2020 with Richard Kingsmill

Richard speaks to members of the triple j music team to pinpoint their highlights for June. Lucy Smith, Declan Byrne, Ebony Boadu, Josh Merriel, Bridget Hustwaite and Dave Ruby Howe all join Richard at the Roundtable to discuss this month's standout music releases. They talk about Post Malone, Spacey Jane, Drake, Sophie May and other releases that have stood out from the pack.

Dave Woodhead, Latifa Tee, Declan Byrne, Lucy Smith, Tyrone Pynor and Bridget Hustwaite all join Richard at the Roundtable to discuss this month's standout music releases. They talk about Kendrick Lamar, Scottish producer Clarcq, Xavier Dunn's new XD Project, Remi Wolf, Mahalia and Phoebe Go.

Richard speaks to members of the triple j music team to pinpoint their highlights for April. Ebony Boadu, Declan Byrne, Tyrone Pynor, Jade Zoe, Shantan Wantan Ichiban and Abby Butler join Richard at the Roundtable to discuss this month's standout music releases.  

Richard speaks to members of the triple j team to pinpoint their favourite music for March. Jess Perkins, Shantan Wantan Ichiban, Lucy Smith, Tyrone Pynor, Abby Butler and Dave Ruby Howe join Richard at the Roundtable to discuss this month's standout music releases.

Richard gets the triple j team together to go through their favourite releases for February. Time to look back at February to find out what the standout releases were for the month, according to the triple j team. Richard gets Latifa T, Bridget Hustwaite, Tyrone Pynor, Josh Merriel, Lucy Smith and Declan Byrne to the Roundtable to discuss their picks.

Richard gets members of the triple j team together to go through their favourite releases for January. Time to look back at January to find out what the standout releases were for the month, according to the triple j team. Richard gets Lucy Smith, Bridget Hustwaite, Tyrone Pynor, Dave Ruby Howe, Ebony Boadu and Declan Byrne to the Roundtable to discuss their picks.  

With her debut album, the Sydney singer/muso/producer Milan Ring has emerged happy and hopeful after some dark times. Milan Ring is a highly regarded talent on the Sydney music scene as a singer/musician and producer. After years of single and EP releases, as well as working overseas with the likes of SZA, The Social Experiment and BJ The Chicago Kid, she's only now released her debut album. The title I'm Feeling Hopeful suggests there's been a less positive backstory to get to this point. Milan opens up to Richard Kingsmill about that, how she's managed to reach a more peaceful place now, and the influence of everything from Jimi Hendrix to mudras in shaping who she is.

For another Ausmusic Month, Richard gets the triple j team back together to go through the best Australian releases for November. Time to look back over November to see what the standout releases were for the month. Richard gets the triple j team to the Roundtable to discuss the likes of The Lazy Eyes, Kye, Northlane, Bec Sykes and more.

Butchulla MC Birdz has delivered a powerful second album, full of purpose, and one that focuses on the importance of family. Birdz has lead up to the release of his second album with a series of powerful singles, including the Hottest 100 hit ‘Bag-la-m Bargan'. The entire Legacy release now shows his strong sense of purpose as a rapper, sharing his stories from the generations of family around him. Richard Kingsmill speaks to the Naarm-based/Butchulla MC about how fatherhood has shaped his outlook, his tough upbringing in Katherine, and working on the album with the help of Trials, Missy Higgins and cousin Fred Leone.

Parcels have always had ambition. But they've gone sky high with the vision for their epic second album. With their new album Day/Night, Parcels wanted to reach for the stars. Keen to avoid any second album syndrome, they went bigger, wider and more extreme than they've ever gone as a band. Exploring the duality of the band, the darkness and light within the group, they arrived at an epic double album called Day/Night. Self-produced at the La Frette studios in Paris, drummer Anatole ‘Toto' Serret and Richard Kingsmill go into how the album progressed through an ominous Australian summer, then months of separation during a worldwide pandemic,  as well as playing cover versions for weeks on end.

Since arriving on the scene at the start of 2020, Sydney's Azure Ryder has continued to impress. Three from three. That's pretty much it in a nutshell. Riding high since arriving on the scene at the start of 2020, Ladder To The Moon is the third EP from the Sydney talent Azure Ryder, and it continues the upward trajectory of the singer. Despite the lack of travel and writing opportunities she had pre-COVID, this year has still had plenty of highlights, including a recent performance with the Bangarra Dance Theatre. Ryder speaks with Richard Kingsmill about that, some of the new EP's key songs, and her love of great backing vocals and Kate Bush.

Richard gets the triple j team back together to go through the best releases for October. Time to look back over October and see what the standout releases were for the month. Richard gets the triple j team to the Roundtable to highlight and discuss the likes of Sam Fender, Kito, Remi Wolf, PinkPantheress and more.

At 24, with eight Grammy's and a game-changing working relationship with his sister Billie Eilish, FINNEAS now has his own debut album. We know FINNEAS has worked alongside sister Billie Eilish every step of the way. It's resulted in two huge and game-changing albums, as well as numerous awards for the writer and producer including eight Grammy's. Outside of the sibling connection, FINNEAS has also been working with the likes of Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato. The desire to make and release his own music might appear unnecessary, but it's remained a key element of his career so far. With the release of Optimist, Richard Kingsmill touches base once again with FINNEAS to talk through the debut album's creation, some of its key moments, and his aims behind making it.  

The London 20yo has blown up on TikTok with her updated take on jungle and 2-step. PinkPantheress had a few fears about launching her music on TikTok. Would people get it, she wondered? But those fears soon vanished when the positive reactions started flowing. The London 20yo is working off the nostalgic sounds of ‘90s and early noughties jungle and 2-step. With her distinct high-pitched vocal on top, she's cut through fast to become one of the most tagged new names on the music scene. With the release of her debut mixtape to hell with it, Richard Kingsmill speaks to PinkPantheress about her teenage love for Paramore and My Chemical Romance, how she arrived at her sound, and if she likes the Lily Allen comparisons.

Sam Fender's debut album signalled the arrival of a voice readymade to inspire festival singalongs. On his second album, he now shows his considerable skills as a songwriter, tackling both the personal and political with equal measures of insight and heart. Seventeen Going Under is Fender's follow-up to 2019's Hypersonic Missiles. From the working classes of northern England, an unsettled childhood from divorced parents, plus an undisclosed health issue, has given the now 27yo plenty to reflect upon. Wanting to avoid writing about the pandemic, he couldn't ignore though the toll it was taking on family, friends and himself. With his activity completely restricted to protect his own health, his observational song writing muscle that he flexed on his debut was now severely limited. Knowing he needed to draw on deeper personal subject matter for his new songs, he channelled a lot of the personal therapy he's been undergoing into some powerful material. With some big shows in the UK to launch him back on the scene, Fender speaks here with Richard Kingsmill about the album, his personal growth and the scope of his new songs.

Time to look back over September and see what the standout releases were for the month. Richard gets the triple j team to the Roundtable to highlight and discuss the likes of Holly Humberstone, Central Cee, Adam Newling, Turnstile, Yebba, Big Skeez & Gold Fang, and Little Simz.

With Shadows and Shinings, Drapht is back with one of his best and most cathartic albums to date. With five Hottest 100 hits to his name, as well as the platinum selling 2011 album The Life Of Riley, he's managed to stay in the hip hop game across two decades now. On Shadows and Shinings, his seventh album, he's never sounded stronger. Centred around working with familiar allies, the return to roots approach of this album hears him collaborating with the likes of Pressure (Hilltop Hoods), Dune Rats, Jeswon (Thundamentals) as well as his now regular bandmate Eli Greeneyes. Writing the bulk of this album while living in an RV and driving around the west coast of the USA for eight months, Drapht talks to Richard Kingsmill about what this album means to him, and some of the highlights off it.

In 2018, a new Melbourne band arrived featuring ex-members of The Smith Street Band, The Bennies and Apart From This. With the self-deprecating name of LOSER, they hit the ground running with their debut single immediately added to triple j.  Signed to Domestic La La, the label of Violent Soho's James Tidswell, a debut album from LOSER at the start of 2020 signalled a busy year ahead. Those plans soon disappeared, and in lockdown for much of the year, singer Tim Maxwell started to experience severe anxiety. With medication and some family help, the band ended up channelling their frustrations into building their own studio and writing a second album.  All The Rage is the result, a consistent rock record that feeds off the riffs of Queens Of The Stone Age, Weezer, Smashing Pumpkins and other seminal ‘90s and early noughties acts. Tim speaks here with Richard Kingsmill about what he went through last year, how he and his brother Will returned to their original family home to build the studio, and how aliens inspired one of the album's best moments.        

An album centred around someone's introversion is the unlikeliest of themes for a hip hop release. Yet, with her fourth album, the UK rapper Little Simz has turned those deepest personal thoughts into one of the most exciting and outward looking albums of the year. Following on from her Ivor Novello winning Grey Area, Little Simz worked closely again with producer Inflo to capture everything from pulsing hip hop beats through to classic Motown as well as grand orchestral arrangements. It all has a widescreen feel, yet lyrically Little Simz focused on her natural introversion to project her thoughts on life, struggle and survival. Running through highlights off the album, Little Simz speaks here to Richard Kingsmill about the ingredients that make up Sometimes I Might Be Introvert, why she used actor Emma Corrin through the record, and how she wrote about subjects like her estranged father this time round.

Richard gets the triple j team together to pick their one standout release for August. It's the end of August, so Richard asks some of the triple j team to look back across the month and pick their one standout release and why you need to hear it.  

The London duo talk about the new mindset and overall positivity behind their 3rd album. If you're after an album to escape the times, look no further than Jungle's latest. Born in the pre-COVID bliss of 2019, Loving In Stereo is a strongly positive and upbeat album. One that captured a fresh personal outlook for the London group. The two guys behind Jungle are Josh Lloyd-Watson and Tom McFarland (J & T for short). Friends since the age of nine, they've shared a lot of experiences. One of those was when their personal relationships both came to an end around the time of their last album. That shared heartbreak coloured the song writing and sound of For Ever. With new relationships in their lives, combined with a desire to write a more uplifting set of songs, Loving In Stereo is a much more direct album which still captures all their varied crate-digging influences. Richard Kingsmill speaks here to Josh about the change of outlook, some of the key moments off the album, and how it all started as a set of ideas for a hip hop mixtape.

To mark the 10th anniversary of Gotye's global smash Making Mirrors, we rewind it back to when Richard spoke with Wally De Backer for the premiere of the album. Gotye's third album Making Mirrors turned the Melbourne musician Wally De Backer into an international star. After going #1 here and selling double platinum, winning numerous ARIA's, the J Award for Australian Album of the Year, and being voted the top album of 2011 by triple j listeners, it was time to watch the success of the album rollout internationally. It went to #1 in many European countries, and Top 10 in both the UK and USA. It's success in the States was especially notable, seeing Gotye achieve triple platinum sales there, as well as scoring a prized Grammy.  While we patiently wait for the follow-up, let's go back 10 years to when Richard Kingsmill premiered the album on triple j and had Gotye talking about the writing and making of it all.

WILLOW is the 20yo daughter of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith. With her 5th album, she continues to expand her own path in music. In 2010, a nine-year-old dazzled the world with a song called ‘Whip My Hair'. Many saw it as just a novelty, but it was actually the start of a music career that's now five albums deep. WILLOW is Willow Smith, the now 20yo daughter of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith. Her latest album is lately I feel EVERYTHING, and it explores her love of punk, rock and emo, hearing her collaborating with the likes of Travis Barker and Avril Lavigne. The album also follows a little in her mother's footsteps, as Jada once was the fierce frontwoman of the metal band Wicked Wisdom in the early noughties. In her first triple j interview, WILLOW speaks with Richard Kingsmill about race, rock and the road to her 5th album.  

In the lead up to his second EP, the Brisbane-based rapper travelled back to his homeland of Zimbabwe. He found himself in the process. The Zimbabwean-born/Brisbane-based rapper Carmouflage Rose hit the ground running with the single ‘Late Nights' back in 2017. As he watched the streaming numbers increase million by million, he then dropped ‘Wildflowers' which continued his ascent on the local hip hop stage. Then come the start of 2020 – with plans in play to work off this momentum internationally – he and the rest of the music industry ground to a halt.  Despite the setback, there have been some positives for Carmouflage Rose along the way, the biggest being a trip back to his homeland and the resulting realisation of who he should be as a rapper. With the release of A Night With No Moon, he opens up to Richard Kingsmill about finding strength through vulnerability and the significance of his second EP's title.

Built On Glass was the acclaimed and award-winning debut album for the Melbourne artist Chet Faker. A couple of years after its release, Chet retired. Any new music that followed would be released under the artist's birth name Nick Murphy. For many, it was a confusing and potentially career damaging decision. But in the years in-between, Murphy came to grips with the two identities, and why the move was so important for him as a musician. From his small studio in New York City where Hotel Surrender - Chet Faker's comeback album – was made, the man himself speaks with Richard Kingsmill about his ordeal with long COVID last year, the death of his father, and how Chet re-emerged into his life.

It's a complete understatement to say the last two years for Tones And I have been extraordinary. When her debut single ‘Johnny Run Away' was released early in 2019, Mornington Peninsula's Toni Watson was a busker on the streets of Byron Bay, living out of the back of her van. Today, she's a worldwide star, breaking all manner of records, winning a stack of awards, and achieving streaming figures into the billions. And she achieved all of this before even releasing a debut album. With Welcome To The Madhouse now ready for release, Tones And I sits down with Richard Kingsmill to talk about how she got to this point, the highs and lows of such a ride, and what she wanted to say and write about on this first album. She talks about the lack of co-writers on the album, who she wants to collaborate with in the future, and what the madhouse is for her.

Early in 2020, at an APRA song writing workshop in Melbourne, the three members of Telenova met for the first time. Joshua Moriarty and Edward Quinn had been playing for years in their respective groups, Miami Horror and Slum Sociable, and singer Angeline Armstrong had been pursuing work across both video and music. But none of them had ever met each other. On that first day working together, they came up with a song called ‘Tranquilize'. It was clear, even that early on, that they had something special between them. More writing followed, and the ideas kept coming as easily as that first day. Early in 2021, their debut single ‘Bones' dropped and immediately it resonated for both triple j and Double J listeners. With their first EP now out, and a headline tour to come, Armstrong and Quinn speak here to Richard Kingsmill about their story and how everything has unfolded so quickly for them.

She's keeping tight lipped about what's to come, but Holly Humberstone looks certain to keep building on the quick start she's had on the music scene. The 21yo is from the small English town of Grantham. Encouraged by her parents and inspired by the likes of Damien Rice and Radiohead, Humberstone found an audience quickly with her debut EP in 2020. The fact she couldn't play any of it live didn't seem to affect her getting her music out to a wider audience. With a new single called ‘The Walls Are Way To Thin', the singer/songwriter speaks to Richard Kingsmill about her upbring, the haunted house she grew up in, and the experience of writing songs with the likes of Matty Healy (The 1975) and Sarah Aarons.

Even though it's only a five track E.P., K.Flay's latest release requires plenty of unpacking. The American artist has worked with some legendary figures like Travis Barker (blink-182) and Tom Morello (Rage Against The Machine) on her Inside Voices E.P. But it's what she reveals about her own life that really captures your attention. She's never really held back in her writing before, but K.Flay (real name: Kristine Flaherty) is totally pushing her emotional content to the limits here on songs like ‘Four Letter Words', ‘Dating My Dad' and ‘Good Girl'. Hear Richard Kingsmill speaking to her about her alcoholic father who she lost when she was 14, her revelations via therapy, why she got a ‘Tears Of Joy' tattoo, and what it was like working with both Barker and Morello.

With a mix of indie, hip hop and jazz, the English five-piece called easy life have released their debut album after four years of singles and mixtapes. They've built a sizeable following at home, but Australia has also picked up early on the band's charms and knack for catchy song writing, with Sydney rated as one of their top five cities for listeners online. Lead by singer Murray Matravers, who was raised on a farm in Loughborough in the middle of England, you'd think singing about the beach would be the furthest thing from his thoughts. But once lockdown hit, escapism followed, and he explored a set of song ideas based on a trip to the beach. He explains more to Richard Kingsmill about the band's history and his approach to song writing on their impressive album life's a beach.

In the late ‘90s, the New York rapper DMX (born Earl Simmons) came to define the sound of hip hop with his run of chart-topping albums. With that rough growl in his voice, he stood apart from the pack, and sounded every bit as tough as the upbringing he had endured. DMX's successful career though didn't make life any easier for the man. Prison, drug addiction, and multiple attempts at rehabilitation, all stood in the way of the rapper maintaining momentum in his professional and personal life. However, he hung onto his deep spirituality, and his concerts became known as much for the rapper's prayers as they did for his barking party anthems. His last album was in 2012. After he saw the fan's love coming in during his Verzuz battle with Snoop Dogg last year, he realised another release was long overdue. Working with long-time producer and friend Swizz Beatz, they started on new music, bringing in a stellar cast of guests befitting the man's reputation. JAY-Z, Nas, Alicia Keys, Bono, Lil' Wayne, Usher, Snoop Dogg and others now appear on Exodus, DMX's eight and final studio album. Richard Kingsmill covers the album and DMX's place in hip hop in this conversation with Swizz Beatz.

Ashe studied at the renowned Berklee College Of Music in Boston. A big fan of the likes of Brian Wilson, Carole King and The Beatles, she fed off those classic writers when creating the impressively grand sounding debut album titled Ashlyn (which is her real first name). In the lead up to its release came the sleeper of a hit called ‘Moral Of The Story’. Co-written and co-produced with FINNEAS, the song took a year to generate interest. However, following its inclusion in the To All The Boys: P.S. I Still Love You soundtrack, it became a huge viral hit, and is currently streaming in the hundreds of millions. Personally, Ashe has gone through plenty of heartbreak. A failed and emotionally toxic young marriage, followed by losing her brother last year to addiction, has fed directly into her deeply personal songwriting. Hear her open up about her life and influences in this conversation with Richard Kingsmill.

Over the past four years, since first uploading his songs when he was just 14yo, Alfie Templeman has impressed with his growth as an artist. After getting turned onto music at the age of seven when he came across the ‘70s prog legends Rush and the drumming prowess of the late Neil Peart, he started teaching himself different instruments. Today, with four EP’s and a brand new mini-album to his name, he reckons he has around 1,000 more songs that he’s been working on. Richard Kingsmill speaks to Templeman about his influences (which also include the likes of Todd Rundgren, Tears For Fears, Mac DeMarco and Billie Eilish), as well as what he’s striving for with his future debut album.

KUCKA has finally released her debut album. Titled Wrestling, it hears the singer/producer openly tackling some very personal issues. Born in England, KUCKA (real name Laura Lowther) moved with her family to Perth during her teen years. It wasn’t an easy move at that stage of her life, but eventually she explored music making and started making a name for herself on the electronic scene there from 2012 onwards. Some big name features along the way with artists like Flume helped the unique talent get her name out there even more.   However, it’s taken a long time for her to get to her own debut album. Relocating to Los Angeles a few years ago, she speaks here to Richard Kingsmill about the influence of that move, how coming out has had its personal challenges, and what inspired her year of ‘yes’.

Sixty Summers is a solo album few expected from Julia Stone. While we were enjoying Angus & Julia Stone’s popular 2017 album Snow, which itself broadened the traditonal sound of the duo, Julia had already been long at work writing and recording ideas for her next solo release. Teaming up with American Thomas Bartlett, who first worked with Julia back in 2012, they started mapping out songs together in 2015. Bartlett’s work has ranged from The National and Sufjan Stevens through to Norah Jones and Yoko Ono. The versatile producer/musician has also worked closely with St. Vincent. To get this record of Julia’s finished, they invited her (aka Annie Clark) to come in and help co-produce. Julia speaks here with Richard Kingsmill about how the three worked together, some of the album’s standout moments, and what she wanted to say with these new songs.

The seven long years to his second album is now over. American Porter Robinson talks more with Richard Kingsmill about Nurture. Find out how his side-project Virtual Self as well as his collaboration with Madeon influenced his latest music. And hear how he explored singing and lyric writing in a much bigger way on this album.

In 2014, American musician Porter Robinson was riding high on the EDM wave with his acclaimed debut album Worlds. The momentum continued with a successful Madeon collaboration in 2016, and then his side-project Virtual Self in 2017. However, when it came time to focus on his second album, things started falling apart for Robinson. A combination of writer’s block and the feeling that nothing was good enough started haunting the musician. When he found out that his younger brother Mark had a rare form of cancer, things spiralled even further. Seven years on from Worlds we finally have Nurture, an album that will put Porter Robinson back in the limelight on the electronic music scene. In the first half of his chat with Richard Kingsmill, the 28yo takes us through the long and painful journey to this second album.

A new talent called Budjerah launched on the music scene towards the end of 2020 with the single ‘Missing You’. Hailing from Bundjalung country in far north NSW, he impressed everyone immediately with that pure and soulful voice. Singing has been his whole life. Raised on gospel music at church, he says he sings every day, and has for as long as he can remember. He was spotted by a major label after his cousin reposted a video first uploaded by Budjerah’s mum. That cousin is Nakkiah Lui from Black Comedy fame, and through her sharing that live video, Warner Music came calling. Budjerah (whose name means ‘first light’) had attracted other early fans. Through AIME mentor Robbie Miller, Matt Corby was also tipped off about the young talent. Now, the 19yo has released his debut EP which Corby went on to record with him in his studio outside Byron Bay. Hear Budjerah talking more about his upbringing and love of music with Richard Kingsmill.

For three years, the Californian group Peach Tree Rascals have been attracting fans worldwide through a succession of singles. Their biggest hit so far is ‘Mariposa’ which exploded worldwide in 2019 via social media. It currently is sitting at well over 200 million streams. The biggest fanbases for them are a lot of Asian countries too, such as Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines. With the release of their debut EP Camp Nowhere,  Richard Kingsmill speaks to one of the three rapper-singers in the band Isaac Pech. They talk about the struggles their families have in common, what bonds them musically, and why their music has reached so many fans already.

Following the release of twentyseven, Melbourne artist LANKS (aka Will Cuming) decided to take a break from the project, even though the debut album spawned plenty of successful tracks. What followed was zero downtime. A couple of new music projects, a move to New York, as well as studying for a Master of Data Science were just some of his new plans. And in amongst all that, LANKS re-emerged with the recent release of a double album called SPIRITS. Find out more about his love of tracking data, collaborating and making music, as LANKS chats here to Richard Kingsmill.

MAY-A has given us three great singles across the past year. But how did she get her start on the music scene? With part of her childhood spent in Byron Bay, and the rest moving constantly around Sydney, MAY-A got interested in music through hearing her dad playing Bob Dylan songs on the guitar. Once she got to Sydney by the age of 14, the music bug had bitten her, and she started attending a performing arts school. However, that turned out to not be the best fit for MAY-A. Instead, it was an extremely random and coincidental meeting with her future manager that created the opportunities to come for her. Richard Kingsmill speaks to MAY-A (aka Maya Cumming) about the details of that meeting, and her introduction to the world of music.

For four years now, Jesswar has been shaking the ground with her bass-heavy and savage hip hop. With the release of her debut EP called TROPIXX, the Meanjin-based rapper speaks here to Richard Kingsmill about her music and Fijian background. Having won over the likes of Thelma Plum, Briggs, Miiesha, B Wise and DZ Deathrays – all of whom have collaborated with the MC – she can’t wait to get back out on stages to build her fanbase and show off the rest of her new material.   

After growing up in the tiny WA coastal town of Denmark, Maaike Kito Lebbing (better known as just Kito) emerged out of the Perth dance scene in the mid-noughties. Travelling has always been a calling for her, having spent years in London before heading to Los Angeles where she’s currently based. Her work out of Los Angeles has been especially fruitful. Collaborating with the likes of Empress Of, AlunaGeorge, ZHU and Channel Tres, Kito is on a roll. Recently, she’s also been producing up hits for Jorja Smith, Banks and Ruel. There’s more to come too this year for her, as Richard Kingsmill found out when he caught up with Kito.

It was January 1998, and only one half of Daft Punk had made it to Australia for their first visit. Reportedly struck with a fear of flying, Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo never made it on the plane. Left carrying the record cases for their first DJ’ing appearances here was his secondary school friend and the other half of Daft Punk, Thomas Bangalter. The duo’s debut album Homework had been out for exactly a year. Excitement had built steadily everywhere across the previous 12 months, thanks to the album’s standout singles ‘Da Funk’ and ‘Around The World’, the innovative videos that accompanied both tracks, and for their live shows that Europe and the United States had enjoyed across the majority of 1997. In Daft Punk’s first triple j interview (they only ever did three with us), Richard Kingsmill speaks to Bangalter to find out their thoughts on dance music at the time, why he thought their album was succeeding, and how anonymity was what they craved then and forever.

He’s been one of the most respected MC’s on the UK grime scene. After fifteen years of mixtapes, singles and studio albums, the East London rapper Ghetts now has a major label (not to mention a revolving door of big-name collaborators) backing him. Known for his intricate wordplay, Ghetts has also been open about his life through his music. In and out of the system, he put his days of crime behind him to pursue a hip-hop career. His epic 3rd studio album Conflict Of Interest hears the 36yo opening up like never before about his upbringing. Hear Ghetts speaking in depth with Richard Kingsmill about his journey, how seeing Jay Z at work inspired him, and what it was like collaborating with Stormzy, Skepta and Ed Sheeran on his new album.

From winning the Unearthed J Award in 2012, to topping the Hottest 100 in 2016, The Rubens have now reached another milestone. With 0202, the band have taken control, self-producing the first of their four albums so far. After working with overseas producers, the decision to do so this time was encouraged by the success of 2019’s ‘Live In Life’. That single has become one of the band’s biggest songs so far. Sam and Elliott Margin, the band’s main songwriters, speak to Richard Kingsmill about putting this album together song by song, how the brothers differ in their songwriting, and some of the album’s biggest moments.

Shame arrived on the London post-punk scene in 2018 with an impressive debut album. With all the acclaim that followed the release of Songs Of Praise came a ton of international touring; and then the inevitable emptiness that followed such a hectic schedule. On top of that, singer Charlie Steen faced up to the end of a personal relationship, which heightened the feelings of isolation even more. Finding security in an unlikely new home, and an even unlikelier colour scheme, helped Steen face up to his inner turmoil. Hear Steen speak to Richard Kingsmill about the writing and recording of their new album Drunk Tank Pink, which took them first to the wilderness of Scotland and then onto France to work with Arctic Monkeys’ producer James Ford.

Arlo Parks arrived on the music scene two years ago. Since then, she’s impressed as a lyricist, tackling issues centred around mental health and the various struggles facing those around her. Always with an underlying message of hope and positivity, songs like ‘Eugene’, ‘Black Dog’ and her debut single ‘Cola’ have also seen her worldwide fanbase rise into the millions. Richard Kingsmill speaks to Arlo about her approach to lyric writing, her background and wide-ranging influences, and where she got the album’s title Collapsed In Sunbeams.

Since the release of her second EP towards the end of 2018, Gretta Ray has been pretty quiet on the new music front. However, behind the scenes there’s been a lot of work going on. Exploring new collaborations, and growing as a person herself, the now 22yo Melbourne singer has been refining her sound and song writing. With a lot more new music to come in 2021, Gretta premiered her new single ‘Passion’ with Richard Kingsmill, speaking to him about the ground she feels she’s covered on the song, the challenges behind writing it, and what she’s learnt about herself from working with others the last two years. She also touched on her recent single with Japanese Wallpaper, reflecting on how her connection with him dates back to her final year at school when she was on the eve of winning Unearthed High in 2016.

This year, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard are celebrating their 10th anniversary. To mark the occasion, they were all set to do some of their biggest shows ever. Instead, the Melbourne band couldn’t even be in the same room to make their 16th album. Not ones to withdraw from a challenge, King Gizz devised a new game plan. It was a working arrangement that resulted in one of their best and most cohesive albums yet. Simply called K.G., it explores the microtonal territory they first experimented with on 2017’s Flying Microtonal Banana. The group’s Joey Walker speaks here to Richard Kingsmill about those ideas, how they managed to keep the chemistry between them, and the intensity of their worldwide fanbase which they’ve steadily built across the past decade.

Two years ago, in her first year out of school, BENEE dropped ‘Soaked’. It was only her second single, but it’s effortless charm flagged her as a talent to watch. The Auckland artist only built on that interest with a succession of hits that saw her score three songs in the 2019 Hottest 100, including ‘Glitter’ which is now streaming in the hundreds of millions. For her debut album, the 20yo wanted it to be a personal message to her fans, as if it was a door into her brain. Working once again with producer Josh Fountain, BENEE collected some pretty big guests as well like Lily Allen and Grimes to help her out on various songs. Richard Kingsmill speaks here to BENEE about the process of making Hey u x, what inspired the title, and how a relationship breakup inspired some of the album’s key songs like the mega-hit ‘Supalonely’.