Badass Women: Jack River
JACK RIVER
Jack River (Holy Rankin) is a Sydney singer songwriter who has been storming the airwaves of late with her imaginative, honest and catchy tunes. As the co-founder of Electric Lady Festival – a tour comprising of only female acts, she is a proud advocate for equality in the music industry. Her debut album Sugar Mountain saw her rock-out at sold shows across Australia, and she has just announced her biggest tour yet – The Sugar Mountain Ball. Holy describes her music as a way of dealing with her emotions, her therapy: “It’s my go to for everything”.
“Sugar Mountain was made over some very dark years of my life and I have always used songwriting to figure out my brain and keep healing myself along the way.”
WHAT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF?
Creating a career that I built from scratch, but most of all – creating a dream team of really good people.
WHO OR WHAT INSPIRES YOU MOST?
People who live their truth, it makes me want to keep finding mine & recharges that part of my soul that is always searching. Right now those people for me are Greta Thunburg, Alexandria Ocasio Cortez & Maggie Rogers.
WHAT IS ONE MOUNTAIN YOU’VE CLIMBED TO GET TO WHERE YOU ARE THAT PEOPLE MAY NOT BE AWARE OF?
Getting through very severe depression/anxiety after my sister passed away, and then through an 8 year long court case that surrounded her death. It really took my whole being to find ways to get through this. Often – it was writing a vision of the future that consistently pulled me from really dark places and kind of designed the future that I am living in now. This was a fucking huge mountain and I am so proud to be here and happy now, but I also really really value all the lessons learnt in the dark and believe they have crafted a kind of invincible positive attitude toward pain and darkness that I will never lose.
YOU HAVE 3 HOURS TO YOURSELF. NO ONE ELSE IS INVITED. WHAT DO YOU DO? WHERE DO YOU GO?
I take one of my diaries to my balcony or the beach & write, I swim, I come home and put on some music and lay on the floor with a couple of books and read. I brainstorm all the things I’m working toward and thankful for & dreaming of. I clean the house and pick some flowers from the garden and if there’s still time, have a nice lil arvo nap!
NAME ONE TRACK THAT TOTALLY RECHARGES YOU.
When I Grow Up – Fever Ray. This song gives me headspace & reminds me of my favourite places by the beach and the slowness that comes with them.
HOW DO YOU PICK YOURSELF UP WHEN YOU’RE NOT FEELING GREAT?
I go for a swim and let the sounds, the horizon and the cold try to heal my body/mind. I also write – write myself out of the headspace.
IT’S 2030. YOU’RE SENDING YOUR CURRENT SELF A MESSAGE OF SUPPORT. WHAT DOES IT SAY
Keep going, keep believing, keep loving, trust yourself.
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Catch Jack River on tour as part of the “Sugar Mountain Ball”. Hit jackrivermusic.com for more info.
