Feature: Ryan Hemsworth Interview & Shoot

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Feature: Ryan Hemsworth Interview & Shoot

Ryan Hemsworth Photos by Oliver Minnett from Voena-1

Main man Ryan Hemsworth has been in town spruiking a whole lot of shows having played boutique festival Secret Garden over the weekend and a couple more to go including digs tonight in Melbourne and Oxford Art Factory this Saturday  so it seemed obvious to whack some makeup on him and hit the studio and streets of the city for a photoshoot and interview.

The results were great with Ryans personality captured along with some humour and wisdom shared on his music, the need for it being real and of course stripping it all right back as shown in his last album “Guilt Trips” that you can stream here.

Thursday 6 March – Unisex @ Sugar, Adelaide
Friday 7 March – Handpicked @ Fremantle Arts Centre, Perth (w. Flying Lotus and Ta-Ku)
Saturday 8 March – Oxford Art Factory, Sydney
Sunday 9 March – NLV presents @ Trinity Bar, Canberra (w. Nina Las Vegas and LDRU)

A huge thanks to Oli @ Voena and the MyMedia guys for the studio hook ups.

Photos: Oliver Minnett from Voena
Make Up: Lucy Jackson
Studio: MyMedia Sydney

Ryan Hemsworth Photos by Oliver Minnett from Voena-2

How would you explain your sound to a deaf person?

Well this would probably take a good while because I’d have to learn sign language, and I’m a slow learner when it comes to stuff like that. So about six months from now hypothetically, I’d tell them (via sign language) that it’s kind of dreamy, sleepy, reflective, referential in the samples i use, emotionally-driven, indecisive at times, and probably good to listen to while tripping.

Ryan Hemsworth Photos by Oliver Minnett from Voena-4

What are people thinking when they see you for the first time?

“God is good.”

Ryan Hemsworth Photos by Oliver Minnett from Voena-6

Why shouldn’t music be forced?

Because everything else in life and in the world sucks and is forced. Music gives you complete freedom and if you’re not making what you want then stop and do something else so more people who are good at doing what they want and creating sounds can get the exposure they deserve.

Ryan Hemsworth Photos by Oliver Minnett from Voena-7

What inspiration or influence do you take from your surroundings?

In one way, a lot, in another, not much at all. Basically, it’s impossible to play at clubs and shit non-stop and not feel the pressure to make music that will make peoples’ bodies move in a club late at night. At the same time, I don’t give a shit anymore so I mainly just care about what’s going on in my head, which is usually mellow. I think these conflicting ways of life are what makes my music sound the way it does though. The ME that wants to go out and dropkick a Big Mac in someone’s face outside a club vs. the ME that wants to just never get out of bed and drink tea forever.

Ryan Hemsworth Photos by Oliver Minnett from Voena-8

What are the perks of being a sustainable musician?

The constant terror from knowing that no one is a guaranteed sustainable musician except Paul McCartney and E-40. Being scared is motivating, it makes you want to prove yourself to.. yourself, and everyone who already believes in you and everyone who doesn’t believe in you. Another perk is not having to work in customer service, so I do this for my customer service representatives worldwide.

Ryan Hemsworth Photos by Oliver Minnett from Voena-3

What do you make of the current dance and electronic landscape?

Good and bad and okay and whatever. Sometimes it’s boring and I want to start a band and other times it’s awesome and I love playing in clubs. Personally, shows are all about maintaining intimacy. I hate festivals that put you on a pedestal and you’re so detached from the crowd. I want to be close enough to laugh at someone in the crowd when they get yelled at by a security guard or be really awkward when someone tries to give me a high five and we kind of miss eachothers’ hand.

Ryan Hemsworth Photos by Oliver Minnett from Voena-10

How do you go about using your music to connect to your audience?

Just through not bullshitting I guess. Creating from a mood, not just a formula that (when fulfilled) creates a song that perfectly fits a hot, current sub-genre. I let everything into my life and effect and influence me, which means I might make an ambient song one day and then a stupid dance remix of a Coldplay song. It doesn’t matter to me, it’s just fun, and I guess people who like my stuff can appreciate that in some way. And if you don’t like it then you probably like shit that makes perfect sense and the artist knows what they’re doing and has shit figured out in their life hahah

Ryan Hemsworth Photos by Oliver Minnett from Voena-11

Do you find the process of stripping back your music back important?

Yeah it’s super important, also super difficult. I’m insecure with a lot of the stuff I make, so it’s easy to hide that by just adding layers upon layers. When you just use like, three sounds in a song, it’s so empty and so easy to judge. I think if I add a million different sounds and melodies it’s hard to grasp at first but it grows on you and it just gives you more to come back to every time. But I’m always struggling with cutting back and letting a song breathe.

Ryan Hemsworth Photos by Oliver Minnett from Voena-1

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