Words by Declan Whelan // Feature image (left) by Cameron Mackinnon, all others supplied

Set in the insta-worthy sprawling hills of South Gippsland, Victoria, The Hills Are Alive festival is going down this weekend and in typical fashion is mixing some of the best up and coming music acts in Australia with some of the country’s finest comedians.

Among those is none other than Perth’s Arno Faraji, a rapper-producer who shot to prominence as the very first hip hop artist to win Triple J’s Unearthed High competition in 2017. He’ll be bringing his unique blend of hip hop to the THAA stage on Friday night and is joined on the lineup by local heroes Kwame and Genesis Owusu, as well as the outstandingly unsettling and utterly hilarious Aaron ‘Gocsy’ Gocs.

We caught up with Arno ahead of this weekend’s festival to chat about life, THAA and more. Read the full interview below:

How long were you making music/taking it seriously before your Unearthed High win in 2017?

I’d say I started around late year 10, so that would be just over a year before the competition. It all happened pretty fast. But I’d been making music for a while too. I was studying guitar at school and I was learning classical music but making beats and stuff was kind of a last minute thing in that sense because it was only like a year before the competition.

That video of you winning is one of the most heartwarming clips on the internet. Do you think you’ll always hold that memory above others or are you finding that the opportunities that have come up since are now competing with that for top spot?

I think that will stand out forever. Just because of where I was and how it happened. It was so random and that moment was so unique in itself, I don’t think anything can really top it. There’s been a lot of dope things that happened since then, like playing at Triple J’s One Night Stand to a 25k crowd. Like, that was my biggest audience ever and then touring with some of the people I admire most like Smino and Rejjie Snow and all these other acts. There are so many things that have happened that are crazy to me but that first moment felt like, “OK this is really life-changing right now”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suPHzhlwQ1c

What was your biggest takeaway from those supporting gigs on tour?

Just learning how to down-to-earth and how chill people are. You never really see your idols, or the people you admire, as people at the end of the day. You know they’re people, but you don’t know that they react to things just like you and I, or that they have interests of their own. With Reggie, I remember we had a show in Sydney and he was sick the two days before but he came upstairs just to hang out with us, smoke with us and just chill out. So that was really dope, I was thinking, “What the heck? This is crazy.” But there’s moments like that, just touching base with people and hearing what they have to say. It’s really eye-opening.

Your new song ‘Scalin’ debuted on Triple J the other night. Tell us about that track.

So ‘Scalin’ is my new single, produced by Milan Ring who’s another Astral family member. I was up in Sydney and it was my first time working with Milan and it was one of those experiences where you’re just like “Oh, you’re easy.” You know what I mean? You just feel like you’re not meeting them for the first time. And so I really appreciate that and I feel like people can appreciate that in the quality of music.
**Edit: Wrap your earholes around Arno’s new single ‘Scalin’, which is available now across all streaming platforms. Go, go, go!

And speaking of collaborations, last year you teamed up with Remi and Sensible J on your track, ‘Bless’. What was it like working with them?

Ah, that was so dope. That was for sure one of those moments, again, where people are just really down to earth and really cool. I was still 17 when I went, so I was with my Dad. And they were just really dope, they were chilling with my Dad, and we were all just in a really comfortable environment, just vibing off each other. They were like, “we like to get to know people before we make music with ’em. Because we feel like, once you know somebody, in that sense, you can be more comfortable to extend your ideas out, and the collaborative process is boosted to where you’re just on the same level, you know where somebody’s coming from, you get understanding to an extent”, and that just stuck with me, that whole thing.

And that’s exactly what we did. We ate first before we did any music, we were talking about where they were from and how they started doing stuff, I got to know about their family, about everything really. When it came to making music, everything they said was true because we just understood each other. It was really dope seeing that from some people I admired.

What was your dad doing while you were in the studio, did he just jump on board and make the most of an east coast vacay?

Yeah, he just took it. He was just chilling, you know? He was talking to J and Remi and getting to know them, too. They were interested in knowing him as well they even traded numbers at the end of the day. But was just cool and he let me do what I was there to do.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBcqq402q48

I love that on Instagram you described that track as “thicc”. How would you describe the Perth music scene?

It’s very young. You know how you see a lot of young countries still learning how to get their affairs in order and still learning how to put in laws and action and all these things? It’s like that. It’s like a whole community of kids who are sometimes the first of their family’s generation or first generation coming here. So there’s a lot of cultural influences, a lot of vibes to be shared and everybody is just willing to learn from everybody else. We’re influenced by other cities as well. Perth is one of those cities that has its own culture but then it’s always taking, I guess a sip, out of everybody else’s too. We know what’s happening in Sydney, we know what’s happening in Melbourne, we know what’s happening in Adelaide. But yeah, it’s very young and it’s cool to see it growing the way it has and trying to be someone who’s pushing it along too.

You made the point that Perth’s scene is young and looking to the rest of the country at times. Who are you guys looking up to when you think about getting to where you want to be? 

In terms of music, we have some OGs out here that do more of the older traditional hip hop like Drapht. Personally, I look up to Remi. A lot of cats over here look at people like Manu Crooks and B Wise in Sydney. They look at Sydney because it has a lot of exports right now. You see that and you realise it’s possible to do that from Australia and I think that’s why a lot of people around the country are looking to Sydney and Melbourne right now.

And you’re obviously looking forward to playing at The Hills Are Alive this weekend. When you’re not playing, are you much of a festival goer?

I actually think I’ve only been to one as a fan and that was Origin Fields just over New Years. Actually, I’ve been to Laneway in Melbourne as well, I went to see The Internet and Anderson .Paak which was really dope. Every other show that I’ve been to, I’ve performed at and I always make the most of that opportunity because I really enjoy watching other artists. Even during the Rejjie tour I was just watching him the whole time and it was the same with the Peking Duck tour and the Kwame tour. I just love watching people. Up close or from far away, it doesn’t matter. There’s a whole art to it that I really enjoy.

What are some of the things you’re looking forward to this weekend? The lineup is really interesting in that it combines music and comedy headliners as well as morning yoga and a bunch of other activities.

I’m looking forward to my set. I’m not gonna lie, I’m really looking forward to my set because I know I’m bringing the energy, I know what I’m going for and I know that people are gonna enjoy it. But I’m also keen to see the other hip hop acts and the whole mix of genres. At home in Perth there are bands that I support and bands that support me so I’m curious about seeing some bands. And then for activities I’m definitely trying to see this sunset… because that’s supposed to be one of the highlights of the festival. And then, you know, eat a bit. Hit some of the food trucks and stuff. But I’m really keen for my set. That’s the main one. I’m ready.

What does the rest of the year look like for you?

More time in the studio. We got more music coming in. More singles, more tours and I’m really trying to get my merch up. So many people have hit me up telling me, “Yo, please get something out,” so I’m trying to get my merch up and I feel like me saying it on the record is gonna push me to do it. So, merch coming soon.

Catch Arno Faraji and the rest of the stellar lineup at The Hills Are Alive this weekend. Info and last minute tickets available via the link!