What does the rest of 2020 have in store for Ricky Crisp?

Firstly, congrats on the release of ‘BE MY LIGHT’. What was the inspiration behind it? 

Cheers! I was just fiddling around with these sample combinations one day until I came up with the lead bell and synth notes, then I realised “THIS NEEDS A POP HOOK!” - delved into my phones lyric-stash and found some rhymes that I produced in a pre-sleep phase a few weeks earlier. They just matched the vibe and inspired me to lean into that feeling.

‘BE MY LIGHT’ offers a change of pace from your previous releases. How did the creative process for this track differ from the others?

I think it came out of me at a time where I was more solemn and at peace with a past relationship. I wanted to slow things down instead of trying to pump things up which is a habit I’ve definitely formed over years of making beats. I wanted things to be serene - relaxing, not forceful or asking too much for the listeners attention. I’m not sure if that translated well in the end but that was my intention.

You recently played your debut festival performance at St Kilda Fest. How does playing at a large-scale festival differ from your headline shows? 

Being able to see the sun, the beach, the blue sky and a carnival from where you perform is definitely the biggest difference! But other than that the mood feels different as well! There were people stopping for a listen as they walked down to the beach and it felt nice to grab someones attention for a moment. As much as I lock myself away to write, I’m originally from the bush so I’m drawn to nature. It was awesome having both combine simultaneously!

What are you currently listening to and how do you channel your inspirations through your music? 

Currently Don Tolliver’s new album “Heaven and Hell”. I’ve been hanging for this one for ages, since my good friend showed me his single a couple of years ago. He’s really gonna change the game with his beat-selection and vocal delivery. ‘WASTED’ is my personal favourite. Something I’ve always wanted to do! Also Tame Impala’s new album. I’ve always got time for Kev ❤

What does the rest of 2020 have in store for Ricky Crisp?

An EP release very soon and another towards the end of the year! I’ve got too many songs that I’ve been holding onto and since it’s illegal to release an album in Australia this is my form of a loop-hole. Hopefully the COVID-19 situation heals up soon and everyone can go back to the way things were of course! But until then - just writing, producing stuff and not going to busy areas is all I can do to help. I’ve also started streaming songwriting on Twitch too so if you get bored in isolation and have an urge for goofy content feel free to have a suss 🙂

'BE MY LIGHT' is out now. Stream HERE