Cabaret artist and vocal coach Amelie Peters shares her current favourite things with SALIFE ahead of her Gluttony show Sink or SING! An Interactive Cabaret.
What does your idea of the perfect day look like?
Short version – a lot of singing!
Waking up in freshly cleaned bed sheets after a long sleep in. I’ll start cranking Olivia Dean as I make an iced oat latte and cook banana pancakes topped with strawberries. Then I’d go to the Adelaide Hills or Henley Beach for a walk in the sunshine, either listening to my favourite podcast/musical/song, or having a big yap with a dear friend. Afterwards, lunch at a beautiful local cafe, ideally there’s a dog there that I can pat and then yap some more with a girlie over delicious smashed avo on toast with a coffee. Be a passenger princess as I get driven home – green lights and no traffic the entire way! Get settled for singing practice and songwriting. I’ll nail all the challenging notes and write a masterpiece, send it to a music industry friend for a second opinion (who then validates its brilliant work!) and I’ll then walk to my vocal studio on Gresham Street where I coach Adelaide’s fierce vocalists! Then I’d head over to Gluttony at the Adelaide Fringe, eat some dinner from a local vendor in the hub and prepare for my show Sink or SING! An Interactive Cabaret at the BankSA Theatre. It’s a sold out show, the band sounds unreal, the girlie’s showed up in their sparkles and we sing all night! Then I’d head home, have the longest shower of my life and head back into my freshly washed bed sheets before I doom scroll on social media and let my brain rot into a calm sleep.
What is a wonderful moment of kindness you have experienced?
SO MANY! But this memory comes to mind right now…
My bestie’s family is like one of my own, I absolutely adore the Cibich/Health clan. Recently, I was setting up the new vocal studio and Patti (my bestie’s Mum) donated a rug and helped create and sketch a design for the layout. Patti is also the seamstress for my costumes in Sink or SING! An Interactive Cabaret – I aways say she’s going to come out of retirement because she’s going to be famous after the shows! My bestie Alia then helped set up the singing studio space for 8 hours straight, it was a 35 degree day with no elevator access but she didn’t complain once. This is only the tip of the iceberg of what this incredibly generous and kind family gives. If anyone is fortunate enough to come across a family as special as this, hold on tightly – they are rare and you are incredibly lucky to have them in your life.
What is your favourite photograph?
This was my favourite outfit as a kid. I remember wearing it non-stop. Most of my clothes came from the op-shop, so to have a matching set was super special. Whenever I get scared – whether it be an international tour, singing new material live or sharing my heart with someone special – I look at this picture and remember how fearless this kid was and that it will all be okay.
If you could own any piece of art, what would it be?
The Dance Class (La Classe de Danse), 1873–1876, oil on canvas, by Edgar Degas.
In Year 11 art class, I sketched the dancer scratching her back who sits on the left of the dance class painted by Degas. It’s a gorgeous painting and it brings back nostalgia of a much simpler time in my life, plus I want the bragging rights of saying “I own a Degas.”
Here’s $500. You have to spend it in the next hour – what are you buying?
Tickets to the Adelaide Fringe Festival, of course. Sink or SING! An Interactive Cabaret is at the top of the list obviously!
Then I’d book a luxe spa day for me and a bestie.
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A bar/café/restaurant in SA you’d recommend?
This is tough – there are so many gorgeous spots that have opened up around Adelaide! If I HAD to choose…
Bar: La Buvette Drinkery, Gresham Street
Café: FRED Eatery, Aldgate
Restaurant: Fugazzi, Leigh Street
Bakery: Jenny’s Bakery, Glen Osmond Road
What was the last film/tv show you watched?
Film: Wicked: For Good
TV Show: Bridgerton
Favourite way to unwind?
Honestly? Catch up on all the reels my bestie sent me and let my brain rot on TikTok – let a tarot reader feed my delusions, iykyk.
Last book you read?
I’m blushing! My sister shared her box set of A Court of Thorns and Roses literally two years ago… I’m still on book 2 of 5 in the series. It’s… spicy.
Last song you listened to?
Fairy Bread by Amelie Peters aka yours truly! The song is from Sink or SING! An Interactive Cabaret – we had a band rehearsal last night for the Adelaide Fringe Festival and I was listening back to the recording. It’s such a cutesy, fun, uplifting and nostalgic original song. Think musical theatre vibes meets pop. I’m so proud of how the song has developed across festival seasons and sharing the music with a band of local musicians makes my heart sing even more.
