Late last year, Australian Musician experienced a stunning performance by Melbourne-based hip hop artist NYUON, when he appeared as a finalist at the Melbourne Music Bank competition. Nyuon came in second on the night but his stage presence and lyrical skills were enough to deem him our favourite artist at the event. Born in an Ethiopian refugee camp to Sudanese parents, NYUON and his family moved to Australia in 2001 to escape the civil war and it was in his new life in Melbourne that he discovered his natural talent for spitting rhymes with astute lyrics. NYUON has just released his debut single, Your City and will be celebrating with a launch at The Workers Club Melbourne on March 13.
What was your first gig?
What I would call my first gig was with my cousin and it was for our family when I was in about year 8. Our uncle found out that we had made a few tracks, so he forced us to perform for him and a few family members!
What microphone do you use on stage generally?
I’m not very fussy with my mics (yet!), I usually just try and get a wireless mic because I move around a lot.
Is it the same for recording?
It’s very different when recording because there are soo many different types of microphones for recording and different ones for performing. Right Now I use an Se Electronics X1 condenser microphone to record at home. Before it I was at my friend Cris-Gambles house a lot just recording and writing music, but a few months back I decided I was going to try teaching myself how to record my own music at home. So while I was saving up for the mic I have now, I was recording a lot of music on my iPhone (then emailing them to myself from my phone so that I could open my email and download the vocals when I was on the computer) it was a really long process but it worked.
What’s your latest recording?
The latest track I recorded that I was happy with is a song called “Tell me” and its up on soundcloud (https://soundcloud.com/nyuonnn/tell-me) but the last song I recorded was a few hours ago and I’m still working on it. I have a little studio setup at home so I’m always making music.
What gigs have you been playing lately?
The most recent gig I played at was at an event called “NEXT STOP MELBOURNE” which was really fun and before that it was a mini concert that my aunt held for me in front of some family and the South Sudanese community members because they were proud of my achievements in the Bank of Melbourne ‘Melbourne Music Bank’ competition.
Most memorable gig?
My most memorable gig was at a community event in early 2013 and around then nobody really knew I did music, they had an idea but it was all low-key. So when I got up on stage I guess they were really shocked and surprised. But it was really cool because by the end of It, everybody even a few grandmas were on stage with me dancing and having fun while I performed.
Worst stage nightmare?
My worst stage nightmare is a dead crowd, when the crowd is standing right there but really they look like they’d rather be somewhere else. I am still pretty new to performing live, but from the small gigs I’ve done here and there I really feel the level of performance energy and show quality an artist puts on can sometimes depend on how hard the crowd is backing them up.
Album that changed your life?
I don’t think I know an album that’s changed my life, I just go through phases where I’d listen to one artist for a while and go through all their albums, and then in a few weeks it’s a different artist which I think is really cool because I always learn new things about music like that and get inspired in different ways.
What gigs are coming up in the next few months?
So far on the 13th of March I have a single launch party at the workers club and in May I’ll be performing a set at an event called ‘Sleep at the G’. I’m really looking forward to both.
A tip for the kids?
My tip for the kids with any dream would have to be to set personal goals and try and compare yourself to your idols sometimes (or just anybody better than you) it’ll force you to keep getting better and better and if you ever want to be on their level or pass them one day, start now.
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