A Quick Chat with Iniko

This is your first time in Australia. Apart from touring, what are you most looking forward to while you’re down here?
I’m really looking forward to experiencing people from a whole other continent. I grew up in the United States and never really got the chance to travel. I think one of the blessings of being able to be a musician is to travel the world and meet like minded people from completely different parts of the globe. I’d love to get a tattoo or something while I’m there! I’d love to go somewhere where the vibes are indigenous and come from the root of the nation, before colonisation and before Australia was the Australia that we know today. That's always what I'm looking for when I travel, to feel some sense of connection to the beginning. I’d love to have time to find that experience somewhere, whether it be a place, person, a book or a gift.

Who’s an Australian artist you’re a huge fan of?
Kylie Minogue! I love her. She is so fire. I seriously didn't realise she's been around for so long. I love her sound, voice, the songwriting and everything. Oh my god she is so fire.

Who was No. 1 on your 2023 Spotify wrapped?
Oh, you know, I think it was my own track “Jericho”. I felt like I genuinely just needed

to hear it. I don't know if artists do that or if they need to hear their own music - I think it’s because sometimes I just need to hear the message one more time. That was me.
I had to listen to it over and over and over again.

What has been the most memorable moment of your musical career so far?
So on my first ever tour, I got to meet this person who was on dialysis and one of their wishes was to see me live in the front row. We sat down and got to have a really great chat. They basically told me that my music would make their pain go away. I've heard it before emotionally, but I think it hits different when the pain is physical. It's also hard to believe, but science does show that music can definitely make your lifespan longer. I think hearing that definitely shifted me. It grounded me and reminded me that I need to be doing this and that people need this outside of myself. That was probably one of the most memorable moments of my tour. When people tell me that they discovered that they were non binary because of my music that is always so dope to hear and to know that my music was a ripple that created this wave in them and made them see who they've always been. So that's always awesome to know and to experience.

What can Australian audiences expect at an Iniko show?
New music! I’m really excited to be playing sneak previews of my upcoming album dropping very soon. I feel like it is always really cool to experience new songs live and in a different format before they’re officially out. I can’t wait to play them for everyone!