Creating Rolling Stone AU/NZ’s inaugural Musicians on Musicians special edition certainly came with its challenges – it was a bit like trying to put together a jigsaw puzzle where the pieces kept changing shape – but there was one particular task that proved exceedingly fun: figuring out what artists to pair up together.
Like scientists trying different combinations of chemicals until we landed upon the perfect formula, we played around with a huge number of options until we landed upon ones that got us giddy with excitement – pairings that promised to provide some fireworks and shine a new light on some beloved artists.
Placing Tones And I and Empire of the Sun’s Luke Steele together on the cover just made sense: two Australian pop geniuses who’ve achieved global success, each with a song that a fair chunk of the planet would instantly recognise (“Dance Monkey” and “Walking on a Dream” respectively).
After already having shot six iconic Rolling Stone AU/NZ covers (Tones And I, The Wiggles, The Teskey Brothers, The Rubens, Tash Sultana and Crowded House), we once again called upon the brilliant Giulia Giannini McGauran (GG McG) to capture these two artists together for the very first time.
“With the other covers, we were focusing on one musician or group, so that meant that we’d focus on their music and really hone the concept on that artist, and it was quite specific to them,” says McGauran. “But when I was told it was two very strong artists with two very strong musical and visual identities and we have to create a space where both of them can exist in a strong way together, it became a really interesting challenge because it’s not about just the one person.”
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McGauran aimed to create something that was a bit more abstract than the previous covers she’d done to provide the opportunity for both artists to express themselves in their own unique way.
“We looked across all of Luke’s previous work and photoshoots and colour schemes and we saw the reds and the blues and we thought, OK, red and blue, we’ve got the cool and the hot – let’s use these really strong colours to create two key sets for them and allow that kind of strength to come through,” she says. “We also wanted to ensure we had a set that was quite rich and textural as well, because both artists have such interesting layers to their work.”
Once the colour palette was settled upon, McGauran and her team got stuck into the hard work of painting the sets for the photo shoot at Melbourne’s SUNSTUDIOS.
“I worked with Shanahbelle Macdonald, who is one of my favourite people to work with on this planet – she’s a set designer,” says McGauran. “We presented her with the sketches for both of the sets and she came to my studio and created those sets and brought them to life, which was very exciting to watch.
“She painted on a canvas backdrop for the red one to allow for those tonal build ups of the red, and then it was a paper backdrop for the blue and spray paint to create that kind of blurred-out look to it.”
When the day of the shoot – Wednesday, November 6th, 2024 – finally rolled around, I started to feel like the well-meaning but possibly interfering person who sets two people up on a blind date. Will they dislike each other? Will they hate me for making them go on the date? Is someone going to storm off in disgust?
Mercifully, none of those things happened: both artists were in good spirits, clearly excited to talk about their music and strike a few classic poses for the cover of Rolling Stone AU/NZ.
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“On the day, both artists arrived and brought their styling with them that we hadn’t seen until the day, which has never happened before – we’ve always styled it beforehand or had a stylist on board,” recalls McGauran. “They did have a colour brief which both of them stuck to, so we knew to some degree what they would be bringing along, but the final pieces were a surprise. So we got to explore their styling while they were getting hair and makeup done.”
The fiery backdrop eventually used on the final cover was the first set up, with Luke and Tones dressed head to toe in blazing red.
“That’s actually where they got to know each other, which was quite thrilling to watch,” says McGauran. “They had to pose together, which was a really fascinating thing because with musicians, you’re getting them to pose as a band, as a united front, when in fact [Tones and Luke] had just met. So that was a really interesting sort of dynamic and challenge within itself, because you have to figure out how each person moves and poses.
“There was more formality in the poses in the beginning, and by the end they moved together really nicely. I feel like it made everyone in the room really present because everyone had to go with whatever that moment held.”
So how is McGauran feeling now that Rolling Stone AU/NZ cover Number Seven is finally in the bag?
“Honestly, every cover has just been total heaven – each one has been a world of its own and it’s been very specific to that artist,” she says. “I think this one stood out because it was both thrilling and nerve-wracking, because there were two artists and there were way more unknowns on this cover than any of the previous ones.
“I’m grateful that I got to do this as the seventh cover. Getting it done relied on a lot of trust and teamwork and both artists being open to it, and thankfully all those things fell into place.”
The December 2024-February 2025 issue of Rolling Stone AU/NZ is on newsstands now.
Whether you’re a fan of music, you’re a supporter of the local music scene, or you enjoy the thrill of print and longform journalism, then Rolling Stone AU/NZ is exactly what you need. Click the link below for more information regarding a magazine subscription.
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