"Let Yourself Cry, Let Yourself Yell At The Sky"

One of the best things about being a music journalist is learning from those you interview on a daily basis — wisdom is exchanged, life's lessons discussed. Jodi Martin has a lot to share in this department. At 39, Martin has packed in more experience relating to hardship than most of us would be able to handle: the death of her younger brother, Tony; a cancelled wedding; a miscarriage; and the loss of her home to fire. And she's done so with grace and positivity.

"After I lost my home I was three weeks out from a north coast tour, and I brought my friend along to make sure I didn't lose the plot."

"The Saltwater album came together before everything went pear-shaped in my life," she says gently. "It's interesting, because there's songs on there that actually helped me through that time, like Things Are Gonna Change. It helped me through a lot of loss... After I lost my home I was three weeks out from a north coast tour, and I brought my friend along to make sure I didn't lose the plot, you know? It was a huge shock... because I was touring all last year, flat out, I didn't really have time to stop and go, 'What just happened to me?' and I just really needed that. So last summer I took a couple of months to just go surfing and write songs and process it. I think it's so important to process what you go through and actually face it head-on rather than burying it under the carpet."

A further three songs emerged from this time, added to the album that she is about to tour around the country. "This tour means a lot to me. Diesel is all about being true to who you are and doing what you love despite the odds. And it's hard to tour at the moment, but we're doing it: it's my dream. I've got this van back on the road, it's my original tour van that I toured my first album with my sister - she's actually taken long service leave from her job and come back on the road. Grind around Australia in a van with me," Martin laughs heartily.

Her surfboard has been tetrissed into the packed van; an integral part of Martin's healing process is spending as much time as possible in the ocean. "I always knew the ocean was healing, but I didn't know how much… The Saltwater reference is also about tears, because there's salt water in tears. I think a lot of our culture — we try to stop kids from crying or we feel bad if someone's crying, so we try to stop them. But, in actual fact, it's just the grief coming out and it's really, really important healing.

"So the three songs that I added are basically quite raw — they're really processing the loss that I've been through, which everyone goes through. Life hurts sometimes, and I think the key to being well and to living your life to the fullest is to feel it, not shove it under the carpet, and let the emotions out in a safe place. Let yourself cry, let yourself yell at the sky."