A rising RnB star out of Sydney’s West, A.GIRL has been on an absolute roll this year. Her second single “Play” has been making the rounds on triple j, she’s joined Aussie hip hop honcho Briggs on his Beats 1 radio show The New Australia, and she played Listen Out alongside household names like Flume, Slowthai, and Wafia. We had a chat with the 19-year-old rising star to talk about trading small pub gigs for festival stages, the thriving Sydney hip hop scene, and her sage advice on keeping it prosperous.
Best Before: What was it like to play a festival as huge as Listen Out?
A.GIRL: It was crazy! The biggest highlight of the whole thing was just having my name on the same bill as all of those people – it was an otherworldly experience. And the whole backstage area! Hanging out with all of the artists that were there was freakin’ mind blowing. I’m a very open person so it was, you know, trying to network and take photos, and stuff like that, and it was so much, ha! I had my family there ‚ my mum was there and she talks a lot. She was just chatting away with the artists too.
Who was your favourite person to chat with?
Definitely ChillinIT, even though we didn’t talk much. He’s my number one artist in Australia right now, so when I saw him I kinda died a little bit! Talking to him was crazy, but I think the most the most awkward encounter was with Doja Cat – I was so awkward in front of her! I shouted out to her, but she walked past me because she needed to be somewhere, but then she came back and I realised she had heard me. I felt a bit ridiculous, but it was still really cool.
Listen Out was really special. It was definitely the most interesting rehearsal process. I had in-ears for the first time, which was really different for me. We had like two proper production rehearsals for this specific thing. And it just made me more comfortable going into bigger production sets, because we’re so used to like doing little pub gigs. Moving from where we have been playing recently to bigger productions, and needing to have all of this equipment, was crazy. It was one of the most intense rehearsals I’ve ever had. And I was hella sick for them, as well. It was really bad — hot flashes and headaches. But I was alright in the end. That’s what matters, right?
“What I love the most is the love we all have for each other as a community of artists.”
Definitely! At the moment I think Sydney is producing some really amazing hip hop, RnB and pop, and you sit into an intersection between these three genres. What is it about those genres in particular that makes you want to create that kind of music?
Hip hop is timeless — it’ll never run out. There’s just such a message behind it that people love to overlook. People see gangsters and tattoos and whatever, but it’s the root of all music for me, besides reggae. How do you explain the impact of just one genre? And then there’s just little offsprings of other different genres that fit into the same category, but it’s all hip hop. Plus, within the Australian industry, we’re finally coming to terms with the fact that we probably produce some of the best hip hop artists out there.
The scene in Sydney is so good and so inspiring, as both an artist and a person who goes to events. Now there’s just so many connections, so many people, so many different things going on. It’s kind of like the club scene, where there’s great stuff to go and listen to, but also great networking opportunities for artists. Sydney’s putting on a show! I just don’t want things to get fucked up. I think we’re doing pretty well, and things don’t get out of control, but the only thing that can fuck it up is us, really — with the whole ‘area’ thing, and beef. That’s my only concern, when it comes to how we’re moving with the culture of hip hop music in general within the city. We could fuck it up along the way so bad.
Fingers crossed.
Right now it’s very smooth sailing. Everybody supports each other. What I love the most is the love we all have for each other as a community of artists. It’s so real — everywhere I go, no matter what. Social media, face to face… the love and support artists have for each other is surreal. We try to build everyone up. Everybody’s noticing that there’s enough room at the table. We can all eat; there’s no need to be selfish. We’re all on the same journey, all have the same goal, so why not just work together?
Who are your top three Sydney acts at the moment?
Ooh… ChillinIT, Milan Ring – I got to see her last year, she sounded great. And Cult Shφtta. Behind the scenes, they work, grind, and hustle so hard.
What’s on the horizon for you? Have you got any new music coming out?
Right now, we’re just riding the wave of my second single. We’re hopefully gonna release my next song soon and video clip along the way, plus there’s many more songs to come.
Catch A.GIRL at ‘On The Rise #2’ at The Beresford in Sydney on Friday November 1st alongside Lil Spacely, Freeds, and Elijah Yo. Entry is free. For all the details, head here.
In the meantime, you can watch the smokey video for “Play” here:
Header image by Leila Mullen.