Only 17-years old, hip hop rapper Mallrat has already graced the stage of a handful of major festivals.
The Brisbane-based artist is among the stellar Bigsound showcase. “I'm honestly not sure what sort of crowd capacity Bigsound has, but I've actually been fortunate enough to play at a few festivals already,” she exclaims. “I can’t wait to watch Tkay Maizda, Japanese Wallpaper and Young Tapz [at Bigsound]: there are so many talented musicians playing. For now, I’m pumped: but I’ll probably be nervous 20 minutes beforehand!”
The self-professed ‘Hannah Montana of the rap game’ sat pretty in the Triple J Unearthed High charts with her debut offering ‘Suicide Blonde’, and has since released a handful of electronic/ rap/ pop tracks. “I was so relieved with the response ‘Suicide Blonde’ received, because initially I was pretty scared to put it out,” Mallrat admits.
“I was deliberating whether or not to do it, and I said to myself, 'Okay Grace, chill out, trust your gut instinct', and decided that I needed a sign. So I got into the car, and 'Suicide Blonde' by INXS was playing, and I knew I had to release it.”
Mallrat was inspired to break into the music industry as an audience member at an Allday concert two years ago. “It was a super-inspiring gig, making music felt right, I suddenly knew it was what I had to be doing,” she says. “So I went home and made some demos, and sent them off to a few people, and soon started piecing together actual songs.”
She thanks the internet for her unexpected success, describing it as the ultimate platform to showcase and spread her sound. “Triple J Unearthed has been incredible, especially over the last few months, but it started off by posting on Instagram, and on blogs, and spreading the word to people who went on to share my music.”
When asked how she balances her emerging career with her social life, the teenager says she simply makes music her number one focus. “I'm admittedly quite boring and anti-social, so it's nice to have something to focus on!” Mallrat laughs. “I pretty much work on my music whenever I'm at home, unless I’m asleep, which is more often than you’d think!”
Performing at Glastonbury Festival and working alongside Kanye West are two of her long-term goals. For now, the young musician simply aims to secure a steady music career. “By the end of the year, as ambitious as it may be, I want to be playing music full-time,” she reveals. “Other than that, I have to get my driver’s license, which has so far been pretty traumatising!”
With another track on the not-so distant horizon, the obvious career progression can only be upward bound. “I'm always working on stuff on my own, but I've recently collaborated with a guy called Oh Boy, and Donatachi,” she reveals. “The song is super trippy and weird and cute all at once, and it’s coming out at the end of the month.”
