After writing songs with Guy Sebastian and for The Voice winner Lachie Gill, Ned Houston is stepping behind the mic with his debut single. The singer-songwriter from Ngambri/Canberra wrote “Self Defence” in Nashville with Melissa Fuller, who’s written songs for everyone from Trisha Yearwood to Grace Potter, and Grammy-winning lyricist David Hodges, who’s known for his work with Ed Sheeran, Evanescence, and Christina Perri.
Melissa was pregnant at the time, and Ned said her “calm, maternal energy” helped him open up and process his feelings about the relationship he left behind six months prior. “Self Defence” was the result of that vulnerable songwriting session.
“The song came from a very real moment in my life — a betrayal I didn’t fully process until much later. I’d found out, through a friend, that my partner had been with someone else while I was overseas working,” he recalled. “When I confronted her, she tried to cover it up using a family member’s mental health crisis as an excuse. I ended things immediately – no arguments, no closure – just silence. At the time, I thought I was okay. But months later in Nashville, the grief of that relationship hit me unexpectedly, and hard. ‘Self Defence’ is about that delayed processing of a relationship that ended suddenly without any closure. It explores the blurred line between protecting yourself and leaving something unresolved.”
With a dream team of songwriters, the track was always going to feel more polished than your average debut. But couple those lyrics with Ned’s vulnerable vocals and you’ve got a recipe for success. Hopefully this marks a new chapter as a solo artist, because he’s clearly got the goods.
Image used with permission from 3Keys Records
