Tag: Australian

Australian Newcomer Merci, Mercy Discusses Her Big Break

May 4, 2020

As far as career goals go, the 19-year-old Australian singer-songwriter merci, mercy told For the Record that she aims to be “brutally honest” above all else in her songs, celebrating her weirdness in a way that makes others follow suit. Her commitment to smashing taboos comes alive on the rising artist’s debut single, which is the rare kind of debut that feels assured and fully formed. 

The strength of that song, “F*cked Myself Up,” recently led to merci, mercy being handpicked as Australia’s representative in Spotify’s global emerging-artist program, RADAR. The program features artists at all stages of their careers from over 50 markets worldwide and helps them strengthen their connection to audiences via Spotify’s social channels, RADAR playlists curated by Spotify’s editors, and bespoke marketing initiatives. 

On her lead single, merci, mercy sounds self-aware as she sings about heavy issues like substance abuse and alcohol dependency above a deceptively slinky groove flecked with electronic flourishes. The entire track exudes a nonchalant lightness despite lyrics detailing the powerful temptation to overindulge; the song is topped off with pop-bright vocals as charismatic as they are matter-of-fact.

If merci, mercy sounds wise beyond her years, it may be a result of her having lived abroad with her mother, splitting her childhood and subsequent years between Beijing, Thailand, Sydney, and smaller towns in Australia. “It definitely made me who I am today,” she told For the Record. “Being able to live in other countries and experience the way other people live really opens your mind. I feel really grateful I had the opportunity to do that.”

It’s no wonder, then, that the teenage artist is already working with top-flight producers like Edwin White (Vance Joy, Fergus James) and Joel Quartermain (G Flip, Meg Mac), who co-wrote the track. In fact, she had already signed with a management company, a booking agency, and veteran Aussie label Liberation Records before the song even came out in March, all thanks to the strength of an earlier tune called “Be” that she quietly uploaded in 2018.

Her stage name, meanwhile, was suggested by a friend when she couldn’t decide between Merci (French for “thank you”) or Mercy. And though she’s only just released her first worldwide single, she has been writing songs—“in my bedroom, car, shower, and every other good place to procrastinate—since the age of 16, when she realized that singing other people’s material wasn’t for her.

“I started to use it as an excuse to avoid responsibilities such as schoolwork and cleaning my bedroom,” she admitted. “Nothing has changed, apart from the schoolwork and being way better at writing songs.”

What has changed, of course, is working with producers like White and Quartermain to perfect her songs in the studio. “It felt like home, like I was meant to be there,” recounted merci, mercy. “I was obviously nervous each and every time, but I just loved being with such amazing people creating such innovative music.”

As for her inclusion in Spotify’s RADAR program, merci, mercy said it’s been a welcome vote of confidence: “It leaves me in a constant state of empowerment, humbleness, and excitement. It confirms for me that my dreams are indeed coming true. I feel validated in the most wondrous of ways.”

Check out merci,mercy and more of the artists selected for Spotify’s worldwide RADAR program on the On Our Radar playlist. 

Indigenous Australian Rapper Briggs Shares Message of Triumph through Music

August 8, 2019

Photo credit: Cole Bennetts

Koori rapper Briggs of the Yorta Yorta people knows the importance of sharing your voice—even when others initially say they don’t want to hear it. Growing up in the rural town of Shepparton, 120 miles north of Melbourne, Australia, Briggs learned that through music he could tell stories that were uniquely his—including on complex topics of race, identity, and privilege. It’s something that remains an essential aspect of his music, and also that of his side project, A.B. Original, with fellow Indigenous Australian artist Trials.

We spoke with Briggs in honor of the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples. He explained how his music—shaped by the rap and rock heroes he idolized during his childhood— helped create a platform within his community and blazed a new trail for Indigenous Australian voices. 

What was your earliest exposure to music?

I grew up in a country town, where [I was] surrounded by souped-up Commodores and mullets, and cowboys with their gigantic bullbars and 20-foot antennas. Rap music was a big part of that, and I was pretty heavy into punk rock and metal, too—anything anti-establishment, like Guns N’ Roses, Ice Cube, and Snoop Dogg, which were always within arm’s reach of a tape deck. Punk rock stuff I liked was Green Day, blink-182, and The Vandals. I really got into Misfits and Motorhead, too. Just ’90s stuff, you know, Wu-Tang—anything cool.

How have the challenges for emerging artists in Shepparton changed since you were growing up?

Being a kid in Shepparton is a challenge because you’re isolated from music and ideas. When you’re in Melbourne, a kid in the city, you can see things happening. In Shepparton, you don’t get to see that, so you have to try and make it—and you have a lot of people telling you that you’re not allowed to make it, you know? I used to put shows on when I was a kid, get local bands to play, and take some money for myself. I started my hustle when I was 15. 

How is it different sharing your culture as an Indigenous person now versus back then? 

Shepparton has the largest Indigenous population in Victoria outside of Melbourne. It also has the largest Indigenous population in Victoria per capita. So there was always a presence, and it was always just a part of us and what we did and still do. We just operated as artists and rappers. You don’t really realize how different you are until it’s presented to you.

If you want to know what it’s like to be an Indigenous person in Australia today, just listen to my music. I’m tired of panels, I’m tired of lectures, I’m tired of keynotes—just listen to the music and go to the shows if you want to find out!

What are some of the misconceptions about your culture locally, and globally, that you’re trying to overcome with your music?

The message that I’m trying to get across with my music is one of triumph. Statistically, I’m not meant to be doing the things I’m doing. When I was a kid, I had Ice-T, Ice Cube, Biggie, Snoop Dogg—but I didn’t have someone from home [to idolize]. I started to figure all this out around [my third record] Sheplife. I realized I had to release legacy records.

A.B. Original was the beginning of that. What was the album I needed when I was a young, 15-year-old kid, when I was being told rap music wasn’t for Australia? It wasn’t like they were just saying rap music wasn’t for Koori kids, they were saying rap music wasn’t for Australia. And I think we nailed it with our album Reclaim Australia, to be honest. When it really made sense for me was when my cousins and nephews were playing our music on Bluetooth speakers at parties. That’s when I knew we’d achieved what we had set out to do.

Tell us about your next body of work and how you’ve approached putting it together.

I really wanted to set Briggs apart from A.B. Original, so with Briggs, it’s me as a person. There are other avenues for me to explore as an artist and as an individual. I want to work with some people I haven’t worked with before, and something that translates to a good, fun, live show as well. And just explore some thoughts and ideas musically that I haven’t yet and aren’t A.B. Original-centric.

Tell us about some great up-and-coming Indigenous voices in music.

Alice Skye is going to be a mega-star. Kobie Dee. Nooky is a dark horse, a quadruple threat. Philly just dropped an incredible track called “Brown Skin.” Everything on our label Bad Apples is really exciting at the moment.

Spotify is proud to be an official partner of the National Indigenous Music Awards 2019 taking place tomorrow in Darwin, Australia. Briggs is nominated for Best Artist and Film Clip of the Year, having previously won Best New Artist and a number of other accolades since 2014. 

For more on how we’re working to amplify Indigenous Australian voices, read about our Sound Up Bootcamp in Sydney last fall.