At just 16 years old, Australian musician Kian has already had quite the career.
After first hitting the stage singing with Baker Boy when he was 14, then winning triple j's Unearthed High competition in 2018, now at just 16 he has announced a tour to showcase his first EP titled 'Bliss'.
Oh, and he's also playing this year's Splendour In The Grass.
The origin behind the title 'Bliss', and the release itself, are Kian's take on the saying 'ignorance is bliss'. “I was trying to think about what that is to me and it makes me think about the balance in the world,” he says.
“I believe heavily in karma, so when something really good happens then there has to be something bad happen in the world.
“That was where I was coming from, there's beautiful things and some ugly things. You have to accept every aspect of yourself and the life around you. That's sort of where [the title] came from, life's beautiful but there's also dark aspects.”
Kian describes his sound as “forever evolving”. “I want to try all different genres and sounds, but I think at the moment it's kind of alternative pop with a bit of R&B, hip hop influences in some of the sonics and melodies; that's where I kind of think it is right now.”
Kian hails from a creative family who, in turn, are supportive of his musical endeavours. “My mum brought me my first guitar.
“It was this really trash acoustic from a music shop in Castlemaine... She's always supported me with music and believed in me; she's someone that always instilled music into me and was saying 'you can do it, keep going'.
“There were times in my life where I thought maybe I wasn’t cut out for music, but she definitely kept me going. Same with my dad too, my whole family is very creative and very supportive with that stuff,” Kian says.
The whole family will be pitching in throughout the tour; due to his age, Kian will be taking a family member with him to each performance. “Either one of my sisters will come or my mum or dad will come; it's good to have family there looking after me and making sure I'm not getting into trouble, which I usually wouldn't.”
For such a young, successful musician who's not looking to slow down, Kian has his head in the right place. He's excited for the rest of the year, not only for his tour but his upcoming festival performances too.
“I got booked on the Splendour line-up, which is pretty awesome. That, as Australian artist, is a dream festival to get booked on. It's really fun and is one of those things where you can meet really cool people and potentially make friends for life.”
But even when thinking about long-term goals, Kian remains humble and down to earth. “I'll be satisfied if I can create a body of work that I'm super proud of and other people can relate to, understand and respect. I want to be respected as an artist and a creator.
“I know the dream for everyone is to win awards and that would be a major achievement, but I don't really want to have to make these big goals. I'm just sticking with these short-term goals and trying to keep grounded.”
Kian 2019 Tour Dates
Fri 19 Jul - Spin Off Festival (Adelaide)Sun 21 July - Splendour In The Grass (Byron Bay)
Sat 27 Jul - Oxford Art Factory (Sydney)
Wed 31 Jul - UC Canberra
Sat 3 Aug - Northcote Social Club (Melbourne)
Sun 4 Aug - Northcote Social Club - u18 matinee (Melbourne)
