Gold Coast hip hop artist Seven is poised to release his third EP, In Transit.
A surfer with a sunny disposition hailing from the beaches of Coolangatta, Seven (aka Zach Humphrey) has spent a large chunk of the previous two years touring the country alongside Aussie hip hop heavyweights 360 and Drapht. Amid this intensive touring schedule, Zach has managed to produce a record which he says was inspired by the highs and lows of life on the road.
“This record is a bit darker; the last two years have been all travel for me between music and work. It's kind of just inspired by living out of one bag and everything that surrounds that, whether it be missing home or enjoying the fun times while I've been away. It's also about this underlying love for where I live now and pining for that while I was away.”
Zach is often accompanied on stage by best friend and fellow emcee, Mr. Hill, and together the pair have cultivated a reputation for producing an energetic live show that frequently borders on chaotic. “We just try to have as much fun as possible and I'd probably describe our sets as wild,” Zach explains.
“We've got a lot of friends and influences around us who are into hip hop but who are also into hardcore music, and that provides inspirations for how I want my crowds to be. We just want them to be as wild as us and that happens quite a bit. We've had circle pits and mosh pits at our shows. One of our Byron Bay shows nearly destroyed the massive speaker stacks so I would say it definitely gets very rowdy.
“When I first went on tour with 360 last year I had a number of shows within Queensland under my belt, but I was still quite timid when performing. I guess the two tours have boosted my confidence a lot and I think that shows … At first we were performing to crowds who had no idea who we were and we got such a positive response and expanded our fanbase greatly throughout the country just through those shows, so I was really proud of that.”
With his current EP due for release later this month, Zach already has plans to begin work on a full-length album. Still in the conceptual phase, Zach hopes his next record will take shape during the well-earned hiatus he has planned for the remainder of 2013.
“It's time to be a real boy and release an LP which I'll attempt to do next year, and it will be the first time I can put 100 percent of my time into a release and really fine tune it and get it perfect because I still don't think I'm there yet. I've started gathering beats and ideas for it but I haven't started any extensive writing for it yet. I'm going to Rarotonga in the Cook Islands in July for six months and will spend a lot of time over there getting the writing together and perfecting the material.”
Despite the trying nature of life away from home, Zach says he will be back in 2014 with aspirations of securing prestigious slots with some of Australia's biggest festivals.
“I'll come back next year and get the LP done and release it properly and try to tour as much as possible in the next year and just keep going at it. My ultimate goal from the outset has always been to play Splendour In The Grass so that'll be a highlight for me if I make it there.
“I don't think the touring lifestyle has been that difficult because I've always enjoyed travelling. It has become difficult at times when there's no opportunity to be at the beach and it's just so far removed from what I've always normally done. Mostly it's been an adventure and I've enjoyed it immensely thus far.”
In Transit will be released on June 28.
