Melbourne-based artist and producer Rich Delinquent continues to blur the lines between vulnerability and rebellion.
Since dropping his debut track “Death Drive” in late 2019, he has become known for blending dark pop with electronic and alt-R&B. His sound is unapologetically raw, exploring heartbreak, obsession, and self-destruction – and with over 23,000 monthly listeners, he’s on the rise.
Rich Delinquent has already kicked off the new year on a high, having linked up with Tyla Yaweh on “Heartbreak Afterparty”, his latest single which captures the tension between the escapism from a substance-driven downfall and the subsequent heartbreak.
While the single served as the final chapter to his mixtape rollout through 2025, Rich Delinquent says it is also the “opening scene”, with big plans for the year ahead.
Here, Rich Delinquent speaks with Tone Deaf about his genre-blurring sound, his approach to collaboration, and the vision behind “Heartbreak Afterparty”.
Tone Deaf: For readers who don’t know you yet, who is Rich Delinquent and how would you describe your music?
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Rich Delinquent is the part of me that comes alive after midnight, the thoughts you don’t say out loud, the mistakes you don’t regret enough to stop making. The project lives somewhere between beauty and self-destruction. Sonically it’s dark alt-pop at the core, but it bleeds into R&B, electronic, and hip-hop depending on the emotion. It’s music for the heartbreak afterparty
As you said, your sound blends genres. How did you find your identity, and how has it evolved since you started?
I never sat down and tried to ‘find’ a sound, it was more like documenting where I was mentally at the time. Early records leaned heavier electronic because that’s where I escaped. As life got messier, the writing got more vulnerable… melodies got higher, lyrics got darker. Now it feels more refined now but still genreless.
You’ve worked with a range of collaborators, including Tyla Yaweh on the recent release “Heartbreak Afterparty”. What draws you to them, what do you look for in someone before creating together?
For me it always starts with the sound. I’m drawn to artists whose tone, texture, and emotional weight naturally sit in my world. It’s less about stats or scenes and more about whether their voice feels believable over my production.
The best collaborations happen when their sound resonates with mine without either of us forcing it where the contrast feels intentional but the atmosphere still matches. If I can hear them on a record before we’ve even spoken, that’s usually the sign. With Tyla, it made sense instantly. He brought this chaotic confidence that balanced my more melodic, emotional world.
Who would be your dream collaboration?
Honestly, someone like Travis Scott or BANKS would be insane, but for completely different reasons. With Travis, it’s pure energy. The way he commands a record feels almost gravitational… everything bends around his presence. His ad-libs, the distortion, the chaos. I think we’d make something that sounds like controlled destruction… euphoric but slightly unhinged. BANKS is the other end of the spectrum. Her vocal tone and performance is one of my favourites full stop. There’s something cold but emotional in the way she delivers it never feels over-sung, just extremely intentional and beautiful.
“Heartbreak Afterparty” has kicked off what’s sure to be another huge year for you. What else is on the horizon?
“Heartbreak Afterparty” was the opening scene not the full film. There’s more visuals rolling out, more live moments, and a lot of world-building around the project. We’re taking the show into new cities, new countries… letting people step inside the universe rather than just stream it.
Looking ahead, what are your ambitions as an artist? Are there new directions, sounds, or projects you’re excited to explore?
Right now the focus is the full-length album in development. The mixtape built the emotional foundation but the album is where I’m really pushing the sonic boundaries of the project and the space around it. It’s easily the most ambitious body of work so far, more cinematic, more refined in its chaos… something designed to shift the Rich Delinquent world sonically from front to back.
