Joey Maker Sangreal Interview

"We have the potential to overcome and move forward. We are all human." - Joey Maker

Sydney based rapper Joey Maker returns after a successful string of releases across 2018-19 with Sangreal available on all streaming platforms now. The single comes after his recent release 'Where They At' and is the second offering for his highly anticipated solo debut EP 'Young Anakin' that is due for release later this year.

On 'Sangreal', Joey and frequent collaborator OWLBB ride effortlessly over producer DeliPres' steel drums and booming bassline. The track is a melting pot of contrasts: the intensity of the first verse gives way to a sing-song hook; stories from myth are weaved through materialism and video game references. OWLBB raps confidently: "When I'm in the city, I'm stuntin' like Chan". In the third verse, Joey chants: "Sayonara, I'm inside of ayahuasca / Ay caramba, I could find it in my slumber".

Joey has seen considerable success throughout his career, including Triple J support for five past releases, sold out shows across the country with his collective 4Fins and building/maintaining a loyal fanbase. His charisma and energy has also rubbed off on some notable artists, having supported Butterfingers, Esoterik, Obie Trice, Merkules, K21 and Madchild in 2018 alone.

Joey hopes to connect with his following on a more personal level with 'Sangreal' and the 'Young Anakin' EP by expressing his inner thoughts and dark side, which has become a means of therapy for Joey and serves as a deep and personal journey for the listener to enjoy. Joey also hopes to encourage others that they too can move forward after experiencing hardship.

"We have the potential to overcome and move forward. We are all human." - Joey Maker

Interview with Joey Maker

Question: How would you describe your music?

Joey Maker: Eclectic. I like doing different things with my music, which is very reflective of my own life: business owner, yoga teacher and rapper. I get bored easily. I try to create based on whatever I'm feeling like at the time, as that is likely to produce the best/most honest outcome. That process can lead to a mix of more conventional hip hop songs, as well as super left-of-field stuff like a mid-2000s style pop-punk song that I plan on putting out at some stage!


Question: What inspired Sangreal?

Joey Maker: It was definitely the beat that set it all off. The melody/feel of the steel drums on the little snippet my producer DeliPres sent me reminded me of the Indonesian gamelan instrument and I was like, "ooh, this is it". It was a very stream of consciousness process where my focus was more to capture the dreamy, surreal vibe more than any intentional effort to tell a particular story, and that's very much reflected in the franticness of the lyrics.


Question: Can you tell us about your upcoming EP 'Young Anakin'?

Joey Maker: The EP is very much inspired by my travels around Asia and with a sound influenced by my Vietnamese heritage on my father's side. It's a five-track EP that I would describe as new wave Australian hip-hop meets Chinatown at night. I've been on the scene for a while, but technically this is my first solo EP. The title is a reference to my love for Star Wars (even the much maligned prequels) and my empathy for Anakin's struggle with his inner darkness.

Question: What motivates you most when writing music?

Joey Maker: Emotion, for sure. It's my only reliable outlet for processing my feelings, and it seriously helps - even when I'm at rock bottom, it feels good to put my pen to a page. I do music for myself, and I do it with the hope that it may impact one person and help them have a better day.


Question: Do you prefer performing live or recording?

Joey Maker: Definitely recording. I love getting in a zone (by myself usually) where I start to see the song come to life and I'm able to paint a really, really nice sketch of where the track will end up. I love the adrenalin high of a live performance, but it's the creation that for me is what I live for.


Question: Which is your favourite song to perform live and why?

Joey Maker: My favourite song to date to perform is "Sacrifice", with my frequent collaborator Bruce Hathcock. We always get into a super energetic, super dark place when we perform it, and it almost always ends with us both losing our voices. It's a true emotional release for us and you can see it reflected back to us from the crowd.


Question: Which music/artists are you currently listening to?

Joey Maker: I've recently gotten onto an act called Anomalie that my producer put me onto and I am in love - I can't fault his music at all, his sound is just unreal; very inspirational!


Question: What or who was your inspiration to go into the music industry?
Joey Maker: I have to give that credit to my little brother, he started producing at age 14 and was really the catalyst for me to want to start taking my hobby of writing lyrics into something serious.; there's no chance I'd be where I am today without him.


Question: If you could collaborate with another artist, who would it be?

Joey Maker: The famous Australian producer Styalz Fuego, he knows I'm his biggest fan and I've been trying to make it happen for approximately seven years... It will come. It will come!


Question: What is the biggest challenge you have faced along the way to your musical success?

Joey Maker: Probably - too much, too soon. At the very start of my career, I entered (and won) a radio competition with the first song I'd ever made, which led to my brother and I flying out to LA and recording multiple track at Record Plant, with the guarantee that the finished product would end up played on Australian radio.

I thought I'd made it, and my life path was set at this point - but the truth is, I was nowhere near ready as an artist or simply as a person. The "guarantee" ended up falling through and I was devastated, but actually establishing my relationship with music (instead of an unearned quick path to success) really taught me a lot of lessons, and I wouldn't change a thing about how it all played out.


Question: What's a typical day like?

Joey Maker: I spend most of my weekday "work hours" on my business, and spend the surrounding time on gym, yoga, music and food. I am very boring and very disciplined, but I have to be in order to make my multiple "lives" work together harmoniously. I try and ensure that I don't waste a minute of my waking hours.


Question: What has been your favourite part of becoming a music artist?

Joey Maker: Finding a community of likeminded people. It took me a long time, and I was very lonely and often felt like I didn't fit in with the "scene". But these days, I have great people around me: the artists I collaborate with regularly like Bruce Hathcock, Johniepee, Clue, Martian, Connor Jones, and a producer I trust (and love as a friend) DeliPres. I never expected to find relationships like this in the music world and I'm extremely grateful for it.

Question: Can you share your socials?

Joey Maker: @joey_maker
facebook.com/joeymakermusic


Interview by Brooke Hunter