Sarah Ellen and Josh Kempen are Pamela., a modern alternative-pop duo from Sydney, Australia. The band was formed from the floor of a sharehouse in Kensington, after discovering a shared love of Pink Floyd. If you like your music atmospheric with a cinematic, indie-sleaze-nostalgic vibe, Pamela. are for you.

We asked them to send us some thoughts about touring and creativity via voice note, and to answer Astrophe’s 24 Questions.

Their debut EP IT’S NICE TO SEE YOU HERE is out now.

(voice note)

what is your go-to karaoke song ?

Sarah Ellen Ooh, I love this question. After a couple of drinks, Don't Call Me Baby by Madison Avenue.

Josh Kempen My go to karaoke song is Rock DJ by Mr Robbie Willams.

what did the process of making this new album teach you about yourself, and about each other ?

SE This album taught me just how important collaboration is … and this album also taught me that Josh drinks about 5 coffees on an ordinary day.

how do you combat creative block ?

SE At this point in our career, we've not really had a creative block, but I imagine the answer would be to get in a habitual routine of meditating.

JK I combat creative block with 2 steps.

The 1st is to always be listening to music. That's a great source of inspiration.

And the 2nd is to be in a room or a studio every single day with my guitar and with my microphone. I am constantly rotating 5 to 10 musical ideas and I just keep looping them and playing them. And inevitably, some will fall away and some will become something interesting.

what are your most & least favourite parts of touring ?

SE My most favourite part is being able to visit cities and places that I probably would never have had the opportunity to visit, had music not have taken me there.

And my least favourite part is being away from my friends and family during big moments of our lives.

JK This is probably a bit of a cliche, but my favourite part of touring is honestly just being on stage. It's what makes all the travelling and the late nights and early mornings worth it.

And least favourite … luggage.

how do you mark the completion of a project ?

SE Ooo, you set a deadline. The deadline is very important because otherwise we would not know when to stop.

(written)

1. can you describe the last dream you remember

SE I remember being really excited about this dream because it felt like some sort of spiritual alignment. I was riding a white horse (named Montero) bare back and I felt so free!

JK I bought a fluffy brown dog. It was a good dream.

2. what's the last tarot card you pulled

SE Protection !

JK It was something to do with things burning down to make room for new things to grow. I remember being bummed about it at first, but it ended up making sense in my life at the time.

3. where do you seek comfort

SE A 10 pack of chicken nuggets from McDonalds.

JK My family, my partner, cooking.

4. what are you hyper-fixated on at the moment

SE Making our live show as exhilarating as it could possibly be.

JK Our next EP.

5. what is the last piece of music you want to hear before it is lights out

SE Andrea Bocelli - Con te partirò.

JK You Sexy Thing by Hot Chocolate. No need to lean into the sadness.

6. what makes you rage

SE Misogynistic men.

JK I don’t really ‘rage’. Maybe not getting acknowledged for your work, or having your ideas stolen. Also getting charged for overweight hand luggage. Why!?

7. what’s your most tightly held belief

SE The energy you put out to the world is the energy you get back.

JK Rhythm guitar is superior to lead guitar.

8. what is your most prized possession

SE My Japanese vintage Stratocaster by Fender.

JK Free will.

9. what book(s) and / or album(s) are required reading for a good life

SEThe Seat of the Soul by Gary Zukav and also The 5 Levels of Attachment !

JK Albums: Rolling Stone’s ‘Exile on Main Street’, Devendra Banhart’s ‘Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon’

Books: Man’s Search for Meaning, Project Hail Mary, Night People.

11. describe the most spiritual experience you’ve ever had

JK Sarah and I cooked dinner last night and as I tasted it I said to her, “I think I just found my answer to that Astrophe question!”

12. what is the last thing you googled

SE How to spell Stratocaster.

JK “What’s the link between coffee consumption and the industrial revolution”.

13. what do you miss the most about being a teenager

SE Having time on my hands.

JK Living at home.

14. what’s the most woo woo thing you’ve ever done

SE Seen a psychic! And I LOVED her. I would definitely recommend her. Dm me if you’re looking for one lol.

JK Went to the psychic Sarah recommended.

15. what did your childhood bedroom look like

SE Posters of my favourite pop stars on the walls and diaries upon diaries underneath my bed.

JK I remember I painted it blue, slept on a futon, and I had an epic fish tank.

16. what piece of art has made the biggest impact on you

SE Probably Salvador Dali’s collaboration with Walt Disney, Destino. This was the film that made me fall in love with Surrealism and inspires a lot of my work.

JK Probably The Lion King. I think we underestimate how much the movies we watch as kids affect us. Thank God there were some good ones!

17. what was your sliding doors moment and what do you think that life would look like

JK I ran out of money while I was in Lake Como on my gap year. I had to ask for a job and ended up living there for a few months. I made friends that I now consider family and it was there I decided to pursue music.

18. what would you like to be reincarnated as

SE My dog. She gets treated like absolute royalty!!

JK A very loved dog would be just fine.

19. who is your biggest inspiration

SE My mum. She is the most stoic, caring, loyal, fun, reliable woman I have ever known.

JK My dad. Grounded, strong, funny, loyal, amazing taste.

21. do you believe in god

SE I want to. But with so much suffering in the world, it's hard to believe there is one. It sounds really bleak, I know. Either way, I still pray. I like to send out my little prayers into the universe, just in case.

JK Sure do.

22. what’s your favourite idiom

SE You miss 100 percent of the shots you don't take!!

JK Everyone has two lives, and the second one starts the moment you realise you have only one.

23. what is your relationship to the internet

SE Toxic.

JK Has a few downsides but the pros outweigh the cons. Concerts, tutorials, movies, podcasts, live sport. Divine.

24. leave us with one piece of advice, babe

SE There is a famous French proverb: «Pour vivre heureux, vivons cachés» which translates in English to "To live happily, live hidden" which basically means - protect yourself from the evil eye!

JK Something I learned from a math teacher but I think it applies to most things. You’re probably only two weeks behind where you want to be. Two weeks of grind. That’s it.

See more from Pamela here.

WORDS Isabelle Webster
PHOTOGRAPHY Olivia Repaci
STYLING Sophia Stamellos
MAKEUP Cherry Cheung
HAIR Darren Summors

SARAH Coach t-shirt, jumper and skirt. Stylists own socks. Roger Vivier shoes. JOSH Coach t-shirt and jeans. Own belt. RM Williams boots. SARAH Kate Spade top, Alma Ines Skirt. JOSH Kate Spade top, Zero Meaning Pant. SARAH Max Mara top, Skirt and Shoes. JOSH Armani Pants, BOSS top and jacket, RM Williams Boots. SARAH ACNE Studios top and pant, BOSS shoes. JOSH Calvin Klein singlet, Calvin Klein pants, BOSS Jacket, RM Williams Boots. Own belt.