Illy Chats with us ahead of his North Queensland show
We Caught up with Illy from a very cold winter Melbourne morning to chat all things Hip Hop and his upcoming regional tour which also includes a stop in Cairns at The Edge Hill Tavern.
N: Good Morning Illy
Illy: Yeah, good. What's going on?
N: Oh, we're going to have a bit of a chat, How do you feel about that?
Illy:Oh, let's do it. Oh, this is a cow, hey.
N : 11 o’clock is a reasonable time to have a chat, really, I think.
Illy: I think so.
N :Hey where are we talking where are you today
Illy:: i'm in Melbourne, freezing my balls off.
N : Well, you should have come up to Cairns for a bit of a holiday, It's about 27 degrees here today.
Illy: Ah man, yeah, I've structured as much of my career as I can, I've tailored it around being in Far North Queensland during winter, I've screwed it up this year, but it's definitely been more years than not, I've managed to at least get up there for the weekend, but sadly not this time.
N: That's great. I'm not sure if you have kids, but a lot of artists, you know, they come up in the holidays.
Illy:No, I don't have a ton of kids, but I do it without kids, man. I just come up, stay away, make a holiday out of it.
N : So what's it feel like to have a number one album with Good Life
Illy: Feels good man. It was a nice surprise. It had taken a lot longer than I'd expected to put the album together so you're always a little bit apprehensive, like, have I cooked this a little bit but the response to it was amazing and it means a lot.
N: And so you did some city shows, what were they like?
Illy: Yeah, really good, you know, again, the first shows, first capital city tour that I've done since pre COVID. So it had been quite a long time between drinks, but everyone, had a good time, everyone came out and the new songs, you know, we write, I've always made songs with the intention of, when making songs is partly how is this going to translate live? And all the new songs really did that thing, which was just awesome.
N: I always wonder for you guys as performers, you record a new album and as you said, you hadn't been touring since COVID and when you go out on the first night, hey, I'm going to play these new songs, do you think, how's the crowd going to react to that?
Illy: Yeah, well definitely a part of it, man. Like, it's, you know, again, I made the album with the intention of playing it live, but when the crowd aren't super familiar with them, obviously some of the crowd knows every single song off an album, but there's people there that'll know me from the songs in the back catalog. So you kind of are relying on how good the songs are as songs to perform live, not just people's familiarity with them. So yeah, there was definitely like, not apprehension, just let's see how this goes. But my band is tight, very, very tight, and we put on a good show so we can, we can get past it. Also I'm fortunate enough that I have songs in the back catalog that people know. So it's like, we play a couple of the new ones and then hit them with something they know. And then just remind them, don't worry, you're in the hands of a pro set designer. I know how to do this.
N: That's great. So you're about to do all these regional shows?. How are you feeling about that? I think how many shows are there? Is there 14?
Illy: 27.
N 27 ?
Illy:: 27 yes, but not not more than we can chew but we've taken up a big bite.
Yeah, man, I'm excited. I mean, you know, The nature of my music, came from the Australian hip-hop scene, it branched out to different sort of genres particularly with this album but part of that thing that I came up in and the generation that I came up in Australian hip-hop was still kind of a niche or an underground thing. So if there was a crowd out there there was no turning your nose up because it's not in the big big city It was like you go where the crowds are and you put on a show and you build.
This is the way that you're gonna be able to build a career and it's just been the way that I've always operated, I love it a lot being in the van I love the people that I tour with. We don't see each other as much when we're not on the road so it's a great opportunity to spend time with people that I love and I LOVE playing shows. So whether it's a capital city or the farthest flung regional spot if there's a stage and there's a crowd then I'm ready to rip in so that's just always been my approach and I'm really excited for this tour for another chance to do it
N: Yeah, that's great. I always find that when you do take shows to regional places, the crowds generally really respond because often there's not much going on in those places. So when a bigger act comes or for some towns just any live act comes, you know, it's pretty well supported.
Illy: Absolutely, man. Yeah, it's like again, it's something that I've always done and I was doing it when we were barely breaking even and it was just me and my DJ in a carback traveling the country. Up to like when I was having songs that were You know topping charts and number one albums and blah blah blah and like so i've seen the whole way through the country and I've always had time made time for the regional touring and I've always said I don't understand why more people don't do it because they're missing out, but that's their loss. Not mine
N: You've collaborated with with different artists you know Vera Blue and others to produce some really great tracks how how does that come about how do you decide who to collaborate with ?
Illy: Yeah it varies track to track man like I write most of my lyrics i'm just not a great singer, so I have the track, generally I mean there's exceptions but generally i'll have the song with me singing the the part that the singer ends up doing it and i'll just have in my head the kind of vocal that I want to hear. We will probably make a short list of maybe two or three people send it out and if someone's interested get them on and hopefully that it works out and if not keep it moving. That's generally how the process goes, it's just hearing in my head how i want the song to sound and then finding someone who's who's got that kind of tone in their voice.
I mean with with Vera for Paper Cards that she was suggested from a friend because she was at the very sort of beginning of her career so I just got very lucky with her because I don't know I think she might be like i'm busy now but at the time it worked out well and and you know that's my biggest song i think it's one of her biggest songs and it's yeah a real moment in time
N: Did you know her before that or did your friend just go hey that should be good on this?
Illy: Yeah, it was actually a really good friend of mine who produced a lot of my earlier stuff. His manager was managing her. I'm not sure if he still does, but so he was like, look, this girl's doing this and I had had the song for a little while and hadn't found the right singer for it. I'd gone through a couple of singers. And as soon as we met in the studio in Sydney, and she sang her part in an instant I was blown away. I've been a huge, very blue fan ever since. She's one of the best.
N: You know, you've had a number one albums. You've had some big hits. You know, obviously your music is resonating with people. How does it feel knowing that you've had such a personal impact on people, you know, through your music?
Illy: Like I said earlier, when I started doing this, there was no career path, like Hilltop Hoods had barely broken through on Triple J and Nova, so there really was an underground scene that was doing well, but no one was making any money. There was no prospect of having a career, and nearly 20 years later, to still be doing this, it's unbelievable, I couldn't have dreamed it really, and I try not to take that for granted even when things don't go your way, trying to keep that perspective, and as far as people telling you that the music you've made has meant something to them, or helped them, or made a difference to them, it's like without being cliche about it, you really never want to lose the perspective of how important that is, because I remember being a young aspiring musician writing in my bedroom, and all the hours when no one gave a fuck, and all the shows are playing to nobody at all, it's like to go from there to having someone tell you that, it's really what it's all about, so yeah, it's a huge privilege that I don't take what happens for granted.
N: You spoke about 20 years ago there was a scene but there wasn't any money happening in hip-hop do you think it's amazing that it took really 30 years after america had hip-hop for Australians to really get on board with this
Illy: I mean, it took a long time for Australian hip hop to break through. I think, you know, even I was young, but even in the 90s, like I was a very good small kid, but in the 90s there was American rap breaking through here. I think for Australian hip hop to find its own identity and then for that to become known in a mainstream way, that only really started happening at the end of the 2000s. It doesn't surprise me because it's such a different thing than, you know, the typical American hip hop. It's so distinct and even just people getting their head around hearing rap in an Australian accent, like, I mean, you go anywhere else in the world and you rap in an Australian accent and people are thrown by it, but even here that it took a while for it to break through. So, yeah, I mean, not surprised, I think, but once it happened, you know, you kind of imagine it not being, it's very much mainstream culture, so, you know, just how it goes.
N : What advice would you give to a younger Illy or a young person hoping to break into the music scene?
Illy: I mean, it's a lot harder now. It feels like it's easier with social media, but it's actually I think a lot harder. I think the main thing is to not take social media as the be all and end all. A lot of artists that have big followings online but they can't sell 20 tickets outside of their hometown and they're no good on stage. Being live, being a good live act is absolutely crucial if you're gonna have a career.
So my advice to young artists and I know it's hard to do it, is any opportunity to be on a stage whether it's two People, 20 people or 200. You just got to take it with both hands You suck for a long time probably do a hundred two hundred shows that suck and you just like what's the point? But once you're good on stage, you've got that skill and you'll have it above 99% of the other artists So it's just about keeping that five earning and keeping the work ethic.
N: That is such good advice, mate. Hey, Illy, thanks so much for your time today. I really appreciate it. I reckon we could’ve have spoken for ages
Illy: Yeah, for sure, bro.
N:We'll wrap it up here. I'll see you in Cairns at the Edge Hill Tavern.
Illy::
Absolutely man, hit me up beforehand, Well done, man. Thanks. Cheers. Okay, bye.
N:See ya.
Illy Plays The Edge Hill Tavern in Cairns on the 2nd of October grab your tix HERE
