Sam Fischer and AKOSIA are both heading to BIGSOUND this week, and before things kick off in Brisbane, we got them to interview each other.
It makes for a pretty great pairing. Fischer has spent the past few years moving between his own solo career and writing rooms with some seriously big names, while AKOSIA has been steadily carving out a world that pulls together R&B, soul, rhythm, fashion and her Ghanaian roots.
The conversation moves through the stuff artists actually think about: confidence, songwriting, family, knowing when a song belongs to you, and what “making it” even looks like once the goalposts start moving.
They also get into AI, the ARIAs’ new eligibility rules, Madonna, TikTok royalties and the realities of trying to build a career in music right now.
With both artists landing in Brisbane for BIGSOUND, we handed over the questions.
SAM to AKOSIA
SAM FISCHER: Who did you listen to growing up and how, if at all, do you think they’ve influenced your sound today?
AKOSIA: Both of my parents loved music deeply.
My father played multiple instruments and as a child I’d sit on his lap, while he strummed his guitar and feel the vibration run through me.
It was heaven and that’s the high I’m always chasing.
I love music that is melancholic and feels like it was made for a clear reason, like your heart was about to break or burst and because of that you had to write.
So artists across many generations and genres like Sade, Billy Holiday, Amy Winehouse, FKA twigs, Kendrick Lamar, Marvin Gaye make me stop what I’m doing, sit down and just listen.
They help me navigate my life and inspire me to become more honest and become a better artist.
SAM FISCHER: I love artists with a strong point of view and a confident sound, one that smacks you in the face and demands you listen. Where does your confidence and perspective come from?
AKOSIA: There is something inside me that has always been this way, my parents never tried to stamp it out of me and my siblings made sure of it too.
I had to be witty and confident to keep up with them haha. But ew, in life it’s the painful experiences that turned my confidence into something that is sharp with purpose.
I have nothing to lose and I respect myself enough to stop performing for other people.
So I just say what I mean for people who can’t or don’t know how to.
There’s no point lying to other people and I refuse to lie to myself.
The world is a mess, we all know it.
But we must acknowledge that there is a problem before we can solve it.
SAM FISCHER: I love how you experiment with rhythm through your music. Does the beat influence the concept or is it the other way around when you’re writing?
AKOSIA: I can hear music in my head so when I write it usually starts on the guitar, or the piano and then I work with producers to make the beat come alive.
Sometimes it’s the opposite way around though, the beat comes first, then the rhythm and then some words.
I try to stay flirtatious and fluid with the process, the song will be what it’s meant to be and I feel like I’m just the portal.
The song belongs to itself, it’s just shifting in my hands like a ball of energy and it’s my job to gently guide it not crush it.
SAM FISCHER: I love the way you play with fashion and colour in your artistry. Where does that come from and who inspires you in that world?
AKOSIA: Ghanaian culture is extremely vibrant, we are a very charismatic group of people and we don’t play when it comes to our hair, our self expressions or our swag.
I’m not interested in trying to be like anyone else, and I have so much fun allowing myself to be whatever I want to be whenever I need a hit.
Fashion injects inspiration and confidence into my world.
There’s a reason why some dictators forced their people to wear uniform or drab colours.
It was to stifle their sense of independence and to dissuade them from liberating their minds.
I believe it starts with fashion.
SAM FISCHER: If you could have dinner with anyone, dead or alive, who would it be and why?
AKOSIA: Without any hesitation my mother, Theresa Anakoryoe Tekpetey.
She passed away suddenly when I was 16 and I’ve learned to live without her but I’ve never really recovered.
She had a light inside her that was magnetic, she brought the community together and changed peoples lives forever with 5 minute conversations.
At her funeral around 7000 people gathered together to honor her.
I love and miss her always.
AKOSIA to SAM
AKOSIA: In your latest single ‘A Heart Doesn’t Hurt Itself’you talk about the ways we make ourselves small and stay in harmful situations just to feel the heat of love, even if it burns us. Have you ever written a song that helped you break a pattern while you were writing it? Or has writing a song ever caused you to realize how you truly felt about a relationship?
SAM FISCHER: Honestly I think writing ‘A Heart Doesn’t Hurt Itself’ was that kind of write where I accidentally let myself be vulnerable to those feelings I’d suppressed and ended up getting hurt all over again.
The other side of it was for sure catharsis but it was emotionally taxing and revealing to make that song.
AKOSIA: From where I sit you’ve made it. A lot of artists often say that the goalposts keep moving no matter what they achieve. Have you experienced that feeling or is there a version of making it that could give you a deep sense of satisfaction?
SAM FISCHER: Honestly that means a lot to hear and I appreciate it so much.
I’m super grateful for everything I’ve been able to do but honestly how I’m perceived, especially by other artists, is something I’ve really struggled with.
I think because when ‘This City’ blew up I wasn’t able to travel with it because of the pandemic.
I couldn’t experience all that comes with having a moment like that including getting to be around other artists.
The goalposts definitely keep moving, I think that just comes with this game but for me, playing live is everything and the space I haven’t been able to build properly.
I think when I’m able to sell out big shows and experience the music through my fans eyes in real time, that’s hopefully where the deep sense of satisfaction lies.
If it’s not there then I’ll just never be happy and be searching forever !! haha
AKOSIA: This year you’ll be joining the ‘Feedback: Real time sync’ Panel at Bigsound. As someone who’s landed major syncs, what’s some advice you got early on that stung a little but turned out to be helpful in your career?
SAM FISCHER: The best advice I’ve ever received was from Kara DioGuardi after I played her a song.
She said to me “I bet you get away with writing shit songs because you can sing them really well” … and that rocked me.
It made me really work on my craft and figure out how to write for my voice.
I think that’s been the most pivotal moment in my writing career so far honestly.
AKOSIA: You’ve written songs for Ciara and Jennifer Hudson! V Iconic. How do you know when a song belongs to you versus when it needs someone to help take it to full potential?
SAM FISCHER: I think the nice thing about being an artist who also writes for others is that the intention for the session is normally always pre-determined before we get in.
Now there have definitely been times when I’ve been in a session that was meant to be for pitch and doesn’t have another artist in it and we’ve come to the end of the song and I’ve gone… “nah please let me have this” and only if the other writers agree will I keep it.
I think it’s just important to remind myself that it really isn’t that deep, that there will be more songs and that sometimes the song will go out and find its home and sometimes it will find its way back to me.
AKOSIA: Ok, let’s get spicy. The Aria’s just announced new guidelines regarding the eligibility of music that uses AI. Do you think AI is a tool that can benefit songwriters or do you feel like it is theft and the source artists should be compensated every time their music is used?
SAM FISCHER: Oooh ok let’s get into it! Firstly, I really applaud the ARIA’s for taking a proper stance and drawing a line in the sand when it comes to AI generated music, it’s nice to see and feels quite encouraging as an artist.
Because the truth is, there is no great artistic skill required in putting in a prompt to Suno and having it spit out a song.
It’s lazy! I also think it’s been such a shame to see Australian radio get behind an AI-generated remix and promote it to the top of the radio charts instead of prioritizing artists who’ve been grinding for years to get heard.
Also, it’s a remix of a Madonna song, an artist who since the start of her career, pushed the boundaries of art and expression, who provided the blueprint and the foundation for what the modern music industry is.
I can’t imagine Madonna would be too happy to be associated with that!
On the money side of things, obviously artists should be compensated whenever their music is used in any form.
Simple as that. And while we’re on that, social media companies should also pay artists for the use of our music… This City has been viewed something like 4 billion times on Tiktok and my pockets don’t reflect that at allllll!
So in conclusion, if you’re using AI to write songs… you’re a computer scientist parading as an artist and I hope you’re having fun pretending you’re in our world, but please go away, it’s hard enough out here.
Catch Sam Fischer and AKOSIA at BIGSOUND 2026
Both artists will be making multiple appearances across BIGSOUND this week.
AKOSIA
Tuesday, September 1 – 10:00 PM, The Brightside Outdoors
Thursday, September 3 – 9:30 PM, La La Land
Sam Fischer
Wednesday, September 2 – 9:00 PM, Garden Stage
Thursday, September 3 – 11:45 AM, FEEDBACK: Real Time Sync Discussion, The Fortitude Music Hall
Thursday, September 3 – 8:15 PM, Crowbar
BIGSOUND runs from September 1–4 across Fortitude Valley, Brisbane. Head to BIGSOUND for the full program and tickets.
