In this interview, Amy Vee opens up about the raw honesty behind “Better Still,” discussing instinctive songwriting, personal chaos, and the evolving balance between creativity, life, and emotion.
1. “Better Still” feels raw and unfiltered—what pushed you to fully embrace that stream-of-consciousness writing style for this track?
Over time I’ve come to think of songwriting as essentially a search for truth. I always feel like I’m doing my best work when I follow my instincts and write from somewhere real and human. It means having to embrace my own flaws and failings, but I think that’s what I like most about it. That was definitely the case with this song… it spilled out onto the page in an unfiltered way and I decided I wasn’t going to edit it. The lyrics are almost exactly as I first scrawled them one night in the throes of physical and mental exhaustion.
2. You describe the song as a reflection of your “daily chaos”—how do you personally navigate balancing music, motherhood, and research?
Honestly, often with great difficulty! But typically, just one day at a time. From the outside, it probably looks like I’ve got it together because my life is so full, but every day is completely different and sometimes I manage things really well and sometimes I want to collapse in a heap. I fully recognise my privilege … I get to work in areas I’m passionate about, and I have a beautiful family who love and support me. I know people in my cohort who’ve fallen away from music because it wasn’t sustainable (which is a systemic and cultural issue). I think I’ve just been delusional enough to keep going. But I honestly can’t imagine doing anything else. All of my roles are challenging, but I love them equally.
3. Compared to “Blood in the Water,” how does “Better Still” represent an evolution in your songwriting and sound?
Even though they sound quite different, “Blood in the Water” and “Better Still” are, to me, sister songs. I recorded them around the same time and had them mastered together. Both are deeply confessional and deal with heavy themes from my own life that I believe share universal human experiences at their heart. “BITW” addresses the power and impact of secrecy and information gatekeeping, while “Better Still” reflects on prioritising others’ needs above your own and how that can cumulatively lead to an implosion.
In terms of production, my co-producer and I have been leaning into the blend of earthy, acoustic sounds like guitars, piano, and other stringed instruments with cultivated rhythmic elements and orchestral samples to create a sort of cinematic feel, but also something that feels close, personal and raw. It was really important to me that these songs could be taken out on the road and played in various formats, but especially solo. So we keep things quite minimal and live-sounding.
4. You’ve performed the song live already—what kind of reactions have stood out most from audiences so far?
I first played the song a few months ago while opening for Katie Noonan on a few of her regional tour dates. I distinctly remember an audience member approaching me afterward who said she really related to the song and recited some of the lyrics back to me. That’s when I knew it was resonating. The same thing continued to happen when I played it live so I knew I wanted to release it independently as a single. We recently played it for the first time as a band on the first night of my co-headline Australian tour with Anna Weatherup and it was really well received. Looking forward to giving it some more air throughout the year.
5. Your collaboration with Gareth Hudson has been long-standing—what makes this creative partnership work so well?
I always like to work quite collaboratively in the studio. I usually come in with a vision for where the song or songs are headed. I’ll often work up demos at home and I usually have the songs fully constructed before I get to the studio. I’ve worked with many producers but what I love about Gareth’s approach is that he listens first, then creates. He’s always focused on creating something I feel fully connected with as the artist. While he is an absolute multi-instrumental and creative wizard, he never tries to put his own stamp on anything. I love his workspace too – he has some great instruments and tools at his disposal and he’s happy for me to tinker. I always feel at home there and able to engage fully with the work.
6. With a new album on the horizon, what themes or directions can fans expect from your upcoming release?
I definitely feel like I’m entering a new chapter in both life and music-making. I want to make something that’s authentic and unfiltered. Music has always been about connection for me, and I just want to make something that reminds people of their own humanity. And I want it to be something that translates in a live environment because that’s where I think the real music fans will start congregating, away from the grip of AI.
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