Pete Murray on his first ever solo tour and a year of firsts

SINGER-SONGWRITER Pete Murray is bringing the first solo acoustic tour of his career to the Tweed on July 10.

The mammoth 56-date solo tour features a back catalogue, new songs, and some heart-to-heart conversations with the audience.

“It’s about the songs in their raw state, but also me talking and exploring how it all works,” Murray said.

“The first couple of shows, I was a little bit nervous, but at the first show, they loved it, and the story flows now, how I got into picking up the guitar, how I was playing rugby, and why I started writing music.

“It’s interesting to look back at it and as I keep asking the crowd, ‘Is that luck, or is it fate?’

“People are singing along, and then I’m talking about what I’ve been through with the record label and not having anything to show for 18 years.

“I finally paid off my debt, and I’m probably one of the few artists that has.

“When people understand that stuff, they become supportive of the artists and have more ownership.

“It’s been a super positive tour on all fronts so far.”

In another first, Murray has also recorded a new acoustic album, his first on vinyl and exclusive to the tour, also coinciding with the release of a forthcoming new album in October.

More than 20 years after his 2001 debut album, The Game, Murray remains one of Australia’s most enduring singer-songwriters.

The multi-platinum-selling artist has sold over 1.2 million albums and released three ARIA chart-topping albums. His 2003 sophomore album, Feeler, cemented his status, and hits such as Better Days, Feeler, and So Beautiful blended positivity with acoustic, rock, and folk elements, solidifying an endearing popularity with audiences.

Now, the songwriter has tapped into a universal sense of unease and struggling hope in the current global climate in the video for his single I Am Fire.

Murray said he was inspired by ordinary people who stood up against regimes and stood up for humanity, risking their own lives to save others.

“The concept of the video is to show the positivity of the human spirit in times of war and natural disasters,” he said.

“It’s written for the world, really, and I was inspired by the real heroes of the world, people that are gutsy enough to stand up against regimes, to stand up for humanity and put themselves in harm’s way to save others.

“I was looking at the footage of some of the wars that have been happening overseas, and it’s still hard to believe this shit happens.”

“It’s about normal people that do these extraordinary things, using elements to describe who they are and the terrible things that they would be going through while they’re doing this stuff.

“Songs can be very powerful, and if it just gets people thinking, ‘I don’t want to sit back and just let this shit happen’, then that’s the whole point – it’s what a song can do.”

For tickets, visit Petemurray.com/#shows