Kim Deal opened up to Richard Kingsmill in 1993 about the making of The Breeders triumphant second album Last Splash.The album came six months after the sudden and surprising announcement of the end of her other band, Pixies. Kingsmill wanted to also get Kim’s take on the split of that seminal band, and how she felt about now leading another successful group.

In 2001, PJ Harvey finally made it to Australia, off the back of her award-winning Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea album.The English artist had thrilled music fans all the way through the ‘90s, right from those blistering early singles ‘Dress’ and ‘Sheela-Na-Gig’. Her albums ranged from the austere Rid Of Me through to the gothic textures of To Bring You My Love, with each of them consistently scoring high on end of year album lists.A couple of nights after seeing her live for the first time, Richard Kingsmill spoke to PJ Harvey about her latest album, the dark personal times she went through five years earlier, and how she felt about her relationship with Nick Cave going public.

On their OK Computer tour of Australia early in 1998, Radiohead’s Thom Yorke gave just one interview while he was here.Richard Kingsmill spoke to the illusive singer about their landmark 3rd album, how he felt about his band getting snubbed by The Grammys that year, and also five songs that changed his life.

In December 1994, Nick Cave spoke with Richard Kingsmill about the five songs that changed his life.Cave reflected on the influence artists like John Lee Hooker, The Saints and Bob Dylan had had on him as a writer and performer.He also spoke about the lengthy Lollapalooza tour he and The Bad Seeds embarked on that year after the release of their 8th album Let Love In. He even touched on the next project he was then thinking about - Murder Ballads.

In October 1995, a few months after the release of the Foo Fighters debut album, Dave Grohl gave his first Australian interview since the death of Kurt Cobain.He spoke to Richard Kingsmill about now being the frontman of his own group, where all these songs of his had come from, and what plans he had for the future. He also reflected on the three Nirvana albums, as well as his memories of recording the Unplugged album.

In October 1995, a few months after the release of the Foo Fighters debut album, Dave Grohl gave his first Australian interview since the death of Kurt Cobain.He spoke to Richard Kingsmill about now being the frontman of his own group, where all these songs of his had come from, and what plans he had for the future. He also reflected on the three Nirvana albums, as well as his memories of recording the Unplugged album.

In September 1993, Robert Smith of The Cure spoke to Richard Kingsmill about the five songs that changed his life.They spoke about Jimi Hendrix, Nick Drake, David Bowie, The Sensational Alex Harvey Band and Sex Pistols. They also spoke about the state of play within The Cure following their massive Wish tour of 1992.

In February 1997, on the release of his 21st album Earthling, and just a few weeks after he celebrated his 50th birthday with a huge concert at Madison Square Garden, David Bowie spoke to Richard Kingsmill.They spoke about his ever-changing career, the weirdness of ‘80s, what it felt like turning 50, and his then passion for Drum ‘N’ Bass.

Richard speaks to members of the triple j music team to pinpoint their highlights for August

Richard speaks to members of the triple j music team to pinpoint their highlights for July.

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’.

After the success of her award winning 2018 debut album Thick Skin, Tia Gostelow changed her home base, her producer and ultimately her sound for Chrysalis. In 2016, Tia Gostelow was finishing high school in Mackay, Queensland. The confidence of her early songs like ‘Vague Utopia’ attracted the interest of our Unearthed team, which led to her being nominated as a finalist for the annual Unearthed High, as well as taking out the Indigenous Initiative Award as part of that competition. Her debut album Thick Skin followed two years later, resulting in Tia becoming the youngest ever winner of Album of The Year at the Queensland Music Awards. In the lead up to her second album though, Tia changed her home base, her producer and her sound. With the release of Chrysalis, Richard Kingsmill spoke to the 21yo about how hard she found relocating to Brisbane, and how she has gained a stronger sense of her indigenous identity over the last few years.

Kwame is one of our past J Award winners, taking out the Unearthed Artist of 2018. Since then, he’s been exploring different sides of his musical personality, and on his latest EP Please, Get Home Safe, he’s stretching the rulebook like never before. Richard Kingsmill speaks to the 23yo Sydney rapper/producer about working with CLYPSO, Phil Fresh and Arno Faraji on his new music, taking control of his career and direction like never before, and how he’s staying optimistic about the future in spite of the times.

With the release of his Fantasy album, Whethan has surrounded himself with all the alternative artists he loved growing up. Having released music since 2016, the now 21yo Chicago producer started pretty young. He quickly cemented a working relationship with Oliver Tree, but he also collaborated early on with the likes of Charli XCX. Working with big names didn’t phase the teen producer. And he’s continued that spirit onto his debut album, asking many of the artists that he was a fan of to work with him on new songs. The release of Fantasy was delayed due to COVID-19. But now the full album is with us, we can see the entire guestlist and it includes The Wombats, Grouplove, RL Grime. K.Flay, The Knocks, Chrome Sparks. STRFKR, as well as Oliver Tree.  Richard Kingsmill spoke to Whethan about some of these collaborations, and the outlook he has towards how he works.

The London 20yo wasn’t around for the ‘90s, but she lives and breathes it on her debut album. Bea Kristi is the London 20yo behind beabadoobee. Born in the Philippines, she moved to England as a three year old. Going to an all-girl Catholic school wasn’t exactly the best fit for her, and eventually she was asked to leave. Starting on the violin, and then turning to the guitar, she started writing songs to vent, and fed off the ‘90s influences she heard around her, thanks to her mum’s collection. With her anticipated debut album Fake It Flowers now out, Richard Kingsmill explores beabadoobee’s background with her, honing in on some of her biggest ‘90s influences, finding out more about her fascination with Charlie Brown and the Peanuts legacy, and her feelings towards being part of Powfu’s international hit ‘death bed’.

Starting PC Music in 2013, A. G. Cook had a vision for a label that would push and blur the boundaries of what alternative and pop music could be. He championed artists that would use pitch-shifting to confuse genders, and the surreal and hyper sounds behind many of the label’s releases irritated music fans as much as they inspired and influenced. A. G. Cook has also been a producer, working closely with the likes of Charli XCX and recently Sigur Ros’s Jonsi. But now he's stepped out more than ever before as an artist himself, with the surprise and rapid fire release of two new solo albums Richard Kingsmill speaks here to Cook about the two albums, his ideas on making music, his varied influences growing up, and the extreme reactions his label and music can inspire.

Drawing on the power of memories, the Melbourne based trio have produced their finest work so far. After forming Obscura Hail in Wollongong, Sean Conran made the move to Melbourne in 2016. A couple of albums later, they’ve now got a new EP titled Siren that’s set to win them a much larger following. Drawing on a huge bank of saved loops and musical ideas, he and the band have crafted a collection of new songs that draw on some pretty unique childhood memories. Richard Kingsmill speaks here to Conran about how he writes, how Sufjan Stevens through to They Might Be Giants have influenced him, and how we all need to bounce back from apocalyptic times.   

The 20yo London artist lost his mum at the age of seven. A CD compilation of her favourite songs helped set his own course. From the age of eight, Oscar Lang has been uploading songs. Encouraged by his father (who himself came close to music fame as an early member of The Housemartins), Lang turned to music to help make sense of the shifting world around him. Now signed to Dirty Hit, and with the release of his strongest collection so far with the Hand Over Your Head EP, Richard Kingsmill spoke to Lang about his background. They covered his love for Australian psych bands, as well as the collaborations he’s been doing with other rising stars like beabadoobee, girl in red and Alfie Templeman.

The Bundjalung rapper is a powerful new voice on the local hip hop scene. At 22yo, JK-47 has been part of local Tweed Heads’ crews and the Brisbane hip hop community for a few years. Made For This is his debut solo album, and it speaks directly to his experience as an Indigenous man facing struggles within and outside his community. From a family of ten kids, JK-47 speaks with Richard Kingsmill of the importance of community, the at times fractured relationship with his late father, how his writing has changed since starting out, and how he feels becoming a father for the first time this year.

Taz Taylor started selling beats online to pay for his mum’s cancer treatment. He’s now leading a collective that’s been churning out the hits almost daily. After meeting similar minded producers online, Taylor had the idea of getting a collective together to better represent their interests. Nick Mira was one, and together they started developing a new voice on the scene called Juice WRLD. Years later, Internet Money has generated gold and platinum records for the likes of Trevor Daniel, Lil Tecca, Trippie Redd and many more. Richard Kingsmill speaks here to Taz Taylor (real name: Danny Snodgrass Jr.) about his vision, leaving school at Grade 7, working with the likes of Juice WRLD and The Kid LAROI, and the collective’s debut album called B4 The Storm which features the likes of Future, Swae Lee and Wiz Khalifa.

With their 5th album Kaliyuga, Byron Bay band In Hearts Wake have made a record to help save the planet. Planned as an album to be entirely carbon offset, the group went to extreme and exhausting lengths to achieve that. Having witnessed firsthand the fires that ravaged both California and Australia, the band felt they had no other choice but to carbon offset the recording and producing of the end product. Singer Jake Taylor explained to Richard Kingsmill the concept behind the title, the influence of Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, how they calculated and covered the LP’s CO2 footprint, and why Jake’s father and ex-partner both appear on the album. 

The Adelaide bred MC has been on the scene since she was 17, but it’s only now she’s figuring out who she is. And who she can be. A self-proclaimed ‘extroverted introvert’, Tkay Maidza has continued to deliver different sides of her musical personality with each release. For instance, the heavy and aggressive ‘Shook’ sits happily alongside the soulful pop jam of ‘Don’t Call Again’ on her latest EP. Last Year Was Weird,Vol. 2 is the second in a trilogy of EP releases that she started rolling out in 2018. Richard Kingsmill catches up with Tkay to talk about the title, as well as the recent therapy she felt she needed to navigate the world around her.

The Bunbury band traded west coast vibes for the east coast to hang out with Matt Corby in Byron to make their debut album. Having built up a sizeable following from touring over the last four years, Great Gable decided to record their first full-length release at the renowned Music Farm studios outside Byron Bay. They approached Alex Henriksson to be their producer, who in turn brought Matt Corby into the process. As fans of Matt’s work, the combination was daunting, but ultimately fruitful for the four-piece. Singer Alex Whiteman spoke to Richard Kingsmill on how Corby influenced their sound, how the band emerged from the Bunbury scene, and also about how Whiteman’s sporting family arrived in Bunbury after emigrating from England.

The award-winning Canadian band has delivered a beguiling second album that has more than just a few references to death. After taking out a Juno Award for their 2018 debut Baby Teeth, the four-piece from Oshawa, Ontario, decided to take charge of their follow-up. The amount of work ahead for them was a surprise. For fans, the fascination with death across the new songs has been more than curious. Richard Kingsmill spoke to singer Katie Munshaw who formed this band with her old school friend Charlie Spencer and his two brothers. She spoke about her outlook to the world, and how it’s shaped these new songs on The Sun and Her Scorch.

Soon to turn 17yo, the Sydney rapper The Kid LAROI has already seen and felt a lot. Despite a hard road, he’s on a path for US success following his impressive debut mixtape.  A finalist in Unearthed High in 2018, The Kid LAROI (real name Charlton Howard) connected with the late Juice WRLD on the US rapper’s first Australian tour. The two bonded quickly, with Juice WRLD becoming a strong mentor for the rising talent. The Kid LAROI has written about the tragic death of his friend and mentor on his debut mixtape F**k Love, as well as the loves that have gone wrong for him while living in Los Angeles over the past year. Richard Kingsmill speaks here to The Kid LAROI about all that, as well as his upbringing.

Across the past decade, Sydney’s Lime Cordiale have slowly grown into one of the country’s biggest acts. Having scored four Hottest 100 hits last year, the band is only set for greater success with the release of 14 Steps To A Better You. The brothers Oli and Louis Leimbach are speaking here to Richard Kingsmill about their career, their family, their Post Malone connection, and how they ended up on actor Bryan Brown’s farm recording this second album.

The Atlantan rapper dishes up 6pc Hot – a new EP that both reflects on his past and projects to the future. Speaking to 6LACK on his 28th birthday, Richard Kingsmill covers racial politics, fatherhood, his influences like T-Pain and Usher, and how he’s delving into the food game these days.

This one man music machine has been on the rise the last couple of years, and now with his debut mixtape, he’s sure to continue to draw in the fans. Officially, he’s named Ian Muhayimana. However, Stevan is the recording moniker for the Wollongong 19yo. Having scored an international deal early on, he’s been building a fanbase amongst both the public and other musicians. In his first interview with triple j, Stevan speaks here to Richard Kingsmill about his African roots, how he got into music through a ‘very cool’ cousin, and how he keeps his four sisters in the loop on what he’s making.

With a major label deal and another new single streaming in the millions, the US muso speaks about his road to success. Born Sven Gamsky, Still Woozy was born into a family of Californian doctors. Not interested in following that lead, and after a failed experiment in a math rock band, he found his calling making upbeat and soulful music all by himself in his garage studio. Over the last three years, he’s amassed millions of followers online, and landed a deal with the legendary Interscope label. Richard Kingsmill spoke to the guy to find out more.

The West Australian band have built up plenty of momentum the past year. This album confirms their place as one of the country’s best new bands. However, the story of Spacey Jane extends back a lot further, to teenage years in Geraldton, forming friendships and jamming on Red Hot Chili Peppers through the night. For singer and main songwriter Caleb Harper, his musical development has existed alongside a religious upbringing that has taken years to reconcile. Harper and drummer Kieran Lama speak to Richard Kingsmill about those years, and how it affects the emotional content of the band’s song writing.

Over the last year, he’s featured on five Top 10 UK singles, and his rise doesn’t look like stopping anytime soon. The 20yo Manchester MC Aitch (real name: Harrison Armstrong) uploaded a freestyle called ‘Straight Rhymez’ in 2018 which immediately took off. Stormzy became a fan, as did Ed Sheeran who Aitch says has already been talking with him of a collaboration. With the release of his new Polaris EP, find out more as Richard Kingsmill goes into his story with him.

Last year, the 19yo Californian named mxmtoon watched her song ‘prom dress’ explode on TikTok. The success came after years of her uploading covers and originals, played simply on the ukulele. With the release of the first of two EP’s this year, Richard Kingsmill speaks to mxmtoon about her passion for that instrument, putting herself in the social media spotlight at a young age, and how she felt seeing her music going viral last year.   

The debut album from the Bruny Island native arrives with plenty of small town honesty, as well as a strong and proud Tasmanian accent. Maddy Jane arrived on the scene five years ago, and after some breakthrough hits like ‘Thank You and Sorry’ and ‘No Other Way’, she’s now delivered her debut album. Titled Not All Bad Or Good , the album carries with it a wisdom and philosophy that sees the world in more than just black and white terms. Maddy speaks here to Richard Kingsmill about growing up in a remote setting, how it’s ultimately shaped her, and how important song writing is to her in relating to the world.

With an album to come in July, two big names on the electronic music scene have announced a collaboration. Under the name BRONSON, Golden Features has followed up his recent pairing with The Presets to work now with the American duo ODESZA. With the forming of a strong friendship years ago, the decision to start making new music together happened naturally, despite the two acts coming from very different styles. Richard Kingsmill spoke to Golden Features (aka Tom Stell) about the project and how they approached it.

Local artist merci, mercy is riding high with her official debut single. One of the most popular tracks on triple j right now, ‘Fucked Myself Up’ is a forthright song that came to the 19yo after hitting a low point that she needed to address. Richard Kingsmill spoke to her about that, all the travelling she did growing up, and her road to gaining the confidence to enter the music industry.

Who’s the Canadian behind one of the year’s biggest songs? Isaiah Faber is the 21yo who is riding high worldwide with ‘death bed (coffee for your head)’. It’s a song which had a slow birth, plus he’s an artist who’s been uploading songs for a four years now. So it’s no overnight success story. Richard Kingsmill speaks to Powfu about his early musical start, collaborating with beabadoobee on his hit song, and how he’s coping with his new found fame.

With their debut album, London band Sorry have an exciting take on indie music. Inspired as much by trip hop and jazz, they never wanted to be a straight guitar band. Richard Kingsmill spoke to Louis O’Bryen to find out how they evolved, whether they really are as cynical as some reviewers think, and what’s at the heart of the album’s title 925.

The Canadian duo have taken five years to release a third album, but the timing is eerily apt. Singer Megan James speaks to Richard Kingsmill about how the album works for her, how religion shaped some of the content, and why it took longer than planned.

Finishing a medicine degree, falling in love, questions of identity, the death of her grandmother – the last couple of years have been a turbulent time for the talent from Canowindra, NSW. With the announcement of her upcoming second album, Richard Kingsmill speaks to Gordi about her growth through that time, and making this new album at her family sheep farm with some of Bon Iver’s production team. 

The English band have just released a new single that speaks to these anxious times.

The LA band have been through some tough times of late. Last year, Hannah Hooper was diagnosed with a serious brain condition. Faced with the likelihood of having a stroke unless she underwent surgery, she turned to writing music as a distraction. Richard Kingsmill speaks here to both Hannah and partner Christian Zucconi about how they got through it, and the new songs we now have on their 4th album called Healer.

Before they made their second album, the Sydney band needed to have some 'honest chats' between the members. Polaris toured the world non-stop after their 2017 J Award nominated debut album put them on the map as one of Australia's best new heavy acts. Despite watching their popularity grow, that constant contact threatened the existence of the band and their friendships. Richard Kingsmill spoke to Daniel Furnari and Jake Steinhauser about how they pulled the band back from the brink to make The Death Of Me.

The English musician soared high with his debut album Phase in 2016. But since ending the world tour for that, he promptly disappeared. Despite all the acclaim and success, he struggled with imposter syndrome, and those feelings of self-doubt lead him to scrapping a whole album and starting again. Jack Garratt explains to Richard Kingsmill more about that struggle, and how he eventually found the road to making his upcoming second album.

Richard asked triple j listeners to once again nominate their favourite albums of the year. From all the thousands of votes, here’s the Top 10. Hear why these records meant so much to music fans. The artists themselves also talk about the making of them.

It’s a simple question.  Richard gets the triple j team together to ask each of them for their album of the year. Hear what Bridget Hustwaite, Vance Musgrove, Al Newstead, Angus Truskett, Declan Byrne, Gemma Pike, Josh Merriel, Mitch Alexander, and Richard himself selected.

Richard got Bridget Hustwaite, Dave Ruby Howe, Ebony Boadu, and Declan Byrne from the triple j team to pinpoint their one standout release from November. Spoiler alert: Billie Eilish, Mura Masa and Jaguar Jonze were just some of the picks.

With the making of their third album Mind The Moon, the German group Milky Chance stopped touring for a whole year to concentrate on the creative process. It was the longest break they've ever had, but it paid off. Giving them probably their most focused album to date, singer Clemens Rehbein speaks to Richard Kingsmill about the decision, working with new people, and how everything from Portugal to an Airbnb in Melbourne influenced the song writing.

Renowned Japanese video game designer Hideo Kojima asked some of his favourite acts to be involved in the epic and long awaited Death Stranding release. One of those was Bring Me The Horizon. But there was a catch for them to be involved.  Richard Kingsmill speaks to singer Oli Sykes to find out more, and to talk about where the band is heading nearly a year after the release of their 6th album ‘amo’.

At the start of 2018, the Brooklyn talent King Princess (a.k.a. Mikaela Straus) attracted interest immediately with her queer love anthem called 1950. Now she’s delivered Cheap Queen, an equally striking debut album that is largely written, produced and played by the 20yo herself. The first signing to Mark Ronson’s Zelig Records, King Princess speaks to Richard Kingsmill about growing up in her father’s recording studio, her openness to her writing and talking about her sexuality, and how the record changed after getting her heart broken.

Richard asked Linda Marigliano, Hau Latukefu, Karla Ranby and Tommy Faith for their one standout release of the past month. Spoiler alert: Jim Alxndr, OKENYO, flowerkid were some of the acts mentioned.

With his first two indie albums, English artist Rex Orange County quickly established a fanbase. That following increased massively with the 2017 single ‘Loving Is Easy’, with Australia giving the now 21yo his first Gold record. But behind the scenes of packed venues and constant airplay, the singer/songwriter born Alexander O’Connor was struggling with issues around him. Richard Kingsmill tries to find out more of what he went through in the lead up to writing his 3rd album Pony.

She made the move to Los Angeles straight out of high school, and that leap of faith is now paying off. After an impressive run of singles the last two years, Sydney singer CXLOE is enjoying millions of streams and a growing fanbase. But it’s come after a much longer journey. When she premiered her latest single ‘Devil You Don’t’ with Richard Kingsmill this week, she spoke about finding her way in LA and the struggle of finding others in the industry who share her vision.

In just 18 months, the 20yo girl in red (aka Marie Ulven) has taken songs born from boredom in her bedroom in Horten to the world. And plenty of the world has been listening. She talks here to Richard Kingsmill about growing up in her small Norwegian town, about not fitting in, and how a present from her grandfather set her on track for (hopefully) life.

From the council estates of Northampton, Tyron Frampton is the 24yo English rapper known as slowthai. Richard Kingsmill speaks here to him about his tough upbringing, the influence of his mother, his outlook on Brexit, and his Mercury Music Prize nominated debut album Nothing Great About Britain.

Richard asked Linda Marigliano, Max Quinn, Ebony Boadu and Declan Byrne for their standout release of the last month. Spoiler alert: FKA twigs, Rex Orange County, Stormzy and KUCKA may have been mentioned.

After all they’ve been through, how Boy & Bear came to record such an impressive album is remarkable. Four years since Limit Of Love, Suck On Light is the Sydney band’s fourth album. It has come after years of undiagnosed illness for singer Dave Hosking. Battling a serious bacterial infection in his gut that was also affecting his nervous system, Hosking was eventually prescribed a treatment called Faecal Microbiota Transplant (FMT). Many of us found the story both fascinating and disgusting. Richard Kingsmill finds out more about Hosking’s slow recovery, and speaks to keyboardist Jon Hart as well about how the band bounced back to write and record the album in Nashville with engineer/co-producer Collin Dupuis.

In May, the US duo ended their Groovin the Moo tour here in dramatic fashion. Ironically, that incident also set them up for writing some of their best material so far. With their new EP now out, Richard Kingsmill speaks to Sofi Tukker about what happened at the end of that tour, the vision behind their Animal Talk parties, and their continuing love for the Portuguese language.  

Officially now a trio, and riding high after last year’s successful Bloody Lovely album, Brisbane’s DZ Deathrays have released the first of two albums to come in the next 12 months. Founding members Shane Parsons and Simon Ridley speak here to Richard Kingsmill about their fresh creativity and influences, and how recording in Los Angeles helped shaped their new outlook.

After collaborating with the likes of Halsey, Kanye West, Major Lazer, Ariana Grande, Shawn Mendes, and The Weeknd, Cashmere Cat is ready to take the limelight again with the release of his second album.

Richard asks some of the team from the triple j networks to spotlight their standout release from the last month. Spoiler alert: BROCKHAMPTON, The Murder Capital, and Oliver Tree are a few of the acts mentioned.

One of the best singles going around right now is “Conversations (With The Moon)” by the NZ based Harper Finn. The 21yo is the eldest son of the legend Tim Finn (Split Enz/Crowded House). In his first Australian interview, Harper speaks to Richard Kingsmill about his upbringing and father’s legacy, playing as a teen in a hip hop band, and the inspiration behind his latest songs.

Brisbane band WAAX have been working towards a debut album after years of impressing on stages. With Bernard Fanning and Nick DiDia as producers, the band have focused on the emotional power behind Maz DeVita’s lyrics and life. The singer, along with drummer Tom Bloomfield, are speaking here with Richard Kingsmill about the making of the band and the LP called Big Grief.

Since 2011, Oscar Dawson and Tim Carroll have been the force behind Holy Holy. Known for some great guitar records, on their latest and third album My Own Pool Of Light, they relied less on that instrument in the writing of it. They speak here to Richard Kingsmill about why they did that, and the results that came from the new approach.

The US artist has delivered on the viral success of the past couple of years with an impressive debut album. In her only Australian interview for the release of Immunity, Clairo opens up to Richard Kingsmill about the difficult teenage years she encountered, her outlook now, and what it was like working with Rostam and Danielle Haim in the studio.

For three years, local producer Tom Purcell was one of the brightest new talents on the scene. After 2016, however, he went very quiet. Anxiety struck, and he disappeared from the scene. With two new singles marking his return, Richard Kingsmill spoke to Purcell about the feelings he endured and how he overcame them.

Richard speaks to Zan, Bridget, Hau and others across the triple j family to find out the standout releases of the past month. Spoiler alert: Delacey, Freddie Gibbs, and Northeast Party House rate a mention.

Richard Kingsmill and the rest of the triple j team compare notes on which acts came out on top at this year’s festival. Richard would like it to be known he walked 35kms across the weekend, watched 59 acts, and wore out his beloved festival boots.

Sam Hales from the Brisbane group joins Richard Kingsmill to talk about their first new music since the Quiet Ferocity album stormed the Hottest 100 in 2017. He also pinpoints three releases from this year he's been loving from other artists.

Richard invites the crew back to compare notes on their standout releases of June. Spoiler alert: Joji, Hatchie and Hobo Johnson are amongst the acts mentioned.

Sydney’s Hayden James has been promising a debut album for a while now, but the wait is over. Between Us comes six years on from his first single, and after making the Hottest 100 with four of his subsequent songs. Find out more about the long road behind this album, who he’s worked with, and what lies ahead as Hayden speaks with Richard Kingsmill.

The London based duo Alex Burnett and Anita Blay have come to the world of dance from opposite directions. Alex led indie group Sparkadia for years, before moving to London to write and produce for the likes of Alison Wonderland, George Maple, Hayden James, Thelma Plum, Mansionair & Elderbrook. Anita also writes for others, and has had various solo projects over the last decade. The two met through Brit producer TIEKS and have collaborated ever since. Richard Kingsmill speaks with them about their catalogue so far.

Richard gets some of the triple j family to pick their standout release of the last month. Spoiler alert: Tyler, the Creator, The Gooch Palms, Kita Alexander, and Injury Reserve are some of the acts featured.

The London producer has released a stack of songs since 2015 featuring the likes of AlunaGeorge, Col3trane, TEED, Gallant, and recently Clairo and Ruel. As he gets set to release the final part of his debut album, SG Lewis speaks with Richard Kingsmill about starting out at Paul McCartney’s Institute in Liverpool, and finding his own voice through collaborating with other singers.

After working behind the scenes with some big names, the Los Angeles' songwriter/producer has emerged over the last year as an artist in his own right. Hear AUGUST 08 speaking to Richard Kingsmill about scoring it big with a DJ Khaled hit, being a part of the 88rising collective, and finding his own voice on his latest singles "Blood On My Hands" and "Simple Pleasures".

The Melbourne band are hitting the road this week for their latest album We Are A Team.

Billie Eilish's rise and success has had a lot to do with the chemistry between her and her elder brother Finneas O'Connell. As her producer and songwriting partner, the two have generated three years of releases that have seen her become one of the biggest names in music. As FINNEAS, he has also been releasing his own music for the same length of time. Hear Richard Kingsmill explore how he got started, how he writes and works with Billie as well as his latest songs.

Richard asks some of the triple j team to pick their one big release of the past month. Spoiler alert: PUP, beabadoobee, Stevan, Kevin Abstract are some of the acts featured.

The 22yo norhtern Irish talent has written her second album based around a ficticious city. Hear SOAK speaking with Richard Kingsmill about Grim Town, how she used this songwriting concept to deal with her own mental health, and why she started writing songs in the first place as a 13yo.

With already two big singles this year featuring Mallrat and Erthlings, the Sydney producer Basenji joined Richard Kingsmill to talk more about his latest work, how he's developed across the past five years, and where he's heading over the rest of 2019.

The Toronto band PUP continue to celebrate the morbid, mundane and mentally challenging parts of modern life on their 3rd album. Full of self-deprecating humour, as well as killer punk rock choruses, Morbid Stuff hears the same four guys back together for what they reckon is their favourite LP so far. Richard Kingsmill speaks to singer Stefan Babcock about their outlook, his loving rivalry with his sister, and how the band had its own part to play in the success of Stranger Things.

With the release of her new single 'Peace', Alison Wonderland speaks to Richard Kingsmill from her home in Los Angeles. Scoring the front cover of Billboard Magazine for their annual Top 100 Dance list, to selling out the iconic Red Rocks venue in just five minutes, the Sydney producer is enjoying a whole new level of success in the States.

Richard asks some of the triple j family what their favourite new releases were of the past month. Spoiler alert: Billie Eilish, Dave and Foals are among the acts highlighted.

The 23yo Londoner is earning widespread acclaim for her debut album Miss Universe. Richard Kingsmill speaks to Nilufer Yanya about her artistic family, being influenced by Pixies and Jeff Buckley, and how she likes to bounce around different styles with her music.

The Canberra artist Genesis Owusu has been working in Los Angeles with Anderson .PAAK's band lately. Richard Kingsmill got him in to talk about how he hooked up with them, and where he's coming from musically given the diverse styles he covers on his two new singles.

Less than two years on from her first single, Fremantle's Stella Donnelly now delivers Beware Of The Dogs - her outstanding debut album. Stella speaks here to Richard Kingsmill about her background, growing up on the sounds of Billy Bragg, and the power to speak her mind and ignore the trolls.

The 28yo Atlantan rapper JID has earnt widespread acclaim for his latest album DiCaprio 2. Denzel Curry, J. Cole, and the late Mac Miller are just some of the fans he's already won along the way. Richard Kingsmill speaks to him about his upbringing, his teenage dreams of being a sporting hero, and how he always records sitting down.

Richard gets some of the triple j, Double J and Unearthed heads together to talk about their favourite new releases of the past month. Spoiler alert: Diplo, Alex Lahey, and La Dispute are just some of the acts highlighted.

With the release of their debut album Don't Let Go, Dear Seattle's singer Brae Fisher talks to Richard Kingsmill about his honest approach to songwriting, the band's evolution from their hardcore beginnings, and how the passing of his father when he was a 7yo inspired the final song on the album.

The Sydney singer has reached nearly 2 million streams with her first two singles alone, and with her debut EP out, she spoke to Richard Kingsmill about her influences, working with producer Dave Hammer (Thundamentals/Lime Cordiale/Baker Boy), and relocating to London this year.

Two years on from the success of their single 'Ubu', Perth's Methyl Ethel are back with their third album. Entirely written and recorded by frontman Jake Webb, Richard Kingsmill spoke with him about his songwriting strategies, the significance of the album's title Triage, and how his approach to music in the future might change.

With their 6th album amo, Bring Me The Horizon have delivered their most diverse and controversial album. Extending their sound like never before, singer Oli Sykes speaks to Richard Kingsmill about the band's shift in direction, the reactions to the album so far, working with the likes of Grimes, and how his divorce and re-marriage has influenced the lyrics.

Richard reflects on the results of the Hottest 100 with some of the triple j team, exploring some of the trends, successes and misses of 2018.

Richard's annual album poll once again drew thousands of votes from triple j listeners. Find out what made the Top 10, hear the artists themselves talking about those records, plus the fans share why they fell in love with them so much.

Richard gets some of the triple j team in to discuss the best albums of the year. Declan Byrne, Linda Marigliano, Al Newstead, Veronica Milsom, Josh Merriel and Bridget Hustwaite talk about their standouts of 2018.

Zane Lowe is one of the premier tastemakers on the international music scene. After leaving the BBC in 2015, Lowe became the face of Apple Music's Beats 1 radio station. He's been in Australia the last couple of Novembers doing his radio shows to coincide with the ARIA's. So Richard caught up with him again to talk about some of his new finds and favourite songs of 2018. They played songs by Dominic Fike, Hobo Johnson, Rosalia, half.alive, Lil Mosey, Bene, Conan Gray, Ashnikko, slowthai and Mura Masa, and Billie Eilish.

From listening to her dad's jazz collection as a kid, to performing in restaurants and on TV singing shows in her teens, Grace Pitts (aka GRAACE) is now enjoying her first big hit. She speaks to Richard Kingsmill about her journey so far, her love of Joni Mitchell, collaborating with Hayden James, and why she's called her debut EP Self Sabotage.

In 2016, the English band suffered the tragic loss of their guitarist and principal songwriter Tom Searle to cancer. Two years on, with the release of their 8th album Holy Hell, Dan Searle (Tom's twin brother and drummer in the group) and singer Sam Carter speak to Richard Kingsmill about how they coped after Tom's death, why they continued on as a band, and where Tom appears on their new songs.

The Wollongong bred/Melbourne based singer-songwriter has made his mark the last year with two impressive singles. With a father in the music business, Tyne-James started out doing covers on You Tube. He connected with an online fanbase quickly, as well as some prominent names on the music scene here. He talks with Richard about his life so far, which was hit hard in 2016 with the death of his father to cancer.

After his breakout hit 'Brother', Matt Corby kept his fans waiting years for a debut album. When he found out he was to become a father, Matt knew he had to get to work a bit quicker to get a second album done. Hear Matt tell Richard Kingsmill about the more relaxed process this time round, how he plays and sings everything himself, his key influences, and the close to home title for the record.

Originally from Papua New Guinea, Kaiit has made her mark on the Melbourne music scene pretty quickly. Her debut single last year has now well over a million streams, and her latest track from a debut EP has built on that even more. She talks to Richard Kingsmill about her musical upbringing, how she came through the Melbourne scene, and how everyone from Morrissey to Lauryn Hill has influenced her.

For the writing and recording of their 3rd album, RUFUS DU SOL moved to Los Angeles. Setting up a home studio in Venice Beach, they found new collaborators and an inspiring Californian landscape around them. Jon, Tyrone and James speak here to Richard Kingsmill about the process behind Solace, why they opted for nine songs on the album, and if there was another moment like their much loved 'Innerbloom' among them.

Four albums and a decade into their career, Canberra band Hands Like Houses have achieved considerable success without a lot of fanfare. Dozens of world tours, building huge streaming figures, the rock band join Richard Kingsmill to talk about why they headed overseas early on, and how it took ages for people at home to realise they were even Australian. Trenton Woodley (singer) and Alex Pearson (guitarist) also talk about the making of Anon., their latest album.

The Chicago rapper Noname speaks to Richard Kingsmill about her new album Room 25 - an album that's getting rave reviews for its lyrical honesty, humour, vulnerability, and soulful playing. She also talks about her friendship with Chance The Rapper, SABA, Vic Mensa, Smino, and how today's very active Chicago scene has evolved.

Richard speaks to Lochlan Watt and Josh Merriel -- triple j's experts on metal and punk respectively -- to look at how these genres are ageing, but the changing influences within both as well. They talk about acts like Slayer, Scarlxrd, Ghostemane, The Offspring, Judas Priest, Bring Me The Horizon, The Amity Affliction, Good Cop Bad Cop, Ghost, and more.

After achieving a UK Gold album for their 2014 self-titled debut, Jungle have returned with For Ever. Josh Lloyd-Watson and Tom McFarland are the two creative heads behind the London collective. Tom speaks to Richard Kingsmill about their friendship since the age of nine, and their varying influences over time. Find out also how California and the end of personal relationships for both influenced this second album.

In two years, the Melbourne multi-instrumentalist has conquered the world, all without an album. Will it only get bigger for the artist now there is one? Richard Kingsmill talked with Tash about the meteoric rise and the making of Flow State.

With the release of her debut album, the 24yo English talent LAUREL speaks to Richard Kingsmill about gigging at the age of 14, finding her voice, and the only cover she knows how to play.

The Melbourne producer, songwriter, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Running Touch appeared on the scene via Unearthed in 2015. A string of distinct singles has noticeably grown his fanbase since then. With his latest release 'My Hands', Richard Kingsmill spoke to him about anonymity, his hardcore background with Ocean Grove, and who influences him today.

With the releases of her 2nd EP Here and Now, our 2016 Unearthed High winner Gretta Ray updates Richard Kingsmill about the writing and travelling she's been doing since winning the comp. She also talks about hanging out recently with one of her childhood heroes.

As they head off for five months of international touring, Richard Kingsmill speaks to Jack Froggatt and Lachlan Bostock from the Sydney trio about their impressive string of singles, getting a nod at the Grammys, and how Mongolian music inspired them this year.

Richard Kingsmill spent 36 hours watching more than 50 acts at this year's Splendour In The Grass festival north of Byron Bay. He survived, so find out who he reckons also came out on top.

The Warrnambool singer/songwriter has had a rapid rise on the local scene across the last year. With his debut EP Measurements now out, an international booking deal recently signed, and 8 million plus Spotify streams reached, Didirri talks about his influences and outlook on writing with Richard Kingsmill.

From Kanye's 7 track releases barely running past 20 minutes, to Drake's 90 minute opus, the album format in the music world today is an unpredictable beast. But has anything really changed? Should there be clearer rules today for what justifies an album? And what are the current rules? Richard Kingsmill and triple j Music News Editor Al Newstead discuss all of this and more to find some answers.

Richard speaks to the triple j, Double J and Unearthed music teams to bring up you to speed on the most important acts of the year so far.

Jack River opens up to Richard Kingsmill about the death of her sister, and how she used music to process her grief. Also, find out why she chose a Neil Young song as her debut album title.

After a string of successful singles, 'What Comes Next' is the debut album from Sydney twin brothers Pat and Cosmo Liney. They spoke to Richard about their fast rising career, a secret disco song structure, and what it was like working with a gang of collaborators, including; Tove Styrke, Sarah Aarons, Buddy, Jay Prince, and Woodes.

Richard shares some of his new music discoveries for May: 1. Laurel -- Lovesick, 2. Arroyo -- Please Just Let Me Know, 3. Mazy -- Enemies, 4. Ric Wilson -- Sinner {Ft. Kweku Collins/Rane Raps/Nick Kosmo}, 5. Sorry -- Showgirl

The 23-year-old Melbourne songwriter, singer and producer has been all over triple j the last few years, working with Peking Duk, L D R U, Cosmo's Midnight, and The Rubens. She spoke to Richard Kingsmill from her base in Los Angeles about her work, her start in music, and the auto-immune disease she's fighting.

Has Courtney Barnett delivered a worthy follow up to her award winning debut? How have Melbourne's Slowly Slowly built such a loyal fanbase? And could Adelaide be the secret spiritual home of Aussie rock 'n roll? Richard discusses all this and more with triple j Unearthed podcast host, Max Quinn.

Jack McAllister is the producer from northern NSW known as Willaris. K. He describes how fast his music career took off, and how his background as an electrician, as well as a DJ, helped him write his own music.

Richard and Linda Marigliano trade first impressions of Arctic Monkeys' highly anticipated 6th album, 'Tranquility Base Hotel and Casino'. Then we head to Los Angeles to hear Linda's interview with frontman Alex Turner. They discuss what influenced the record, including the moon landing, Stanley Kubrick, and the piano.

The 24 year old Pablo Diaz-Reixa is the man behind El Guincho. Living in Barcelona now, he grew up on the Canary Islands. His exotic sounding debut album fuses Brazilian, Krautrock, Calypso and Afro-Beat influences. An unexpected hit in Spain, it's now spreading worldwide. Architecture In Helsinki asked him to come here to tour with them. That's when Richard Kingsmill caught up with him.