Country influences and imposter syndrome: Diving into ‘Underachiever’ with Any Girl

Any Girl, formerly recognised as Reija Lee, is creating a stir with an unexpected foray into country with her latest single Underachiever. With a history of 40 million+ streams and performances at renowned events like Listen Out and BIGSOUND, Any Girl’s transition from acclaimed producer to emotive singer-songwriter is evident in this tongue-in-cheek country-pop ballad addressing imposter syndrome. Collaborating with producer and guitarist Jesse Pattinson, Underachiever combines vintage sonic elements with witty lyricism. Embracing her country roots and in collaboration with her boyfriend and creative partner Saxon Ames, Any Girl defies expectations, with her self-directed music video also showcasing her adventurous spirit. Upon its release on Thursday, August 31, Andy “Ando” Jones sat down with Any Girl to delve into the details of her latest release.

Your music has taken a turn towards country with your latest single Underachiever. What inspired this shift?

Honestly, I’m a long time listener – first time releaser. I’m just a mixed bag of genres, hence the name Any Girl. I grew up listening to Concrete Blonde and always wanted to make a song with the same drum pattern as Joey, so we started with that and it grew from there. I started Any Girl so I could follow wherever my heart takes me, and if that means dabbling in different genres then that’s what I’m gonna do.

Underachiever tackles imposter syndrome in a witty way. If you had to give imposter syndrome a physical form, what would it look like and how would you deal with it in real life?

I can’t stop thinking about Rick and Morty where there are just fake versions of characters coming in and out of the episode and no one knows who’s real and who isn’t! That’s what imposter syndrome feels like – not knowing which voice in your head to trust. And I think shooting the fakes with laser guns would be a pretty great result!

The music video for Underachiever features a horse named ‘Warrior’. If you could have a conversation with ‘Warrior’, what advice do you think ‘Warrior’ would give you about overcoming imposter syndrome?

Warrior would definitely tell me to just do whatever I want and ignore everyone around me. Cause that’s exactly what he does when I ride him (laughs).

It took a month for you to learn how to ride a horse for the video shoot. If you could learn any other skill or hobby as intensely for a month, regardless of practicality, what would it be and why?

To be fair, I’d probably keep learning how to ride because I’m still very green (laughs). But I have been meaning to get my motorbike licence for ages now so probably that… or surfing because I work for a surf company and have only given it a go like twice.

Your musical journey has spanned electronic, rock, pop and now country genres. If you were to combine these genres into a unique ice cream flavour, what ingredients would you use to represent each genre’s essence?

OK, electronic music would have to be coffee, so you can stay up late enough for the headliner; rock music would be Rocky Road; pop is obviously bubblegum; and country needs to be something like malt – straight from the farm. Not sure I’d mix them all together in one ice cream flavour… but maybe in an album.

Growing up, you longed for a rural upbringing. If you could swap lives with a character from a classic country song for a day, who would it be and why?

The Devil Went Down to Georgia by The Charlie Daniels Band! It tells a story about a man who has to verse the devil in a fiddle battle. He uses music to overcome the demons and that’s exactly what I’m doin.

In the Underachiever music video, you spend time touring the countryside in a 1971 Holden Statesman. If you could time-travel back to any country music era and have a jam session with one iconic artist, who would it be and why?

One word: Dolly. She’s an insane singer, songwriter, and a beautiful, kind human being. I can’t imagine anyone better to be around.

If Underachiever were a country dish or delicacy, what would it be and why?

(Laughs) Underachiever is about as far as you could get from a delicacy, so I’d say it’s a box of Cheezels and a Bush Chook.

Tell us about your Underachiever clothing line on Shopify.

I found a random picture of someone stacking it and threw it on a t-shirt. It’s for all the underachievers. The undesirables. The degenerates. Wear it loud and proud. You can buy it here.

The songwriting process for Underachiever was a one-day endeavour. If you had to create a time-limited creative workshop for fellow musicians to combat writer’s block, what unconventional exercises would you include to spark inspiration?

I really like covers. I think it’s a great learning experience to try to re-produce a song that you love – re-create the patches from scratch, the drum patterns, etc. I always find if I try to recreate a song I like it gets me started and then my mind usually takes it in a whole new direction anyway.

Lastly, Underachiever playfully mentions Terminator 2. If you were to cast yourself as a character in the Terminator universe, who would you be and what unique twist would you add to the storyline?

That’s easy. I’d throw in a sub-plot love story and be John Connor’s girlfriend. It’d completely ruin the movie but at least I’d get my childhood crush.