The interview with Crossroad Y from Sydney, live @The Lair @ Metro Theatre on Wednesday, May 20th for Emergenza Festival Australia:   

LET'S TALK ABOUT YOUR BAND NAME: WHO CHOSE IT AND WHY?

It took us a while to decide on the band name, we brainstormed many ideas in search for something meaningful and memorable. We wanted there to be a story with the name and we found one in Crossroad Y. The three of us, Joanna, John and Fabian came from different countries, and we met here in Sydney, Australia. There is a letter Y in each city name we were brought up and two Ys in Sydney! Y also symbolises a fork in the road and, for the three of us, it was like our paths have crossed at that one point and that's how Crossroad Y was decided.

PLEASE TELL US SOMETHING ABOUT YOUR BAND: HOW AND WHEN WAS IT BORN?

We used to work together and, through casual chats about our interests outside of work, Joanna and John discovered their common ground - love for music. They started meeting up and writing together and, a couple of months later, Fabian who worked in a different department got involved in the songwriting, singing along, playing and working on songs arrangements. From the mix of styles of music that each of us has been influenced by, we found common ground and the song ideas come to life.

WHEN DID YOUR INTEREST IN MUSIC BEGIN? AND HOW HAS YOUR MUSIC CHANGED FROM THE MOMENT YOU BEGAN TO PLAY TOGETHER?

From very young age each of us were involved in some sort of musical activity, be it at school or at home. We have find that we all have some common influences and genres of music we like and we make it work by drawing on those influences and being able to add a touch of individuality in each song. Our individual ideas and contributions have helped us create the sound we project and the stories we tell to our audiences.

WHAT ARE YOUR MUSICAL INFLUENCES?

We're all kids of the 70s and 80s and so the big classic rock and pop icons of those times and beyond, like: U2, Bon Jovi, Queen, The Beatles, The Cranberries, Fleetwood Mac, Michael Jackson, Blondie, Celine Dion have mostly influenced our style. We do stay open to new, emerging sounds and trends and always try to find the unique quality that will help us connect with our fans.

IS THERE A SONG THAT IS SPECIAL FOR YOU? IF SO, WHICH ONE AND WHY?

Our single, Funny Little Things was the first one we've ever released for the very reason of it being special and very personal to us. It tells a story of losing someone close, a story of how short and fragile life is and of appreciating the beautiful memories and the legacy that are left behind when the person is gone. We all know the pain of loss and living far away from our families we also know the pain of not being able to say goodbye. The song got us to semi-finals of International Song of the Year contest in 2014 in Pop category. It was such a great honour as the contest is judged by world famous artists like Alicia Keys, Steven Tyler, Phil Collins and Gwen Stefani. The video clip was also awarded a Semi-Finalist spot in the UK Songwriting Contest in Music Video category.

WHERE DO YOU GET INSPIRATION TO WRITE SONGS (EVENTS, MOOD....)?

Lots of things inspire us to write. The songs we wrote early on were often inspired by personal experience or things that had happened to people that are close to us. More recently we have taken to writing stories about situations or people which we found compelling and we felt we could do justice in telling their story with our music. There is lots to be inspired about.

HOW DID YOU KNOW ABOUT EMERGENZA FESTIVAL AND WHY YOU DECIDED TO TAKE PART IN IT?

We received an email through membership with another platform with an invitation to submit our music to Emergenza and upon researching about the festival we decided we really wanted to be a part of it. We are thrilled to have been contacted to partake and can't wait to perform alongside other unsigned, undoubtedly talented bands.

WHAT DO YOU EXPECT FROM EMERGENZA AND HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT YOUR FIRST EMERGENZA CONCERT?

The festival is massive and it's a great honour to be able to participate. We expect to have fun entertaining our fans and the greater audience and we hope to get through to the next stage. We are very excited to perform at the Lair Metro Theatre shortly and share our music and stories in our songs. We've been working hard on recording our next few songs and we can't wait to play them at the event.

Wanna enrol your band in  Emergenza Festival Australia? Click here!