Tkay Maidza has been one of the breakout stars of the Aussie music scene in 2015. From high-profile collaborations and non-stop airplay, to sold-out tours and a string of prestigious festival spots, the talented young gun has had a massive 12 months.
The 19-year-old Adelaide native recently announced her last national headline tour of the year, which kicked off earlier this month, and despite being one of the busiest musos in the country, she found the time to catch up with triple j.
Speaking to breakfast hosts Matt and Alex, Maidza dished on the details of her long-awaited full-length debut. “I’ve been working on it for 12 months and then I kind of scrapped most of it,” she told the duo.
“Well, I didn’t really. I was just like ‘Oh, it’s not me’, because I’ve kind of grown and realised what I like more now. I’ve just decided to start again and I’m working with more people,” the ‘Switch Lanes’ emcee revealed.
Despite having to chuck a few songs out, Maidza said her eagerly anticipated album is “getting there” and she plans to work on her next single during a few days off in Melbourne at the end of her latest national tour.
Looking to the future, Maidza said she’s hoping to “end up overseas” to capitalise on the wave of national attention she’s been receiving lately. The past 10 months have sent he emcee working with one of Skrillex’s favourite producers, copping praise from Killer Mike, and collaborating with Troye Sivan.
Besides, as the emcee joked during the interview, she’s “not allowed to play” any Aussie festivals over the next 12 months “because I’ve played them all”, so it makes sense that she’s decided to focus her considerable energies on the overseas market.
Maidza also touched on the difficulties of dealing with sudden fame at 19. In honour of R U OK day, Matt and Alex marked the occasion by asking the emcee, R U OK? “I think I’m good. I think the whole year’s been a whirlwind,” she replied.
“When I don’t play shows I sometimes have massive existential crises and massive panic attacks and anxiety from not understanding what I’m doing. When you look at everything you’re kind of like ‘ok, this is a lot bigger than me now’,” she continued.
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“Sometimes I go a bit crazy but I think I’m getting better now and I’m finding my feet again.” Maidza said her first taste of fame was “weird” but “also really fun” and that “Once you do it the second time around you’re like ‘this is a business now.'”
“There’s people watching and there’s expectations for everything to be perfect. And my hair has to look nice, my shoes have to be cool – it’s so crazy. It’s a lot but then [I] just think I’m lucky to have what I have and just keep going.”
“Sometimes before I go on stage I’m like ‘Hmmm, today’s not a good day’. But then as soon as I go on, I just remember why I’m doing it again and I have fun. That’s the whole point. Looking at people’s faces and they’re just so happy.”
