Illy (15/08/2013)
Melbourne MC Illy is in London and Czech Republic for his very first international shows. We had a chat with him last week about Manchester United, getting a law degree and his upcoming album.
Hi Illy, how are you?
Good, what’s happening?
Not much! Now you’ve been counting down the days on your social media pages. How long until your tour officially kicks off?
I think there’s about four weeks.
You’re playing your two international shows; in the Czech Republic and London, how excited are you for these shows?
Very, very...I leave for them next Tuesday, so yeah, pretty amped!
Have you heard from fans there that are keen to see you live?
Yeah, well it looks like the London show might sell out, which is a bit of a trip. I haven’t heard much from the Czech Republic but we’ll give it a crack! It’s at a festival, so I think there will be people there, but we’ll see how well they go for rapper with an Australian accent.
It’s a hip-hop festival that you’re playing at?
Yeah, that’s right.
I think they’ll like a different taste of hip-hop once they hear you.
Yeah, well I think so. I think we’ll be okay.
What else will you be doing while you’re in Europe? Seeing some soccer matches?
Yeah, my mum is from Manchester so I’m a born and raised United fan, so I’m going to go to a match in Manchester. I’ll be in Germany for a little bit so I might try and see some games there as well.
If my stalking is correct, is it also your birthday while you’re away?
It’s my birthday the week after I get back. I have a show in Magnetic Island up near Townsville so it will be a pretty loose birthday I think!
Well Happy B’day for then!
Cheers!
So where are you at with the album? When will it be released?
It will definitely be released this year, I’m up here speaking with the label and working out when exactly that’s going to happen. But it’s definitely going to be this year!
Does it have a name yet?
I leave that til the album is finished, and then I come up with a name right at the end.
We’ve had a bit of a taster with your single On and On, it seems to be a lot ‘poppier’ to your other stuff. How does the rest of the album compare?
I think On and On definitely has its own lane on the album. I don’t think it’s very reflective of where the rest of the album is at. With that said, there’s a lot of different sounds on the album; there’s some really slamming sort of Hip Hop tracks, there’s some heavy bass stuff and some pop stuff as well, so it’s a pretty broad spectrum on this one.
Asta lends her voice on On and On, who else have you got singing with you on these tracks?
I’ve got a track with Daniel Merriweather, Kira Puru and Avalanche City-there’s a few different features as far as vocals. I’ve obviously got some collaborations with some fairly massive Australian Hip Hop acts which I’m gonna keep under wraps.
You’re releasing this album for the first time on your own label ONETWO, can you tell us how that all started?
Well I finished my contract with my old label, and I wanted to sort out set up my own thing. I have wanted to for quite a while. Basically, I just wanted to have my own operation going, which artists can look at as a ‘viable’ option when they are considering what they want to do with their music and how they want to release it.
Do you find it cool being your own boss?
Even at my old label, they were really good with that sort of stuff. But yeah, it’s nice to sort of be running my own ship. I’m really excited in the next year or however long to start really setting up and getting some other acts on board and making a real home out of it.
You’ve been working alongside producer M-Phazes on the album. Will there be a series 2 of Friday Flips out soon as well?
We’re going to start work on that once we’re back from overseas so that will be coming in the next few months. It will definitely be out before the album comes out, it will be quite soon I think. We were always gonna to do it, it was just a matter of when we had time and now that this album is almost out, we are in a pretty good spot to do it, so I think it will be cool!
Some people may not know this about you, but did you complete a law degree a few years ago? As a law student myself, how did you manage to juggle music and study?
Very poorly. It was a real juggling act. To be honest, I was lucky that a lot of my subjects were 100% exam and not compulsory attendance so I missed a lot of class and crammed like a maniac. At the start of the course, when I got in, I had a really tough first year, and at the end of the first year I sort of said to myself, ‘drop out, or you can give up music or you can just make the commitment now that you’re not going to do either or ride this out and make it work.’ I went with the last one, I didn’t really give myself the opportunity to quite after that. That’s kinda how I got through it. I look back at it now and I’m pretty amazed because now I’m just doing music full-time and still struggling to get everything done. So, I don’t think I’d be able to do it again, but at the time I didn’t really allow myself to fail.
I’m sure many fans of your who do study law are a bit comforted to hear you say that, and If they’re questioning themselves should just stick it out...
If you’re doing it in the first place, you’ve worked super hard to get there. For me anyway, it wasn’t something I was really willing to give up. It wasn’t something I was ready to stop doing.
Do you offer any law tutoring lessons then?
*laughs* Nah, I wasn’t that good. I was a credit average.
Finally, you know your stuff when it comes to politics. Do you feel obligated as an artist to make sure you fans are as well informed as you are?
I’d love if everyone was really aware of what’s going on and if everyone took an interest in politics. But people don’t, they have other stuff going on in their lives and that’s totally fine. The only thing I do have a problem with is when people comment really strongly and show a really strong opinion when they don’t really know the facts surrounding it, particularly with politics. I think that’s how people who shouldn’t be in politics manage to stay in politics. Other than that, I’m interested in it, but there’s things that I’m not interested in that people think to be important. I would never try and tell people ‘You have to care more about this!’ If you don’t, it’s a shame but they don’t but as long as they don’t try and tell me why I’m wrong. I guess that’s as far as I go with that. There’s nothing worse with someone who has their head up their arse and talking about politics, and there’s nothing worse than someone telling you how you should feel about politics.
Alright, well we went through an interview without talking about coffee. I think that’s pretty good?
I think that’s awesome, thank you!
Good luck with the Europe tour, hope it all goes well. Good luck with the album coming out and thanks for having a chat with the 59th sound!
No worries, good luck with the next year and a half of your law degree!
Samantha Caldone
Illy 'On & On' Tour
Friday 13th September - Oh Hello, Brisbane, QLD (18+)
Saturday 14th September - The Metro Theatre, Sydney, NSW (LIC/AA)
Friday 20th September - The Corner Hotel, Melbourne, VIC (18+)
Friday 27th September - The Gov, Adelaide, SA (LIC/AA)
Saturday 28th September - The Villa, Perth, WA (18+)
Sunday 29th September - Prince Of Wales, Bunbury, WA (18+)
Tickets available from http://illy.oztix.com.au
Hi Illy, how are you?
Good, what’s happening?
Not much! Now you’ve been counting down the days on your social media pages. How long until your tour officially kicks off?
I think there’s about four weeks.
You’re playing your two international shows; in the Czech Republic and London, how excited are you for these shows?
Very, very...I leave for them next Tuesday, so yeah, pretty amped!
Have you heard from fans there that are keen to see you live?
Yeah, well it looks like the London show might sell out, which is a bit of a trip. I haven’t heard much from the Czech Republic but we’ll give it a crack! It’s at a festival, so I think there will be people there, but we’ll see how well they go for rapper with an Australian accent.
It’s a hip-hop festival that you’re playing at?
Yeah, that’s right.
I think they’ll like a different taste of hip-hop once they hear you.
Yeah, well I think so. I think we’ll be okay.
What else will you be doing while you’re in Europe? Seeing some soccer matches?
Yeah, my mum is from Manchester so I’m a born and raised United fan, so I’m going to go to a match in Manchester. I’ll be in Germany for a little bit so I might try and see some games there as well.
If my stalking is correct, is it also your birthday while you’re away?
It’s my birthday the week after I get back. I have a show in Magnetic Island up near Townsville so it will be a pretty loose birthday I think!
Well Happy B’day for then!
Cheers!
So where are you at with the album? When will it be released?
It will definitely be released this year, I’m up here speaking with the label and working out when exactly that’s going to happen. But it’s definitely going to be this year!
Does it have a name yet?
I leave that til the album is finished, and then I come up with a name right at the end.
We’ve had a bit of a taster with your single On and On, it seems to be a lot ‘poppier’ to your other stuff. How does the rest of the album compare?
I think On and On definitely has its own lane on the album. I don’t think it’s very reflective of where the rest of the album is at. With that said, there’s a lot of different sounds on the album; there’s some really slamming sort of Hip Hop tracks, there’s some heavy bass stuff and some pop stuff as well, so it’s a pretty broad spectrum on this one.
Asta lends her voice on On and On, who else have you got singing with you on these tracks?
I’ve got a track with Daniel Merriweather, Kira Puru and Avalanche City-there’s a few different features as far as vocals. I’ve obviously got some collaborations with some fairly massive Australian Hip Hop acts which I’m gonna keep under wraps.
You’re releasing this album for the first time on your own label ONETWO, can you tell us how that all started?
Well I finished my contract with my old label, and I wanted to sort out set up my own thing. I have wanted to for quite a while. Basically, I just wanted to have my own operation going, which artists can look at as a ‘viable’ option when they are considering what they want to do with their music and how they want to release it.
Do you find it cool being your own boss?
Even at my old label, they were really good with that sort of stuff. But yeah, it’s nice to sort of be running my own ship. I’m really excited in the next year or however long to start really setting up and getting some other acts on board and making a real home out of it.
You’ve been working alongside producer M-Phazes on the album. Will there be a series 2 of Friday Flips out soon as well?
We’re going to start work on that once we’re back from overseas so that will be coming in the next few months. It will definitely be out before the album comes out, it will be quite soon I think. We were always gonna to do it, it was just a matter of when we had time and now that this album is almost out, we are in a pretty good spot to do it, so I think it will be cool!
Some people may not know this about you, but did you complete a law degree a few years ago? As a law student myself, how did you manage to juggle music and study?
Very poorly. It was a real juggling act. To be honest, I was lucky that a lot of my subjects were 100% exam and not compulsory attendance so I missed a lot of class and crammed like a maniac. At the start of the course, when I got in, I had a really tough first year, and at the end of the first year I sort of said to myself, ‘drop out, or you can give up music or you can just make the commitment now that you’re not going to do either or ride this out and make it work.’ I went with the last one, I didn’t really give myself the opportunity to quite after that. That’s kinda how I got through it. I look back at it now and I’m pretty amazed because now I’m just doing music full-time and still struggling to get everything done. So, I don’t think I’d be able to do it again, but at the time I didn’t really allow myself to fail.
I’m sure many fans of your who do study law are a bit comforted to hear you say that, and If they’re questioning themselves should just stick it out...
If you’re doing it in the first place, you’ve worked super hard to get there. For me anyway, it wasn’t something I was really willing to give up. It wasn’t something I was ready to stop doing.
Do you offer any law tutoring lessons then?
*laughs* Nah, I wasn’t that good. I was a credit average.
Finally, you know your stuff when it comes to politics. Do you feel obligated as an artist to make sure you fans are as well informed as you are?
I’d love if everyone was really aware of what’s going on and if everyone took an interest in politics. But people don’t, they have other stuff going on in their lives and that’s totally fine. The only thing I do have a problem with is when people comment really strongly and show a really strong opinion when they don’t really know the facts surrounding it, particularly with politics. I think that’s how people who shouldn’t be in politics manage to stay in politics. Other than that, I’m interested in it, but there’s things that I’m not interested in that people think to be important. I would never try and tell people ‘You have to care more about this!’ If you don’t, it’s a shame but they don’t but as long as they don’t try and tell me why I’m wrong. I guess that’s as far as I go with that. There’s nothing worse with someone who has their head up their arse and talking about politics, and there’s nothing worse than someone telling you how you should feel about politics.
Alright, well we went through an interview without talking about coffee. I think that’s pretty good?
I think that’s awesome, thank you!
Good luck with the Europe tour, hope it all goes well. Good luck with the album coming out and thanks for having a chat with the 59th sound!
No worries, good luck with the next year and a half of your law degree!
Samantha Caldone
Illy 'On & On' Tour
Friday 13th September - Oh Hello, Brisbane, QLD (18+)
Saturday 14th September - The Metro Theatre, Sydney, NSW (LIC/AA)
Friday 20th September - The Corner Hotel, Melbourne, VIC (18+)
Friday 27th September - The Gov, Adelaide, SA (LIC/AA)
Saturday 28th September - The Villa, Perth, WA (18+)
Sunday 29th September - Prince Of Wales, Bunbury, WA (18+)
Tickets available from http://illy.oztix.com.au