Beguiling melodies, alluring lyrics, intricate guitar playing and a searing, soulful voice that cuts straight to the heart with instinctive honesty and simplicity – that’s the music of Paul Turner.
In the fast-paced, disposable world of the new millennium catering to a consumer and technology driven society, where new music is often ephemeral and even independent artists succumb to the will of commercial forces, Paul Turner is a breath of fresh air.
Turner brings new meaning to the notion of the independent artist. His recordings on his own label, White Lotus Records, are self-funded. His uncompromising approach guarantees an authenticity that resonates with audiences who connect with his accessible acoustic-based rock songs reflecting his wanderings, loves, joys and enduring search for truth.
Paul Turner - Biography
Beguiling melodies, alluring lyrics, intricate guitar playing and a searing, soulful voice that cuts straight to the heart with instinctive honesty and simplicity – that’s the music of Paul Turner.
In the fast-paced, disposable world of the new millennium catering to a consumer and technology driven society, where new music is often ephemeral and even independent artists succumb to the will of commercial forces, Paul Turner is a breath of fresh air.
Turner brings new meaning to the notion of the independent artist. His recordings on his own label, White Lotus Records, are self-funded. His uncompromising approach guarantees an authenticity that resonates with audiences who connect with his accessible acoustic-based rock songs reflecting his wanderings, loves, joys and enduring search for truth.
Paul came to music via a circuitous route. Originally from New Zealand, a career as a professional rugby player was all set until he was stricken at the age of 20 with Ankylosing Spondylitis, a painful and debilitating rheumatic disease. Through healthy living, Paul healed himself at his new base in Sydney. A varied career led him to work in the financial markets for two years, before he changed track and headed overseas. While away, he began reading extensively, especially on philosophy and theology.
On his return to Australia, Paul took up classical guitar, and while he felt limited by the technical side of classical playing, the intimate relationship with his guitar, his reading and his explorations through meditation led him to song writing. At 30 it was a relatively late start but ensured his songs were imbued with genuine life experiences and observations. Turner has travelled widely – both geographically and spiritually – to arrive at a point where he can create music that is both intimate and universally appealing. Meditation and travelling have equal place in his life to music, but songwriting is one of the best ways, Turner has discovered, to express the many facets of life.
His songs are full of wonder and a yearning to share what he has found on his personal journey. They are bright and whimsical, wistful and mysterious, deeply romantic and effervescent as life itself. Melodies sparkle, rise and fall, not a note wasted or a phrase out of place. “Come With Me”, the opening track on his new album, Clear Blue, is an instant classic, with an infectious chorus, soaring arrangements, and a simple, heartfelt message.
“Love Meteorite” and “City Lights” are also immediately memorable, and the haunting “Room” is mesmerizing. Turner says the song was sparked initially by an experience he had in Kashmir, and later turned into a song about the questionable pursuit of science and technology in modern life. “The whole of society has been dragged away from reality, it seems.”
His songs have drawn renowned producers and engineers to work with him such as Adrian Hannan (Taxiride, Vanessa Amorosi, The Superjesus) and Brent Clark (Alex Lloyd, Midnight Oil, Alanis Morissette).
Turner has been inspired along the way by artists as diverse as Neil Young, Cat Stevens, and AC/DC, but you won’t hear any direct musical correlation to their work in his songs. It’s about synthesis and reinvention; Paul Turner is an original and distinctive singer-songwriter destined to be heard for many years to come.