Fast Five: Starley on staying indie, Spotify and why that Call On Me remix blew up

The story’s notorious now: in early 2016, Sydney songwriter Starley Hope was about to give up on trying to make it as a songwriter, having tried to make a go of it in London, Sydney and LA, when she wrote a bouncy, hopeful little track to encourage herself for one last push. Released in late July on a tiny indie deal, by October it had been re-released by Epic in the US, had near-unprecedented Spotify stats (including a zero percent skip rate) and was, by any metric you care to name, blowing up.

It’s now a certified hit and one of the biggest songs of the last year, with the original racking up over 31 million Spotify streams and the sparkling remix by Ryan Riback sitting at 415 million streams and counting (and peaking at #7 on the TMN Hot 100airplay chart). It’s been certified Gold in three countries, Platinum in six, including the US and the UK, and double Platinum in her native Australia.

Today marks the release of her much-anticipated follow-up singleTouch Me,inspired by Groove Theory’s90s neo-soul classicTell Me. Starley took a break from recording her upcoming debut album in a studio in Los Angeles’ hip Silverlake neighbourhood to fillTMN in on some highlights from a wild 12 months.

How does it feel to have so many people connecting withCall On Me, when you wrote it in such a low moment yourself?

It’s absolutely amazing! I want my music to touch people and the fact that Call on Me did was incredible.

When I was tour with Clean Bandit, we were playing in Austin and a woman with a clear limp, walking with a cane came up to me. She told me she was recovering from a stroke and that Call on Me had helped her get through it. It brought tears to my eyes!

What do you love about Ryan Riback’s remix? Did you connect to his interpretation of the song right away?

I was in love with my original version because I had worked so hard on it. So, I was fine with his remix but didn’t think it would do better than the original.

Over time, though, it grew to become my favourite version. There’s so much tempo and it hits you immediately. I definitely see why people like it!

How important was Spotify to the success of the song and its remix?

Spotify was instrumental for the success I’ve had. The original was doing great and getting a ton of attention, but when one of the curators in Denmark put the remix on Denmark’s New Music Friday playlist it took off. Apparently listeners weren’t skipping the record at all and next thing you know it’s #1 on Today’s Top Hits with no radio or, really, any label support. It made it there because of the Spotify fans!

Do you still feel like an indie artist? How does working with a small label in Australia compare with your experience with labels like Epic overseas?

I’ve been fortunate to be really in control of my project so it definitely feels like I’m still indie. Besides that, the deal with Epic is a licensing deal so everything I do is still based on my deal in Australia.

Touch Me’s vibe hits somewhere between the remix and the original Call On Me – what sounds are you working on for the new album?

I love dance/pop but I’m honestly just making a record that moves me! I just want to release amazing songs that I’m proud to put my name behind!