'Mum's With Me

Samantha Jade gets support from her mother’s memory

- Alexandra McCarthy

As Perth-born singer Samantha Jade worked last year on recording disco tracks for her third album, she took inspiration from the global #MeToo and #TimesUp movements. “When that started to happen,” says Jade, “we added on songs like ‘I Will Survive’, and I think that song, for anybody going through struggle, is such an empowering moment, but especially [for] women in this climate.”

The resulting album, Best of My Love—a tribute to strong women of the disco era— updates retro jams for a new generation and proved to be just what Jade needed to rejuvenate her career. “My record Nine [released in 2015] was very much heartfelt,” Jade says. “It was very deep and I had gone through a lot of turmoil in my personal life, and it was dedicated to my mum and that situation, so I knew I wanted to do something light and fun.”