Well-known for fronting Melbourne hip-hop and soul collective 30/70, Allysha pushes boundaries as a keys player, poet, singer and producer, with the support of her 30/70 brothers and sisters. We chat to Allysha ahead of her performance at Queenscliff Music Festival this November.
Hey Allysha, thanks for chatting to Forte Mag. To start, what made you get into performing music and singing, how long have you been performing for?
I guess I was surrounded by it from a young age, all the women in my family are great singers so I started singing with them. My dad introduced me to a lot of jazz when I was about 13 and I remember a significant change in the way I engaged in music from that point on.
Do you have a preference when performing as a solo act or a group act with 30/70, I’d imagine there would be contrasting elements within them?
They both serve a different purpose but I would say I generally prefer to perform with 30/70. I feel so free in 30/70, the boys are all so supportive and fluent on their instruments and the music is always evolving and challenging.. It’s a very different experience to performing solo. My project allows me to express myself more personally, as I am in full control of the music and can have a closer connection to the audience.
As a solo act, do you have any new music in the works?
Always! I have an album that should be coming out early next year that I made with Thhomas, Henry Hicks and Ziggy Zeitgiest that I’m really excited about. We’ve been working on it for a long time! I’m always writing new music, just as life is always changing and challenging.
Do you write songs for your collective, 30/70 or is that a collaborative effort?
Yeah! 30/70 is a collaborative project but I have written songs for the band as well. We’re constantly working through each other’s ideas and songs and we spend a lot of time just playing and hanging out together, so it’s always collaborative in the sense that we are inspiring and influencing each other constantly.
You have performed at a bunch of festivals, including being a feature artist at the 20th anniversary of Stones Throw Records and at both the Stonnington Jazz Festival and the Melbourne International Jazz Festival, are there any other places you would like to add to this list?
I’m happy to play anywhere that there is a conscious audience and a positive vibration! It doesn’t matter how big or small a gig, or how much hype there is at a festival, the best gigs are always where people are ready to share in a musical experience. That being said, I really hope to get back over to Europe next summer and follow the sunshine around the world.
Later this year, 30/70 will release a new record, Elevate, how long have you been working on that? How would you describe that release?
We started recording in November last year and the process was really quick! We have all grown so much from the previous recordings and are able to push our sounds so much harder, we have a lot more control and creative strength now. We are all really excited to get this record out, it just has such a strong sound and a strong message!
When & Where: Queenscliff Music Festival, Queenscliff – November 24 – 26