Storry: "Artists are like antennae. They're just transmitting inspiration"

The daughter of working-class immigrant parents, Storry’s life has been one of struggle and triumph.

Her music draws inspiration from some incredibly personal places: from recovering from an abusive ex to navigating complicated family relationships to working as a stripper.

As Storry explains, “Trying to hide [what I’ve been through] would almost be impossible. It’s in every thread of my life; it’s part of who I am.”

Through her music, she hopes to challenge stereotypes of the sex industry and shape the next chapter of her life.

With a Juno nomination and an award-winning music video, Storry is certainly making her mark on the music industry. Grammy next up? We wouldn't count it out. 

Life

What upcoming project(s) are you most excited about?

A new album that I wrote, recorded and shot videos for in quarantine called INTERLUDE-19. The whole project will be released on my birthday, September 5th, which is a pretty significant day for me (more than just the fact that I was born that day). This year will be the year I told my family I would find a plan-B outside of music if I hadn't 'made it' by then.

But, I'm still here, even though I'm not quite Beyonce yet! haha, but I realised that I'm a creator and I HAVE to make art for the rest of my life. I don't really have another choice. It’s part of my very fabric.

What is your proudest professional accomplishment?

People would think it's my Juno nomination, especially as an indie artist who had not even released her full debut album yet.

But I would have to say my proudest accomplishment personally is the clay animation music video for the song 'Up' off my debut album CH III: The Come Up that I wrote, directed and animated in my mother's basement over four months with my two friends, Charlotte and Rollin, who also had never done any film or animation before.

I couldn't get funding, or grants, and I was having a hard time finding people to produce videos for my album that was also self-funded. So, knowing that you can Google anything, I decided to turn my vision into reality, and make the damn thing myself.

I feel like it embodies who I am as an artist. I am not only a singer but a songwriter, producer, visual artist, animator, filmmaker... an all-around creative. And I feel that 'Up' is a great representation of my multi-dimensional self.

The video has been in over 10 film festivals so far and won a few awards, so I feel very proud of that.

If you could change one thing about your career, what would it be?

I wouldn't have listened to anyone's opinions and just released my music before anyone thought it was 'perfect' or 'polished'. Nothing is ever perfect, and as artists, we are always looking for outside validation.

I believe artists are like antennae, they're just transmitting inspiration from the universal consciousness. It's not ours. And so we shouldn't attach our ego to it. I believe it's our duty to create, put it out, and not judge it.

What do you hope to achieve that you haven’t yet?

As cliche as it is, I want to win a Grammy. But not for the winning of the award, but rather that it signifies the moment where I'm actually creating art that the world is consuming and that I'm making a living from doing music.

Right now I still have to think about a side-job.

Outside of your family, who is/was your biggest inspiration?

Buddha. Nature. I seek enlightenment and oneness with nature. Recognition for my art, fame or fortune are all superficial desires that are fun games to try and achieve, but that I know will never give me true fulfilment on their own.

Tell us something nobody knows about you…

I used to have a rabbit named Panda and a dog named Lady. They somehow got along pretty well... and I think Panda learned to bark from Lady.

Style

What’s your favourite item of clothing – and what does it mean to you?

This bohemian style backless maxi dress. It's colourful and has a bunch of patterns. I've worn that dress all over the world. I've brought it to every country I've travelled to.

Worn it around a bonfire singing songs with friends, to meetings with big label executives. I've worn it with combat boots, with high heels, for photoshoots, road trips and everything in between. And I almost always get a compliment from someone when I'm wearing it.

The best garment I've ever purchased.

Favourite accessory – watch/jewellery/etc – and why is it special to you?

Three rings. One from my grandma on my dad's side. One from my grandma on my mom's side. And one from my mom.

Somehow, they all match perfectly so I usually wear them all together on a regular basis. It reminds me of where I came from.

What items do you take on holiday and why?

Hip circle resistance band and sliders for workouts. I couldn't afford the gym for a long time so I started doing HIIT workouts from home using mostly my body weight. It's super easy now to workout anywhere with a few items I can just pack up and take with me (that's how I keep this great booty ;-p).

Oh, and a Magic Bullet hand blender to make these berry smoothie bowls I make for breakfast. I have an addiction to these smoothie bowls.

Is there an item you threw away – or lost – that you really miss?

A pair of Blue headphones I'd gotten for my Birthday from my mom and my friends.

They had all pitched in to get me these dope noise-cancelling magical headphones and on my last day of a six week trip to London last year, someone either stole them from my backpack, or they fell out on their own. I was so sad...

What’s next on your shopping list?

Some cute rain jackets for London because I might be moving out there soon!

What would you buy if money was no object?

Microsoft (the company). Does that count? 

A lot of farmland in a tropical country? With lots of coconuts, papayas, mangos, passionfruit... every fruit and vegetable you can think of.

A tiny home on wheels so I can travel/live all over the place for very little.