“Lead with love and respect for everyone and everything, and say “f*ck off!” to living a life full of fear and judgement”
In this interview, ARCTISKY dives into the wellspring of his creativity, exploring the challenges and triumphs that have shaped him as an artist.
We chat about his mentors, the transformative power of a forced self-reflection period, and the vibrant music scene of his adopted home, Melbourne.
Happy: What are you up to today?
ARCTISKY: A lot of piled up work in the studio, so I’m drinking a lot of hot coffees and spending a lot of time in the cave!
Happy: Tell us a little bit about where you live? What do you love about it?
ARCTISKY: I’m based in Melbourne, Australia. The biggest reason I love Melbourne is because of the vibrant arts scene here, and the eclectic variety. It’s a creativity hotspot, especially with all the nature around!
I love the city, but I like spending time in nature wherever and whenever I can. Melbourne’s a pretty diverse hotspot too, and I’ve learned that the social scene in Melbourne is a bit more cruisy and laid-back than a lot of other spots I’ve visited or looked into in Australia – especially for a creative minority.
I had to find all the reasons I loved Melbourne while I was stuck here during lockdowns, and now it just feels like home. I feel like that was the time I’ve learned the most about myself. It was a time that felt like house arrest by myself, so I had to face ALL my shit to come out the other side of it (y’know, growth mindset it).
A lot of people here have become family to me, I know the streets, I know the area and it just feels calm. I consider myself a citizen of the world, not in terms of documents, but with how I treat people, and how I see the world through the lens of equality.
On top of that, Victoria has the type of nature that calls for you to disconnect and rejuvenate.
Happy: Who are some of your biggest musical influences, and how have they shaped your sound?
ARCTISKY: This is a fun mix – Bob Dylan, Bob Marley, Elvis Presley, Prince, Lenny Kravitz, Michael Jackson, Jimi Hendrix, Tupac, Pink Floyd, and Johnny Cash, with a side of underground psychedelic electronic music.
This eclectic mix isn’t based on the sounds, but goes a bit further into concepts, messages and aesthetic.
Most of my sonic influences are drawn from bits and pieces I’ve absorbed from the underground electronic dance music scene, and I inject those babies into a more organic sounding palette.
I feel like these sounds allow me to evoke some of the more ethereal feelings and moods in my music.
Not to forget the collection of funk, jazz and classical that give it that extra bit of spice on top.
The seeds for the rock and roll influences were sown by the early 2000’s grunge/rock scene in the Maldives.
There are some extremely talented artists in the scene where I grew up and they are absolute weapons – this had a profound impact on me because most of them are self-taught and they’re absolutely relentless beasts.
I was blessed enough to be mentored and able to work with some of the legends from the scene.
Mentors have been a valuable part of my growth as an artist and person in all stages of my life. Seek out mentors, seek out help if you need it – on top of that do the work to be teachable and coachable yourself.
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Happy: What does the name ARCTISKY mean to you, and how did you come up with it?
ARCTISKY: This one actually has a fun story! It’s the name of a cargo vessel my father used to do business with and it was a name I heard a few times growing up and stuck with me.
It rings a bell in me every time I hear that name. So, I figured that was the way to roll. The name just sounded like it vibed with some of the ideas discussed in my work.
You can perceive it however you like though. One of my favourite things about the name is definitely the pronunciation. It’s pronounced “arc-te-sky” and a lot of people get it wrong.
It’s cool I’ve been able to lock in such a unique name and it’s stayed open for me all this time. It was a no brainer. I also consider the sky to be like nature’s paintings!
Happy: Can you walk us through your typical songwriting process? How do you go from an idea to a finished track?
ARCTISKY: My songwriting process usually revolves around a topic, unless I just start with a catchy hook and melody that my brain plays in loops during random times of the day.
For me, this process can take two routes. One; the organic route where you let the experiences do the writing themselves, and number two; the assisted route where you still let things come to you organically but you usually have the added assistance of a time-frame or other musicians in the room to bounce ideas and collaborate (you almost always get a more vibrant selection of sounds when done right).
Once I get the core elements in, I usually let the track sit for a few days before touching it, ’cause you need to let the ideas kinda marinate. I come back to it again when my creative being is recharged and replenished.
During my writing days, I do try and spend as much time as I can in nature, to neutralise and take inspiration from my OG muse – mother nature.
Especially growing up as a drummer, my ears are fucked. So getting to meditate and hear all the different frequencies nature has to offer allows my mind to rest.
The ocean does the same thing, I’m sad I didn’t get to spend as much time in the Maldivian beaches while I was there – you get some of the best wave sounds.
Usually, when I get back into the studio after these outings, I’d be able to come back and start writing the rest of the instrumentation to achieve the sonic colour I had envisioned for my ideas.
Finding the right palette of instrumentation to evoke the required emotions from the listeners is something that’s unique to each song because the energy, mood and message are all quite different.
I never really take a linear approach with it. I always start writing, keeping the end goal of ‘why’ I’m writing that song and doing music in the first place.
It’s a natural flow once those align. I’m still learning to manage my time better, but it’s difficult as a creative person because you get these massive bursts of supercharged creativity and other times you’re just collecting data for that output.
Happy: What role does collaboration play in your music, and how do you choose your collaborators?
ARCTISKY: Collaborations have definitely played a pivotal role in my music career, since it was something that I got to re-learn once I came into Melbourne.
I think around 2017 was the last time I had been working with other musicians before I went a bit loose.
The whole experience was slightly turbulent towards the end since there were a lot of things all members of the band I was in couldn’t agree on.
It was no one’s fault – these things just happen, but this definitely helped me keep in mind the types of energies to think twice about working with.
For me, I feel like if we’re doing a songwriting collaboration, having at least some of our core values aligned can help.
I feel like everyone’s got something they can teach others, and collaboration really does get the best out of both collaborators’ potential because you get to tap into a library of musical inspirations and ideas you had no access to in the past.
Learning how to work together effectively is magic.
You can create some badass brain-babies. It’s sick! For performers I get in the studio to record with, it’s usually because I follow their work, or even artists I’ve met out and about during my time here.
I’ve met so much incredible talent here, and I’ve been lucky enough to make connections I could hopefully reach out to for more collaboration in the future.
I feel like every time I go into a binge-writing/production season I lose some of my social skills, and have to rework that every time – never fun.
Happy: Your latest single, ‘Loose,’ dives into themes of escapism and fleeting pleasures. What messages or feelings do you hope to convey through your music?
ARCTISKY: Well I think with a storytelling track like this, we mostly tried to give the listeners an experience they could relate to or could have fun even living vicariously through.
For this, I feel like the message is to trust your gut, maintain authenticity and to properly educate yourself about the people you’re dealing with in your surroundings and in high-pressure situations.
Feelings-wise, I’d say if you’ve felt hints of fun and danger listening to this, we’ve done our job!
Happy: How important is storytelling in your music, and what stories are you most passionate about telling?
ARCTISKY: Storytelling is definitely a major part of my work as it allows me to engage my listeners to visualise what I’m trying to convey with my work.
It’s like instructions on a GPS at times. I’m most passionate about telling stories that could help people gain insight on what their own personal struggles are, and to get the work started to overcome such hurdles.
Most are letters from me to myself, some to a third party and almost all have a bit of emphasis on key societal issues such as social conditioning, political manipulations and global conflicts.
All ranging from the work we could do as individuals on ourselves, so that we can give back to the people we love. I want my listeners to understand the importance of love, peace and togetherness.
Another key point is to not let the political manipulations suck up all your mental bandwidth and fog up your thinking to the point that election seasons end up breaking up families, friendships and relationships.
Watch the circus, observe it – without getting sucked into it. It’s all a game to them. If my listeners have learned there are things to heal from, get started now – our time here is short!
Lead with love and respect for everyone and everything, and say “f*ck off!” to living a life full of fear and judgement. Seriously though, the stress from this alone is likely to kill us faster.
Happy: Can you share a particularly memorable moment or story from the making of ‘Loose’ or your upcoming album ‘Roots Vol. 1’?
ARCTISKY: With ‘Loose’, I wrote the first verse in an empty bathtub next to the studio while listening to the loop of the work in progress to avoid hotboxing my collaborator.
Happy: What’s coming up?
ARCTISKY: The rest of the album’s lined up for 13 releases spaced out over about a year. We’re making sure nothing’s too set in stone, and making adjustments as we go! I feel like if we don’t calibrate and adjust with each stage of these releases, we’re not doing the songs and stories the justice they deserve.
I also want to make sure we’re all having fun with it every single step of the way. This is also allowing me to prepare the upcooming live sets with extra care and precision.
I feel like getting these out to an audience has allowed me to come to terms with a lot of these experiences, and to put them behind me for good – moving forward with the learned lessons of course!
I’ll keep it to that! Can’t give away everything, right?
Happy: Lastly, what makes you happy?
ARCTISKY: For me, I feel like happiness is truly an internal currency, and it’s the default state of being if you have done the work to bring your mind, body and soul in alignment – this kinda opened doorways to see life through the lens of happiness, and this is where I learned about the state that my being felt the most safe and peaceful in.
As in like, if you are looking for happiness outside of yourself it’s gonna be almost impossible to feel content and at peace. I find it difficult to pin-point specific things.
I’ve had encounters where I’ve brushed shoulders with death countless times due to just being a reckless, self-destructive, adrenaline junky in my teens, trying to escape piled up mental health issues I had absolutely no awareness of.
Then you lose loved ones along the way. This has allowed me to have a greater appreciation for life in many forms and aspects, so I try my best not to take anything for granted.
It doesn’t take much to put a smile on my face because funnily enough, I’m just happy to have the privilege of being present and living every day and every moment.
Aside from that, I believe surrounding myself with the right people who support my goals and dreams, and push me forward plays a major role. I’m very protective of things that I love and that make me happy in my personal life, and I believe these are definitely muses I want to keep private.
Avoid energy vampires and gossips at any cost, and double check you’re not one yourself.
Comparison and ridiculous expectations of yourself and others are the killer of all joy – put these things in a blender and you get yourself a super-juice of misery you can never digest.
If I know I’m taking gradual steps towards my vision and goals, no matter how big or small, I’m happy.
I find being at peace is far more valuable though.
