even in the shower! I grew up creative – I wrote poems, took photos, danced and designed fashion collections – but I’d gradually lost touch with it as I morphed into an overworked refugee lawyer. My mum’s been a singer for decades, but life had got in the way for her too. One mother’s day, I took her along to a singing class, to get her back in the swing. To my surprise, it did something profound for me too. I felt connected to my body for the first time in years. And being bad at something new gave me the chance to be curious and playful, in a way I’d long missed. I bought a ukulele (her name is Lorien :), figured out how to pluck out a tune, started to write poems again – this time with a tune, and tiptoed from my bedroom to the stage. I was terrified, but the sense of connection that performance can bring kept me coming back. It amazes me that I can pour my deepest feelings into a song, and someone I've never met before can meet me there in the space of three minutes. I feel like I make a new soul-friend or two every time I get up on stage. So I've kept on doing it, and these days I play regularly at venues across Sydney and festivals around Australia. Song Info: I wrote 'the sailor' about the loneliness of losing touch with yourself, and not knowing how to find your way back to the person you remember being. It’s probably the least hopeful song I’ve ever written. But when we got into the studio to record it, it didn’t come out feeling bleak. I think when we feel lost and in transition, it can seem like we’re totally alone. But even if they aren’t in our orbit, there are so many people who have navigated similar waters and have come through them, The way this turned out feels to me like all the sailors, past and present, coming together to keep my little sailor afloat on her journey. I find it very comforting. 'the sailor' was recorded and produced by Emmy and ARIA-winning producer Sean Carey at Church Street Studios. It's the third single from my debut record, 'songs for awkward spaces', which will be out in November 2026.