Q: Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how your childhood impacted your musical direction?
A: One of my aunties favourite stories is of me ‘performing’ The Spice Girls songs as each individual member. I would also draw stripes on myself and profess ‘I am a tiger!’ apparently. I wasn’t a shy performer back then, that’s for sure. Music has always been with me, but my taste has always been questionable. I remember getting an iPod and not really understanding how LimeWire worked but knowing that’s where you get music from. I tried for ages to download music, but only succeeded in downloading ‘White and Nerdy’ by Weird Al. I think listening to that on repeat must have had some influence on me.
Q: How are you planning on growing your fan base and sharing your music with the world? What message do you have for anyone who is about to discover “Mr Gochi”?
A: I’m really just hoping to reach the people that actually need to hear this music. The people who it will really connect with would be those who have dealt with mental health issues or know someone close to them who has struggled. I’m also an artist, so I’m planning on being very active on social media, sharing artsy memes around the EP and around mental health in general. Get around it!
Q: Who is the most inspiring artist for you right now? And where do you find inspiration for making music?
A: Most of my inspiration comes from my inside world. What’s happening externally worldwide has a huge impact on me, as I’m unfortunately quite an empathetic person, so a lot of my music is inspired by worldly events as well as my own struggles, emotions and challenges. For this EP my biggest inspirations would have been System Of A Down and Flying Lotus.
Q: Can you tell us about the story or message behind the EP, “Live From The Asylum.”?
A: This EP was written in the psych ward as a direct transcription of what I was thinking, feeling and experiencing at the time. I had lost a lot of hope, I was feeling alone, and I was inwardly reflecting upon all of my inner dialogue, as well as mistakes and actions that had brought me to that point. I had lost patience with people, realised how much some people mean to me and learnt how much I mean to myself. This EP is a raw conversation with my inner demons.
Q: How would you describe your sound in one word for potential listeners?
A: Psychedelianarchism.
Q: Did you face any challenges while writing or recording “Live From The Asylum”?
A: This EP is almost a year in the making and has come with a lot of challenges. Trying to keep both my mind together as well as my life, which was exploding with opportunities and amazing events, yet having the schedule of a mouse in a cheese shop caused a lot of stress for me on top of the mental health struggles I was already dealing with. I think pushing through and cataloguing my experience through this time was a really amazing achievement, and I’m super proud of that.
Q: What is the message of your music? And what are your goals as an artist?
A: My hope for this EP is that someone will listen to it and realise that they are not alone. I would have loved to have that through some of the tough times.
Q: Who is your dream artist to collaborate with? (dead or alive)
A: 100% Eric Nally from Foxy Shazam. He is the entire damn package, from his insane voice to his crazy stage presence. That would be a dream. I’ve loved Foxy Shazam since spontaneously coming across them at a festival and having my mind blown.
Q: What is your advice for people interested in pursuing music as a career or for those trying to enter the industry?
A: You have to be doing it for the love of it before it can become a career, I believe. If the passion isn’t there, or if (like me) it isn’t just simply a great outlet for all your psycho thoughts, then pursuing it just for the glitz, glamour, fame or fortune is going to land you nowhere.
Q: If you could go back in time and give a younger you some words of wisdom, what would they be?
A: Live in the moment more lil Gochi, you have so many little blessings that you take for granted, don’t let them slip by you.
