Perth artist RHY is set to release his debut single, Full Grown, and it’s a track about not feeling like you’re ready to take on the world while having to do it anyway. It’s a feeling that we can all relate to, and listening to Full Grown will make you feel like everything’s going to be OK. It’ll also get you moving, something we all need in 2021 (especially if you’re like me, and you’ve been in Melbourne throughout the pandemic).

I’m stoked to be premiering the track, because when RHY sent it to me I instantly fell in love. As RHY told me, it’s a great introduction to his sound - and you can expect things to get a little bit weirder when he starts dropping more music soon. Check out the single below, and read on to learn more about RHY, including his thoughts on dance music, and what he’s got planned going forward. I really enjoyed chatting with him, and I can’t wait to see what’s in store for him in 2021!

Firstly, can you introduce yourself and your music?

Hey! I’m Rhyan aka RHY. I’m a 21-year-old Perth-based bedroom producer and songwriter and I make groovy, feel-good electronic-indie-pop.

Leaving school to pursue music at just 16 was a big step – how do you feel you’ve evolved as a musician over the last few years, and how does that present itself in your debut single Full Grown?

It felt like the only step at the time, being one of the kids who didn’t see any point for myself in doing ATAR. I’ve spent all the time since then studying and trying to explore other avenues of music/sound that would actually make me money, at the same time passively working on my own music. 

Full Grown is actually a couple of years old so naturally, there are bits of 19-year-old RHY in the way it’s written. You can also clearly hear the kind of music that was influencing me at the time in the production of the song. It’s pretty neat to listen to the way I produced it back then versus now and to know the wait was super worth it to make something I was happy with.

What does being Full Grown mean to you – do you think you’re fully grown?        

Hell nah. This song is mainly about feeling like a kid when it comes to relationships, but the feeling like a kid thing is definitely applicable in a bunch of other areas of my life. Every year I discover more things I’m completely oblivious towards. Maybe someone out there’s got it figured out but I’m not convinced being fully grown is an actual thing. 

I wanted to ask about the cover art for Full Grown. How do you go about making the perfect fairy bread?

Nothing but white bread for the base and an unhealthy spread of butter. The rest is about coverage - don’t go skimping on those hundreds and thousands - I don’t wanna be able to see any bread under that stuff. 

I’d love to know a bit about your involvement in the Perth music scene – are there any Perth artists you’re inspired by, and what do you think makes the Perth music scene unique?

I could write a massive list of Perth artists inspiring me, the scene is hectic right now! My main involvement at the moment is playing bass for the epic Michael Day, who writes really unique, intricate folk-rock stuff. I actually love folk and there are a bunch of other cool folk guys doing their thing here like Jacob Wylde and Jack Davies.

On the stranger side, there are artists such as Grievous Bodily Calm, Haircare and Haddy who I’m constantly listening to. I think what makes the Perth scene unique is the sense of real tight community among artists. Pretty much every muso knows each other in some weird, roundabout way, despite it being such a huge, musically diverse scene.

Dance music in 2020/2021 has been omnipresent, despite the lockdowns worldwide. What do you think it is about dance music that people have been enjoying, even as they’ve been stuck at home?

We’re lucky here in Perth that we can still go out to see live shows and all that, but we were in lock-down for a little while and I totally get that being stuck at home can be dreary and lame. Dance music brings the feel-good vibe to you; it definitely made my little room way more upbeat. People are craving the energy and excitement of live shows and I think the way dance music gets people moving can at least bring them part the way there.

You’ve taken influence from the likes of Panama and Roosevelt on Full Grown. Is there a musician, living or dead, that you’d love to hear Full Grown?

I’m quite proud of this song and all that but honestly, the thought of playing this to any of my idols is absolutely terrifying. Noo thank youu. 

READ MORE: INTERVIEW: Sydnee Carter On Moving On From The Past And Embracing The Future

Finally, what are your next few steps, both personally and music-wise?

Music-wise, I’m working on a bunch of tunes right now that I’m very antsy to get out there and I’m doubly keen to play live as soon as I can get the crew together to play them. On the personal side of things, I’m just plodding along finding a few too many ways to keep myself busy, as usual.

You can follow RHY on Facebook here and Instagram here.