How To gives you an insider look into how our artists do something (it could be anything!) as they share some tips and tricks along the way. Everyone does things differently and we can all learn from each other to find the best methods for our craft... We caught up with L-FRESH The LION on the eve of his string of Groovin The Moo shows to check out his essentials when it comes to packing for a 3 week festival tour and to also learn more about what he is most excited for.
Catch L-FRESH on the following dates on the Moolin Rouge stage (12:00pm and 12:30pm - check the Groovin Website for all set times): Friday 28th April - Adelaide Showground, Wayville, SA Saturday 29th April - Maitland Showground, Maitland, NSW Sunday 30th April - Murray Sports Complex, Townsville, QLD Saturday 6th May - Prince of Wales Showground, Bendigo, NSW Sunday 7th May - University of Canberra, Canberra, ACT Saturday 13th May - Hay Park, Bunbury, WA Artists that L-FRESH is keen to check out include: Loyle Carner, Tash Sultana, Thundamentals, B Wise, Coda Conduct, Manu Crooks, Morgan Bain, and Ziggy. Who's on your list...?
Adelaide's Tkay Maidza has been delivering the goods since '03 and ever since this hip hop queen announced she was dropping her debut album, we have been counting down the days...
Her latest track 'Simulation' earns a spot as our Zug Zug this week. This massive tune manages to conjure up this glamorous virtual reality rich with tropical vibes - it's the electric energy of this track which makes it a surefire synth-pop hit.
Tkay's self-titled debut album is out 28 October and features earlier bangers 'Carry On' feat. Killer Mike and 'Tennies'. Catch her on the album tour - it's gonna be dope.
Wed 26 Oct | Cassette, Auckland Thu 26 Oct | Empire, Christchurch Thu 03 Nov | The Triffid, Brisbane Fri 04 Nov | 170 Russell, Melbourne Sat 05 Nov | Capital, Perth Thu 10 Nov | Metro Theatre, Sydney Fri 18 Nov | HQ, Adelaide Sat 19 Nov | Uni Bar, Hobart Join our Zug Zug Spotify playlist.
The latest track from ya girls Coda Conduct (Erica and Sally) is our Zug Zug this week! Featuring members of our fambam with Jimblah dropping some sweet verses, and a tight hook and Jayteehazard on the beats, 'Usually I'm Cool' offers up a determined and soulful earworm. Spitting rhymes on the fly in the force of fiery beats, 'Usually I'm Cool' takes you into an affair that never loses its cool with its deadly charm.
'Usually I'm Cool' is out now, taken from their forthcoming EP set to drop later in the year.
Catch Coda Conduct on their 'Usually I'm Cool' tour. Tickets available via their website.
Sat 27 Aug | Cream Festival, Canberra Wed 7 Sept | BIGSOUND, Brisbane Fri 9 Sept | Plan B Small Club, Sydney Fri 16 Sept | Grace Darling, Melbourne Thu 22 Sept | On Notice Festival, Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre, Liverpool Fri 7 Oct | Transit Bar, Canberra Sat 8 Oct | Sad Grrls Festival, Factory Theatre, Sydney Fri 21 Oct | Rocket Bar, Adelaide
Photo by Cole Bennetts Rituals... My team and I get together and give thanks as a group before each show. That gets us mentally prepared for the show. We also take that opportunity to remind ourselves to stay present, soak up the atmosphere and have fun. Warm up secrets ... I have a warm up and warm down routine for my voice. I use an app on my phone called Vocal Mastery, which was made by my vocal coach, Leigh McRae. It has everything I need on there. For my body, you'll find me jumping up and down and getting some stretches in. Choreography... My team and I come up with the choreography during rehearsals or when we watch back footage from a show we've just done. We're big on being authentic on stage so we don't fully choreograph every movement. Instead, we pick moments to sync our movements together in order to build energy.
We get inspired by all the great performers who've come before us. We watch a lot of their live footage for inspiration. And we're constantly reviewing our own footage to see where we can improve.
Favourite part of a live performance...
Man, I just love being onstage. The entire set is my favourite part! It's so much fun. I remind myself not to take any of it for granted.
More info about L-FRESH THE LION live coming very, very soon Australia... keep your eyes on his website for more details.
Photo by Romain Duquesne Sydney based vocalist and all round multi-faceted artist OKENYO joins the fam. We caught up with her to talk about the origins of her musical career and to get a taste of what's to come from our new and exciting collaboration. How did you get involved with music in your earliest days? Did you always have a creative inkling? I've always sung from an early age but never trained as a singer. My voice has changed a lot over the years and that is due to the different styles I've had to sing in theatre productions. Spanish, French, ballad, soprano, harmonies, belting, et cetera, all these different techniques really challenged and opened up my range in a major way. I really believe everyone can sing, you just have to find your voice. Was there a musical persona developing before OKENYO? At what point did you realise OKENYO was meant to be? I always wrote little bits and pieces but it wasn't until I got the iMaschine app on my phone that I really started putting whole songs together. Having access to making beats was easily a gateway to being more intuitive. I then went on to work more extensively with iMaschine on my laptop. When I toured with Jinja Safari a few years ago, I had more of a persona. I think that was natural for me because of my acting background. These days I'm leaning towards being closer to who I actually am, which is exhilarating but also confronting putting yourself out there. I feel like in the end people will connect more with me if I give them the true me. What drew you to ET and why did you feel it was the right fit for you? I knew they really cared about the artist and want to facilitate that rather that control it. When the signing went public and all the artists posted about me saying welcome, I knew I'd hit the jackpot. I don't think many labels operate on this true family level. It's very heart-warming and that positivity and respect makes me want to do great work. How has your experience been since signing with ET? How was it touring with Urthboy and L-Fresh? I had so much fun!! I was super nervous to see how my solo show would go or if it would work, but once I realised it was working and people are responding to my set really positively I could relax a bit more. Each person on tour was a treat to be around and even though it was the Urthboy tour it feels like a big ET love affair. That is testament to Urthboy though, he is egoless - it's rare.
You’ve been described by many as an exciting new and unique artist who is mysterious and pushing the boundaries of genre.
Mysterious! I'll take that. I'm glad I don't prescribe to one particular genre, it's certainly not intentional. I remember early conversations with some musicians I was working with who were classically trained and they kept saying to me before we'd tried an idea I'd had: "This won't work because A doesn't fit with B." It was really frustrating because I just don't think there are rules. I write from an instinctual place and am still very much learning. It's important to remain the student even when you get to the top of your game.
How would you describe your approach/attitude to music (both production and writing)? What’s motivating you as an artist? Is it the opportunity to push the boundaries, is it about finding yourself, is it about using your voice to the fullest potential?
It's all those things. I think definitely there is a current focus on finding myself and that is with the greater need to then be clearer about what I want to say about the world. I'm probably more political than I was in my 20's and I'm focussing on how to put that into my music in a way that is not token but can have the capacity to make social change. Aim big!
To celebrate the launch of her single, '10 Feet Tall', OKENYO will be performing an intimate gig at Sydney's Oxford Circus, Wednesday July 6. Tickets available through Moshtix.
