Why pay for therapy after a break-up when you can just crack out whips and leather and unleash the dominatrix inside? It sounds like a far savvier and sexier way to get rid of pent-up emotion – just ask Ricki-Lee Coulter. Jordana Borensztajn reports.
The former Australian idol is a hot topic on everyone’s lips at the moment. Not only has she made jaws drop across the country with her saucy dominatrix-inspired film clip for new single “Hear no, See No, Speak No,” but the 24-year-old is also splashed across the cover – and inside the middle pages – of this month’s RALPH magazine, in stunningly striking yet revealing poses and outfits.
Coulter, who co-hosts Australia Idol, has had one hell of a year. Her very public divorce from childhood sweetheart Jamie Babbington has been documented by the media almost every step of the way. At Nova’s Melbourne studio, the starlet explains her new song – and upcoming album – represent the struggles she’s faced and the strength that she’s grown.
“The whole album is about my new found sense of freedom – taking back control of my life and finding my feet again after a really difficult period,” she says, reflecting. “To be standing here, feeling the way I do right now, is a real testament to everything I’ve learnt and how far I’ve come with the video for “Hear No, See No, Speak No.” We wanted to play on that whole control theme – being back in control.”
While Coulter looks and sounds better than ever, she’s travelled a rocky road to reach this point. Breaking up is tough enough. She says it’s even harder when you go through it out in the open. “When you’re in a relationship with someone who’s not in the public eye, you’re the one who has to carry that public face throughout the relationship, and also when it ends. I was going through a really tough time but had to step out and assure the whole of Australia I was OK, and stand on red carpets in interviews smiling and pretending it was OK. But really, it was humiliating and embarrassing to have to admit that a year into a marriage, it was over. I did get married too young, and I had to admit that I made a mistake.”
Coulter definitely hasn’t made any mistakes with her second comeback track. It’s a sexy and very catchy electro-infused pop tune which boasts Coulter’s brand new-found sass and style. While it offers the perfect platform to get back at her ex for any wrongdoings, Coulter insists the video has nothing to do with revenge or payback. “For me, it’s about expressing how I got through it, and how I got to where I am right now. It’s about not about dwelling on the bad things or attacking anyone,” she explains.
“This was the first time I’ve ever been through a break up, so I was feeling all of those emotions for the very first time. I had to get that off my chest. As a songwriter, it’s a great outlet to get all of that negative energy and negative stuff off your chest, and this album from start to end is a story and a journey of somebody going through that for the first time – and the rollercoaster of emotions and ups and downs and extreme highs and lows – and then finally finding some balance in life and feeling on top of the world.”
Coulter says she feels like she’s found her sound on her upcoming record Hear No, See No, Speak No, which is tipped for release early next year. “I’m so proud of this album. It’s so honest, and real, and raw. It’s the most honest I’ve ever let myself be. I think for a long time I used to just pretend a lot of things were OK. I used to just bottle stuff and up and not deal with things or confront things because it was easier. So in my music I would do that as well. I wouldn’t really write about anything that was too negative or hard, I would just write about positive things because it was easier,” she says.
“Whereas, this album I couldn’t come out writing about sunshine and love and great times because it’s not where I’ve been. It’s real and it’s deep and anyone who’s been through a break up can put this album on, and at any point from start to finish go ‘I’m there, I understand that, I’ve felt that, I’ve been there.’ I’m really looking forward to people hearing it.”
Coulter’s RALPH feature offers fans a pretty accurate taste of what to expect when it comes to the new Ricki-Lee. She says the magazine had been trying to pin her down for a while, and this time she had nothing holding her back. “I had been in a long-term relationships since I was 15 or 16, I had done Idol, I was 18, and I was never really comfortable doing it. They approached me this year and based on the way I’m feeling now, it was an amazing thing to do to; to embrace the confidence that I found in myself – feeling sexy and back in control of my life – and that’s what the whole new album and new song is all about. It’s all about finding your feet again, and taking back control. And what better way to take back control that to zip up the corset and crack out the whip?!
“I wouldn’t have done it if it was sleazy and gratuitous. It’s not your typical RALPH shoot. It’s very elegant and tasteful, but it’s still sexy.”
This spread was also symbolic because it was one of the first times a size 14 woman was hand-picked to feature on the cover of a men’s magazine. Coulter says she’s proud to show girls everywhere they don’t need to buckle to external demands in order to live out their dreams. “There’s always pressure from the industry and the public. I’ve had industry people tell me ‘If you lose 10 or 15 more kilos, you’ll be more successful’ which I think is a load of rubbish. I’ve managed to have a successful career over five years being a size 14 – a real woman. I’ve proven you don’t have to be stick thin to be successful,” she says.
But this isn’t the only trend that Coulter has defied and survived. The New Zealand-born pop artist is signed to an independent label (Shock) rather than a major. She says this has made her journey more difficult, but far more worthwhile. “I met with a lot of record labels and they (Shock) were the only label that asked me what kind of artist I wanted to be, and the only ones that offered me freedom and creative control and didn’t want to mould me or turn me into something I wasn’t.
“But every day independent music is really hard work. People just assume that I’m with a major label because the product we put out there is glossy and looks amazing and the video is incredible. There’s no-one else in the pop world doing what I’m doing – I’m like the only completely independently signed artist. It’s a completely unique release format, and is extremely difficult every day. The budget restraints and resource differences are extreme. But they let me grow and develop as an artist. Look at my three albums – they are so different... I wouldn’t have it any other way,” she says.
Coulter says five years ago when she auditioned for Idol, she never envisioned herself being where she is now. With the single release earmarked for November 20, and the album release next year, Coulter’s flat out and barely has a moment to breathe – but says she’s totally living the dream.
“Idol was five or six years ago and I was 18. It feels like so long ago. I was really different. I had no idea who I was back then. I’m a lot more defined as a person and as an artist these days,” she says. “I’ve got an incredible team that I work with and incredible visionaries, and I’m very, very lucky. Everyone’s so passionate and driven and focused to make it work, and it wouldn’t work without them. It’s crazy times at the moment but it’s really, really exciting. I’m having a lot of fun.”
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