A Quick Chat with Arig

A diaristic exploration of healing that spans pop, folk, R&B, hip-hop in a reflection of the self-described "messy chameleon"s experiences, Eora/Sydney-based artist Arig's second EP RECKLESS is out independently today, Friday 9 Feb, ahead of an intimate gig at The Dock on Feb 18.

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Can you tell us a bit about the inspiration and journey behind your new EP RECKLESS?

My inspiration behind RECKLESS was to honestly explore more sonic themes around my experiences. I was living alone, in the house upstairs from an acupuncture clinic and it had an old school keyboard, so I spent a lot of time playing around with it then going back to producers (like Harry Fox and Magnus Murphy) with ideas. RECKLESS is the result of a lot of collaborating between myself and the producers to make and explore sounds together.

It's been a while since you released a new project, and so much has happened along the way - how was the creative process behind RECKLESS different from your first EP Attrition?

The creative process was very different. For instance, on Attrition, I had one producer throughout the whole process with a co-producer on one track. Where else with RECKLESS, I had multiple producers, which meant that I was also navigating many different creative approaches and mixing styles. My writing style isn’t just one way of doing it, I make sure that I offer the song what it wants from me, whether that be jumping on the mic and hitting record, or taking the instrumental home and molding the clay there. The whole process taught me to be steadfast in my creative convictions, as well as how to navigate working with many different creatives - how to ‘bend with the wind’ in a creative sense.


Can you share with us any strange / funny stories with us from the making of RECKLESS?

Oh god. This is embarrassing. While writing 'Intoxicated' I was well... intoxicated. At the time I had the instrumental playing in the background, and I had my phone on voice record. The next morning, I woke up and thought "let me review the voice notes from last night" and I was mortified and then started cackling. It sounded so bad, and that recording will live in the depths of my hard drive FOREVER! You can hear the verse performed sober on the track. 

We hear you've had some pretty incredible encounters with music royalty like iconic musician/session vocalist Venetta Fields, who's worked with Tina Turner, The Rolling Stones and Pink Floyd, and Sam Cutler the late former Stones / Grateful Dead tour manager! Can you tell us about those chance meetings and how they influenced you?

Both amazing people with amazing histories in the industry. I was lucky enough to meet them through friends and mentors in the industry when I was in Brisbane. Their influence was simple yet impactful. Ms. Fields turned into a vocal coach and Mr. Cutler gave me some sound advice. They simply said, go for it - and go for it with everything!

You're a committed community activist having spoken at Amnesty International’s 20th Writes for Rights anniversary, the launch of Amity Place and more. How does this shape your art - or is it the other way around?

It's a part of me, It's one part of a whole. I have seen some horrible things and felt a lot of pain in my life and I know how hard it can be to find hope or a path out when life gets dark. If I can help by sharing stories, then so be it. 

Who's a local artist you'd love to collaborate with?

When I released 'His Nation', everyone was saying that a Tkay Maidza collab would be great, I'm down!! 

If you could change one thing about this country's music industry, what would it be?

Hahaha, the mentality and the gatekeeping. If you know you know. I am very much introverted and like to keep to my safe space because of this reason. 

What do you like to do when you're not making music - any other hobbies we might not know about?

I am a fan of arts and crafts, I have a big box of arts and crafts bits and bobs. I'm talking glue guns, E-6000 glue, motifs, gems - you know, random stuff. I should get back to that as well, I find it calming. 

What's your best piece of advice for emerging independent artists?

Know yourself. Don't try to be someone you're not. Things also take time, so, go for your big dreams but also find the balance between your dream and reality.