Music's in the family for Katie Noonan

‘‘Mum [Maggie Noonan] has a much, much bigger voice than me, she’s a full dramatic soprano. She does the really big stuff that doesn’t suit my voice. My voice is more pure, but it’s a smaller voice,’’ Noonan said. Humble indeed for a woman who has won multiple ARIA awards.

To say music is a family affair for Noonan is an understatement. In addition to her opera-singing mother is a jazz-crooning journalist for a father, grandparents who were accomplished performers, brother Tyrone, who was the other half of band george, and husband Zac, who is one-third of Noonan’s band of 15 years, Elixir.

‘‘Music is such an intrinsic part of my life and what I do that I’ve never known any other,’’ Noonan said.

‘‘Watching my mother on stage was amazing and made me realise the possibilities for transformation and escapism through music, because I’d see her transform from the woman with the apron making school lunches to this fantastic creature up on stage who was in a completely different universe.’’

Noonan never intended to be a full-time musician, and as a child wanted to follow in her father’s footsteps and become a journalist.

‘‘I did work experience at the ABC newsroom during school, which was great. But I got into both music courses I applied for so I decided to do that for a while.

‘‘I started in opera and then realised I didn’t love that enough, so changed to jazz.’’

She has managed to avoid being pigeonholed as an opera singer but said that was the result of circumstance rather than a conscious career decision.

‘‘I’ve just followed my muse,’’ Noonan said.

‘‘I have a pretty big appetite for learning different types of music – my main loves are pop, classical and jazz – so I’ve pursued streams of those three styles. My career so far has been a series of happy accidents and coming across people at the right time.’’

Noonan describes Elixir as the ‘‘lovely, gentle, intimate side project that I’ve kind of dipped in and out of for many years’’.

‘‘Actually, oh my god, it’s been 15 years now. We formed in 1997. Wow, I hadn’t realised we had been around that long,’’ she laughed.

‘‘My husband (Zac Hurren) is the sax player. Our new guitarist (Stephen Magnusson) joined the band six years ago and that really took us to a new level of musical exploration.

‘‘I grew up in a house that was dedicated to two main things, literature and music, and I guess, interestingly, that’s how these two things have come together in Elixir.’’

First Seed Ripening, Elixir’s second album, was inspired by the penmanship of Australian poet Thomas Shapcott.

‘‘I’m immensely proud of it. We wrote it in two sessions and then we made the album live in six days,’’ Noonan said.

‘‘We all come from a background of jazz and improvisation and being in the moment, so the only way to record is live.

‘‘Every single record I’ve made, I’ve tracked my vocals live, even with george. I respect other people’s processes but for me, the only way to do it is live.’’

When asked how she found time to be creative with two boys aged five and six running around, Noonan laughed.

‘‘It can be difficult. But we made a conscious decision to get out of the city three-and-a-half years ago, and we live on acreage – quite remote, no television, partly solar-powered, all of that stuff.

‘‘We decided that we wanted to bring up our children that way but also, from a creative point of view, it’s wonderful to be in nature and not have a television. It allows you to return to that place of quiet and make music.’’

Given the family’s history, there is a fair chance Noonan’s sons will follow in their parents’ footsteps – if they choose to. .

‘‘I will encourage the boys to express themselves, and Dexter has just got his first electric guitar, which he loves,’’ Noonan said.

‘‘I certainly didn’t push him towards guitar, he naturally gravitated towards it.

‘‘We’re always singing and Zac is always playing saxophone. It’s a wonderful life but it’s not an easy life in a lot of ways.

‘‘For creative people it’s a wonderful job when you’re doing the creative stuff, but there’s a lot of things about it that aren’t so great.’’

Noonan is looking forward to returning to Newcastle, where she has performed ‘‘many, many times’’.

‘‘My mum’s from Newcastle and my nanna lives in Hamilton. Newcastle is where I spent every summer during my childhood. I just love Lizotte’s,’’ she said.

Elixir play at Lizotte’s at Lambton on Saturday, February 4. Tickets available at newcastle.lizottes.com.au or 49562066.