We spoke with Celia Pavey, otherwise known as Vera Blue, about the small things that make a place feel like home. Between releasing her third album, Modern Rituals, and life on the road, she's learnt to turn any room into a little nest. Here she shares her everyday rituals, the pieces she'd never part with, and why home is where every version of her gets to just be.
Was music always the dream? Or is there a parallel universe where you became something else?
I think music was always a dream, but when I was young it felt like a pretty unrealistic one especially living in a small country town. I loved singing, dancing and performing, but the idea of actually becoming an artist seemed so far fetched that I’m not sure I really believed it could be my life.
At school I had no idea what I wanted to do. I loved animals, I was really athletic and I knew I wanted to do something creative, but music was always the place I felt most at home. Singing with my sister and finding harmonies together, disappearing into my bedroom on weekends to write songs, playing violin or just being in music class were some of my happiest memories. It was where I felt understood, free and like I belonged.
By about 15 I was writing my own songs, and whenever I sang or wrote, it just felt right. I think eventually I had to trust that feeling. When I finished school, I decided to follow it and see where it could take me.
And I think there are definitely parallel universe versions of me working with animals or doing something in sport, but somehow I think I was always going to find my way back to music.
The new album is called Modern Ritual. What are the everyday rituals that keep you grounded?
Modern Rituals is really about our emotional rituals and the patterns we find ourselves returning to, but making the album made me think a lot about the smaller everyday rituals too. Mine are pretty simple. Morning coffee, walking Texas, being outside, moving my body, having a bath, putting music on while I get ready, and finding some way to be creative, even if it doesn’t need to become anything.
Food is a big one too, especially things that remind me of growing up. In winter my ultimate weekly ritual is making my mum’s homemade farmhouse soup. I also still make this caramel slice I used to make as a kid, although I have absolutely no self control around it and could almost eat the entire thing. Very serious sweet tooth over here. I think those little familiar things are often how I find my way back to myself.
How do you make a hotel room or tour bus feel like home?
Strangely, I become my most organised self when I’m on tour. At home I can be quite messy, but when I’m in work mode I really thrive on routine and knowing exactly where everything is. Otherwise I can get overwhelmed pretty quickly.
So I unpack immediately. Show garments hung up, makeup laid out, everything has its little place. Warm lighting is essential and I always have a night light because I hate sleeping in complete darkness haha. I’ll usually put Friends on because I love having the familiar voices and ambient giggling in the background.
If I’m in a hotel or Airbnb for an extended period, I’ll buy flowers and a candle. On a tour bus I stick photos of my pup and my husband on the wall, and I bring my own fresh pillowcases and essential oils. Basically I aggressively turn any temporary space into a little nest.
Do you have a wind-down ritual after a big show? How do you actually switch off?
I’m actually terrible at switching off because my body can be exhausted while my brain is still completely wired from the adrenaline. I love having a little post show celebration with Dave and Ross. We always feel so proud afterwards and mark it in some tiny way. Maybe it’s a glass of bubbles, maybe it’s chocolate, maybe it’s a cheeky Macca’s on the way home.
Then it’s makeup off immediately, a bath if it’s not already 1am, something comfy and an episode of whatever I’m watching in bed. Going from this huge, heightened experience onstage to being curled up in bed an hour later is always such a strange contrast.
How would you describe your home in three words?
Cosy. Eleclectic. Nostalgic.
What’s the one piece in your home you’d never part with?
I’m cheating and choosing two. One is my Fender Telecaster. It’s a one of a kind custom art by Yuriy Shishcov retro guitar and probably one of the most beautiful things I own. I nearly had to sell a limb to afford it at the time haha, but it has been with me for some of the shows and moments I’m proudest of, so now its value to me is completely tied up in those memories.
The other is a painting of irises that my grandma Jill painted and gave to me. It sits beside my bed amongst Polaroids and little poems from my husband. it’s completely irreplaceable. I love having something she made with her own hands right there beside me. She is an incredible artist and chef.
What are you reading before bed right now?
I’m honestly not a huge reader. I’m such a visual person and my imagination and brain are so busy that I can read an entire page and suddenly realise my mind has gone somewhere completely different haha. But when something really grips me, I love a thriller.
I’ve already read Verity, but I’m reading it again because the film is coming out and I want it fresh in my mind before I see it. I’m also reading The Beach. Somehow I’ve never seen the Leonardo DiCaprio film, so I’m determined to finish the book before I finally watch it.
Usually though, I’m much more likely to be watching a thriller, horror or something completely gripping that I can disappear into. I love the American Horror Story series. Apparently relaxing before bed for me means watching something deeply unsettling
What would you tell yourself when you were starting out that you know now?
I’d tell myself that there isn’t one correct version of you that you have to discover and then hold onto forever. You’re allowed to change your mind, change your sound, make mistakes, start again and become different versions of yourself along the way.
I’d also tell myself not to be afraid to use my voice. Speak up, ask questions and learn about the business surrounding your creativity. It can be really difficult to be both the artist and the businessperson at the same time, and I definitely wish I’d understood more of that when I was younger. But maybe there’s some magic in not knowing everything too.
Surround yourself with people you trust, who have your back, and never lose the part of you that just wants to make something because you love it.
The new Vera Blue album ‘Modern Rituals’ is out now
Photography Liv Repaci