Romanie – It’s Not That Funny
Today, multi-award winning singer-songwriter Romanie releases her album It’s Not That Funny.
Along with the release Romanie also released the video for ‘Falling.’
The album’s focus single ‘Falling’ is a stand out moment that erupts into catharsis. Sharing more, she shared: “Initially, Falling was written about falling for the wrong people; but after recording it I felt like it was more of an omen of my own breaking down. Falling is the most fun to play live and the music video was shot at my 30th birthday party -I had to pay for a venue hire and was super broke at the time so Young Ha Kim [director] and I joked that we should shoot a music video to be able to claim it on tax. I had convinced all my friends to dress up in a wedding dress, kind of as a joke but everyone pulled up looking absolutely stunning. It’s really a representation of what the album means to me: no matter how rough life gets, my friends are there to hear me sob and pull me through hard moments as much as I want to be there for them.”
It’s Not That Funny includes the previously released singles “Anything Or Anyone”, “Uh Oh”, “When Will We Lose Hope?” and “I Won’t Yell.”
The duality of playful charm and hard-hitting vulnerability is immediate from the album’s title alone: “‘It’s Not That Funny’, which relates to trying to convince your therapist you’re funny and that anything that’s ever happened to you ‘wasn’t all that bad’,”. Romanie explained further; “I think that growing up in Belgium, we’re always told to keep a brave face and to keep going no matter what – which is great for endurance and resilience; but sometimes as humans, we just want to be soft. As women in society I feel like we always have to strive for perfection; but I think that with this album I wanted to seek out the imperfections; uncover what’s behind the jokes.”
For Belgian-born, Australian-based singer songwriter Romanie Assez, her drive to make music has always stemmed from an innate desire to express creativity through personal and engaging storytelling. Pulling inspiration from the likes of Big Thief, Wet Leg, Mitski, The Cranberries and more, she has nurtured her craft to reflect her deepest reflections in a way that speaks straight to the soul. Since launching in 2021, Romanie has evolved and progressed, finessing her sound that toes a line between alt, pop and indie with a gritty undertone that fuses flawlessly with her pure vocals, radiating honesty. The sound you hear today is darker and more textured than her earlier releases. Rich in nuance and strength, it’s here to channel that little voice in your head, one that might not always be the most chipper, but can still make you laugh and teach you something about yourself.
Romanie treated listeners to her debut album back in 2023 ‘Are We There Yet?’. The record was nominated for the Australian Music Prize, winner of the triple j Unearthed x NIDA music video competition and saw her win the 2023 Upstart Award, become a semi-finalist in the International Songwriting Competition, and finalist in St Kilda Festival’s New Music Competition.
Ever since Romanie moved to Australia in 2019 she’s been establishing herself as a powerhouse in the live music industry, touring both solo as well as with her band, supporting artists including Trixie Whitley, Telenova, Blanco White, 10cc, Yoke Lore, playing alongside Katy J Pearson and opening for Australian favourites such as Keli Holiday, The Moving Stills, Mia Wray and many more.
A force to be reckoned with, Romanie is definitely an artist to keep all eyes on.
#romaniemusic