Family Harmony: Maryen Cairns Musical Journey through Parenthood

For over 30 years, singer-songwriter Maryen Cairns’s allegorical folk-pop has offered a form of literate escapism for her worldwide fanbase. “I feel driven to create songs that people can disappear into. I want to pluck them away from reality so that they can lose themselves for a few minutes,” says the Guernsey-based Australian artist. 

In turn, her singular musicality has taken Maryen on a fantastical journey of a music career. This has included releasing 7 critically-acclaimed solo albums and being produced and mentored by Rolling Stone's producer Chris Kimsey.

Today, the restless creative shows no signs of slowing down. She is issuing a newly-recorded series of live albums that reimagine her classic recordings, beginning with One Woman Band, Live at Echotown Studios, Vol 1 which will be Maryen’s first vinyl release. 

Her latest era of creativity has been inspired by a 10-date, one-woman-show tour of the UK performing intimate, stripped down renditions of her classic repertoire, that took place in August of 2023

Right after the final date Maryen went into a nearby studio for two days. There, in front of a small audience, Maryen performed songs from her back catalog.

We caught up with Maryen for an exclusive interview to find out more about the inspiration behind her music, being a parent, and how parenthood has helped her creativity:

How many children do you have? And what are their names and ages?

I have 4 children: 3 boys and a girl. They are now pretty much grown up: Monte 26, Hadrian 24, Elvis 19 and Arwen 18. Only the youngest is still at home.

Did you have fears or concerns about how becoming a parent would interfere with your artistic endeavours?

I had no idea how much becoming a parent would change my life! Yes, I knew it would be a issue going on tour (I toured Europe on keyboard/guitar/vocal with Adrian Borland when pregnant with my 1st baby) but had no idea how hard it would be to simply find alone time in which to sing and write, let along arrange songs & rehearse a band.

I also totally underestimated the strong feelings I would have about staying close to my children… I was lucky enough to be able to fulfil those feelings and be a stay at home mum, and eventually, we went on tour as a family band which was very cool.

Have those fears come true, or no?

Touring? Well, the only touring I did between 1998 and 2023 was with my family band! In 2017 we did a 4 month tour of remote communities in Queensland, Northern Territory and the Kimberley in Western  Australia. We were promoting an album/book that I made, Femina Australis, which tells the stories of 12 significant Australian women. My husband, Greg, played bass and percussion, Elvis played guitar, and Arwen played piano and percussion. (Monte & Hadrian stayed at home with their dad!) This was a fantastic tour, and I was so proud to be sharing a stage with my family!

In what ways has parenthood helped your creativity, if any?

Being a parent must surely have helped my writing… given me a depth of emotion and years of life experience that cannot be absorbed, unless lived. But the other thing is that my children are all incredibly musical and this has pushed me to learn new instruments and to improve my own playing. The lesson for me has been that we constantly evolve, and that goes for older humans too, not just the children, that at any age we can learn new things… it’s fairly obvious that I’ve taken this to heart - since 2011 I’ve recorded almost all my music at home, most recently using Logic Pro X.

Sarkfest 2022 with Elvis.

What has parenthood taught you about yourself, your music, or your creative process? 

I found out how important my music is to me, and that I am driven to create, to write, to explore my art, and that this is a part of me that will always exist no matter what.  I make sense of life through art, and if I am unable to create - for whatever reason - then the words, images, music, will build inside me until there is a point in time that they will be released, possibly in a torrent, and it all pours out. When family life is busy busy busy, I often work on music late at night, into the small hours, because at that hour everyone else is asleep and I can fully focus on the music!

Ironfest 2017 with Arwen.

How do you juggle your family and your career? Who’s your support system?

My support system is my extended family, mainly my husband Greg, who encouraged me to go and do my music when the opportunities came, whilst  he looked after the kids.  Without his willingness to do this, some of my albums would not have happened… as it is there are gaps of 10 and 8 years between some albums, but otherwise there would been bigger gaps. Now that my kids are older they are incredibly supportive of my music career. They contribute musically to recordings, carry my gear to gigs, listen to new songs, create artwork… they help in whichever way they can. I really am a lucky mum!!!

On Tour in 2017 - Normanton, Queensland.

What’s one thing you wish someone had told you before you became a parent? Any advice for others?

”This too shall pass” “take the time to live in the moment”

Goddess Conference 2011.

Have you ever written a song for or about your kids? If so please share a description and a link. 

Three weeks after the birth of my 3rd son, Elvis, in 2004, I wrote a song with the story of his birth, and, as he was born at home it is called Homebirth. We were living up Springbrook Mountain in SE Queensland, the mist rolled in, and I could see and focus on the rainforest from the birthing pool… the whole experience was empowering… and I sing about readying for birth & the birthing moment, the main lyric being “body knows what to do”.

 I also touch on what the future holds: 

“9 months of gestation, the next generation, my body is aching, there’s a long road ahead. Baby is growing and very soon knowing love springs complete from the family bed”.

My midwife offered to pay for me to record Homebirth, but I was lucky enough to have family members who helped me record and also looked after my children whilst I sang in the next room. 

As the topic of birthing at home was very political at the time, not only was the song included on a CD “Songs for Home Birth”, but I also sang it on the steps of Parliament House in Canberra at the original “Mother of all rallies”  on 7th September 2009, where women marched for the right to choose where to give birth.

Just before the rally, my friend and birth photographer Deirdrie Tehan made a collage of home birth photography into a video for the song which has, to date, over 56,000 views on YouTube.

I didn’t make an album until 2012’s “Stories From The Red Tent” , on which Homebirth is the final song.

The Gold Coast Homebirth support group still sing the song at the end of their monthly meetups.

Connect with Maryen Cairns via:
Website / Facebook / Instagram / Spotify / YouTube

Listen to Maryen’s new single out now “Flew Away.”