In our new ‘Natural Born Influencers’ series, we interview young creative talents who are taking the world by storm, presented by Oakley. Christopher Kevin Au wears the Oakley EvZero, available at Oakley O stores and online.

Words by Sophia Nurse // Images by Jack Bennett

For the latest edition of Natural Born Influencers we looked in-house to Life Without Andy’s own Editor, Christopher Kevin Au.

Handling the day-to-day content for our website, Chris has a few years of journalism under his belt, having written for publications ranging from the Sydney Morning Herald to Oyster Magazine. We chat to him about his sneaker collection, the time he interviewed Kim Kardashian and his addiction to engaging content:

You have a really unique sense of style that features a lot of sportswear. How would you describe your personal style in your own words, and what are your main sources of inspiration?

I wear a lot of sportswear to distract myself from the fact that I haven’t been to a gym in over a decade. However, I am currently on a strict boiled egg diet and will soon be pumping iron in an effort to put my sportswear collection to actual use and get the summer rig popping. My personal style takes influence from cultures all over the world, I would say it sits somewhere in between a Serbian soccer coach, a Chinese grandmother, a B-Grade Harlem rapper, a last-minute extra on the set of Snatch and a villain off Rush Hour 2. I’m big on a lot of Australian brands including Halfsleeve, Saintside, Highs & Lows, Sydney Romantics, Numb Supply and the ilk.

So after having a brief stalk of your Instagram, we notice you have quite a substantial collection of Nike footwear, and you became one of three ‘Masters of Air’ ambassadors back in March. What was it like working with such an iconic sportswear brand, and were there any pressures that came with it?

I have big love for Nike & the Nike Sportswear division. There were absolutely no pressures that came with being an ambassador since all I had to do was throw banter about sneakers, which is what I usually do with people over Facebook chat anyway. I thought the ‘Masters of Air’ title was pretty amusing, although I still consider myself very much to be a student of sneaker culture – I have a lot of respect for the OGs who have been doing it for as long as I’ve been alive. It was a little surreal to be asked to speak on behalf of Nike, but I got to pitch my idea for a Gucci Mane sneaker which will hopefully come into fruition sooner rather than later. I may start a petition this evening.

You’ve gotten to interview some huge artists and celebrities throughout your career, including DJ Khaled, Joey Badass, T.I. and Kim Kardashian. Who has been your favourite interview thus far?

Kim Kardashian was probably the most nervous I have ever been for an interview. It took place in a very swish hotel and she also had a plate of celery sticks in the room which was nice. Much to my relief, she was very approachable and we talked about how crucial Gucci visors are. That interview was a few years back on the Yeezus tour with Kanye West, and people still ask me if my photo with her is real. After that, they usually ask me if she’s really that curvaceous in real life. Spoiler: She is.

Being a huge fan of Terror Squad and DITC, interviewing Fat Joe was a massive personal milestone for me. He told me he liked my Fila shirt and I shed a solitary tear of joy. Also, Craig David was a definite vibe and he gave me tips on how to hype man properly. I am yet to implement his advice, but I’m sure that I will be yelling in a Sydney club in the near future and getting booed relentlessly. After I interview Mobb Deep, Rihanna and/or Joey Johns, I think I will be ready to retire.

Your currently the Editor here at Life Without Andy. What has it been like having complete creative control as a writer?

I have been extremely lucky in the sense that all of the publications I have written for have given me close to complete control over what to write about, and how to write it. I think that university journalism courses focus too heavily on traditional media and don’t encourage students to develop their own voices. Given that blogs, social media and niche websites dominate much of the online media landscape, it’s worthwhile looking into writers being well-rounded personalities who actually have an opinion on topics – and who can express them in a manner that’s engaging, relatable and true to themselves.

After writing for larger publications such as the Sydney Morning Herald, what is it like to then switch to writing for a website like Life Without Andy?

Shouts to the Sydney Morning Herald for letting me write about Drake and use the term ‘Shmoney Dance’ in a newspaper! Sydney Morning Herald and Life Without Andy are two very different publications with two target audiences at opposite ends of the spectrum. You obviously can’t be too red-hot and start quoting explicit Lil Boosie lyrics in a newspaper, since grandmas read that and you definitely don’t want to annoy grandmas. I really think the key is finding your own signature voice, and then tailoring it carefully to who you’re trying to communicate with. In that sense, your writing style has to be malleable and custom-made for each outlet.

You’re a huge hip-hop fan, do you have any favourite gigs you can call to mind?

Clipse at The Metro Theatre would have to be one of my favourites, they played a bunch of heaters off Hell Hath No Fury which is one of my favourite records of all time. I saw Waka Flocka Flame on a Tuesday night at Bootsy Bellows in Los Angeles, he dropped six songs and it was the most headbanging I have seen outside of a Slayer show. I have also witnessed the greatness that is Chingy at Establishment, he played ‘One Call Away’ and had a hype man who looked like Future. Yves Saint Lauraph took his shirt off and maybe got kicked out? That was a weird night.

Outside of hip-hop, I am also about to attend my first ever Defqon.1 festival next month. I am just going to fit in by wearing Air Max 95s and hopefully I will be converted to the dark side of hardstyle.

As a born and bred Sydney local, what are you go to nightspots and favourite spots to eat out?

As previously mentioned, I’m only eating boiled eggs at the moment, but some of my favourite delicious spots include Arisun, Ramen Ikkyu, Happy Chef Noodle Restaurant, Gia Hoi and Sea Bay. Make sure you check out Chinese Noodle House for their braised eggplant, grape-laced ceiling and deer tapestry. You can find all of these within a five-minute radius in Chinatown and they won’t cost you an arm and a leg.

When it comes to partying, I enjoy The Cliff Dive, Plan B Small Club, The Lord Gladstone, Dollhouse Nightspot and anywhere that’s likely to drop a DJ Mustard medley. Shouts to DJ Leonard Smith. Keep Sydney Open!

Last year you began hosting The Noughty Noughties party at The Cliff Dive, which only plays 2000s hip-hop. What was the concept behind it and how did it come about?

Everybody always talks about how great 90s hip-hop was, and while I still listen to all that Golden Era stuff, I was a little too young to appreciate it in real time. When I was growing up and getting into hip-hop, it was all about 50 Cent, The Game, Dipset, Nelly, Dead Prez and other artists that dominated the early to mid-2000s. Last year, Sydney’s best half-Serbian hip-hop selector, Nes approached me to collaborate on a party since she’s a little legend. We thought that the 2000s would be a neat niche to tap into.

Our first party was last December and it was pretty wild – every DJ on the bill dropped ‘Butterfly’ by Crazy Town. It was definitely a nice time, and each night has grown exponentially since then. Our next box social is on Sunday October 2, which is a public holiday eve and more of an excuse to turn up.

You’ve worked with a lot of artists in the Sydney music scene, did these close connections bring you to party hosting or do you see it as a potential gateway into other realms of music?

I started party hosting so that I could stand next to the DJ booth and request ‘Shake Ya Tailfeather’ on repeat. I have made a career out of pretending that I can actually DJ, so I will most likely skip that and head straight into rapping. My debut single ‘Chinatown Champs (Red Packet Remix)’ will be arriving in late 2016, followed by my EP titled The Eulogy. I am currently in talks with various labels as to who will house the release. I believe that this single may change the Australasian hip-hop scene forever. It is extremely lyrical with a zesty political twist and production courtesy of the don himself, DJ Chardonnay.

You seem to have a broad repertoire of skills from writing to party hosting to developing content for brands. Do you have any specific plans for the future and the direction of your career?

There are a few things on the cards aside from journalism and my entry into the rap game. I am addicted to engaging content, so I’m sure that will always be a part of my life in some way or another. I also have dreams of being a motivational speaker and/or real estate mogul, so maybe that will be in my future if I don’t become a member of The 27 Club.