Tell us about your music. How did you develop your sound?

I started developing my sound by trying to re-create songs and styles that affected me when I was younger. Stevie Wonder, Pharrell, Moses Sumney, Mac Demarco, Dev Hynes, Dr Dre, and so many more influenced me to incorporate hip-hop soul jazz and rock into my music.

What’s your greatest source of inspiration for making music?

Life experiences it sounds generic but I pull a lot of my inspiration from events in my life or in the lives of people around me besides that the music itself like chord progression and melodies inspire the tone and feel of all my music.

What can punters expect from a Stevan live show?

It’s next level I’m not hyping it up but I’ve got great band members who bring their own style to my music and elevate it to a different feel, all of my band members come from Jazz back grounds and it bleeds into the live set up plus we add whole sections to songs, I’m very keen on playing on of them

What’s the best advice you’ve been given and who was it from?

My Dad and it was simple but he told me to follow my heart and to do what I love, there have been moments when we haven’t seen eye to eye but even then he respects my passions and believe that I can do whatever I set my mind to that type of confidence he has in me makes me feel like I can,

What Australian track would you play to cheer up someone who was crying?

'S.A. D.' by Kirin J Callinan.

What Australian track would you play to someone to make them cry?

Probably still S. A. D. by Kirin J Callinan.

You’re the DJ at a party. The dance floor is pumping. What Australian track do you put on next?

Scott Green. Kids played that at every party in High School.

What was the last local gig you went to? How was it?

I recently went to see Rejjie Snow at Metro theatre I went with some mates it was a really fun experience it was like my first time seeing a proper live rap show.

Tell us about the bands or people in the Illawarra music community that inspire you.

There aren’t a lot of people in Wollongong that are making music like mine but in Sydney Cosmo Midnight, Winston SurfShirt pretty much every artist on my Astro people, big shout out to Selasie Wussah and M.A.C they are Sydney artist who’ve supported me and kind of mentored me in my early days. My biggest inspiration in Australian music is actually from Brisbane his name is Rei So La trust me he’s the next big thing.

What are your plans for 2019?

Releasing more music I’ve got so much and I want to keep making more and showing my stuff to the people who want to hear it, I guess I’ll be playing more shows and meeting new artist I want to set myself up for bigger opportunities

Tell us about your music. How did you develop your sound?

We had a very musical upbringing and listened to a lot of harmony-driven bands like The Beatles and Crowded House. This instilled in us a love for classic songwriting and we try to create a sound that pairs ‘90s influenced production with big melodies. 

What’s your greatest source of inspiration for making music?

Mostly it’s other people making music, and that intense thrill you get from seeing a great live band. We went to a gig at the Enmore a little while ago and Grace literally started crying because a sax solo was just so good and she couldn’t handle it. That is the feeling that makes us want to play more and write more. 

What can punters expect from a CLEWS live show?

Harmonies, matching haircuts and crunchy guitars. 

What’s the best advice you’ve been given and who was it from?

We actually live by a lot of great advice. Dad says, "fulfil your own promises" and Mum says "hey, what’s the worst that can happen?". Also, in regards to boyfriends becoming husbands, our Nan always said try before you buy.

What Australian track would you play to cheer up someone who was crying?

'Cholesterol Heart (God Bless Ya)' by These New South Whales. 

What Australian track would you play to someone to make them cry?

'To Think That I Once Loved' You by The Drones.

You’re the DJ at a party. The dance floor is pumping. What Australian track do you put on next?

'Go Bang' by PNAU. 

What was the last local gig you went to? How was it?

We caught our good mates Harley Mavis and H. Fanning and The Seagulls play back to back the other night, two birds with one stone if you will. It was a lovely evening and both sang with poise and grace. 

Tell us about the bands or people in the Sydney music community that inspire you.

We wish we could play guitar like Elizabeth Fader, we saw her with her full band recently and it was so impressive that Lily’s soul left her body for a moment. We also love the live show that the boys from PLANET put on and we’re very inspired by RACKETT’S DIY ethos. 

What are your plans for 2018?

We have a really great team around us now, so this year we’ll be releasing more music and playing some cracking shows.

Meet this week's feature artist Sumner!

Tell us about your music. How did you develop your sound?

Its taken me a while to develop my sound, but I've enjoyed the journey! Countless trips back and forth from America going in any and every session I could find. I first started off a few years ago wanting to do folk; inspired by Fleetwood Mac, Joni Mitchell, Sara Bareilles. But after being in LA for a while and trying to cope with its brutal/lonely nature my music took a bit of a darker turn. I still draw a lot of my melodic inspiration from those artists but the production and undertones are not as organic and more electronic driven. Now I draw a lot of my inspiration from artists such as Lorde, Banks and Sasha Sloane.

What’s your greatest source of inspiration for making music?

Probably everything. I mean obviously, I'm so in love with music and the feeling it gives me. But a lot of my inspiration comes from my boyfriend and my family. They give me so much strength and I draw so many of my experiences from them and write about them. They are also the reasons I want to succeed in this business. 

What can punters expect from a CXLOE live show?

A dark and brooding set with musical highs and lows. Dope lighting with songs you can sing along to and cry to. I love taking my listeners on a journey as I feel I'm quite honest as an artist so I don’t mind letting people in.

What’s the best advice you’ve been given and who was it from?

To work SMART, not hard (obviously work hard, but you get the point haha) It was given to me by a friend and artist I really look up to Will Singe.

What Australian track would you play to cheer up someone who was crying?

'World of our Love' by Client Liaison.

What Australian track would you play to someone to make them cry?

'Comfortable' by LANKS (it's quite a hopeful song but for some reason, I always end up balling my eyes out!).

You’re the DJ at a party. The dance floor is pumping. What Australian track do you put on next?

'Holiday' by KOTA BANKS DUH!

What was the last local gig you went to? How was it?

I'm living over in LA at the moment so the last local Artist I saw was Aussie singer-songwriter Bobi Andenov. He performed at a local event called School Night in Hollywood and totally crushed it!! His vocals are insane and his songwriting is next level!!

Tell us about the bands or people in the Sydney music community that inspire you.

Oh gosh, there are so many. I'm so inspired by JOY and Jack River, they’re just totally running their own race and I LOVE IT! There are also two women in the music community that really inspire me as they are the most genuinely supportive women I have come across.  Nina Las Vegas and Kota Banks. They are both so encouraging of women in the music industry and don’t see other artists as competition. Which is what we need more of!! I adore these two so much. And OBVIOUSLY my manager Sarah Donelly she is a BOSS I don't know how I got so lucky.

What are your plans for 2018?

To protect my peace over here in LA and write awesome music!!!!

Tell us about your music. How did you develop your sound?

One thing I can definitely say about my music is that it will never stop developing! I use my music as a form of expression and what/how I feel like expressing myself boils down to what I’m experiencing at the time. I guess my sound could be summed up as a reaction to whatever I’m observing/going through at the time.

What’s your greatest source of inspiration for making music?
This is going to sound corny but I really believe you can find inspiration in everything and anything. I think emotions (belonging to me or those around me) are always a reliable, accessible, and powerful source of inspiration for me but I don’t think I could even call that my “greatest” source of inspiration. There are just too many options!

What can punters expect from an imbi the girl live show?
Punters can expect a good groove, a lot of love, probably a reminder to stay hydrated at some point and some powerful, musical magic. If they’re willing to open their hearts, punters can expect to leave my set full of warmth and wholesome good vibes (or at least those are my intentions). 

What’s the best advice you’ve been given and who was it from?

The best advice I’ve been given is to live through love and to remember that everything is temporary. Those wise words came less from a specific person and more from gathered experiences and a variety of different interactions. I guess you could say the universe gave me that advice. 

What Australian track would you play to cheer up someone who was crying?

'OG Luv Kush pt.2’ by Kaiit. It’s not too cheerful/upbeat so they can keep crying and processing while they listen but it’s also so undeniably groovy I feel like they wouldn’t be able to hold back a cheeky boogie. Also just an empowering track, and there’s nothing like being reminded of your power and resilience in those teary moments.

What Australian track would you play to someone to make them cry?

'Katie' by Missy Higgins. I don’t reckon I need to explain this one. Once you listen to it, you’ll get it.

You’re the DJ at a party. The dance floor is pumping. What Australian track do you put on next?

'Clap Clap’ by Miss Blanks. Bless this queen!!! She effortlessly slays every track but this one especially. It’s a timeless, dirty, d-floor banger and if you don’t know, you should. 

What was the last local gig you went to? How was it?

I saw Habits at their ‘Salty’ EP launch and holy HECK it was phenomenal. Could not recommend their tunes and their shows highly enough. These artists are so unapologetically themselves, they are so heckin’ unique and shameless. They push all the boundaries and it’s seriously inspiring.

Tell us about the bands or people in the Sydney music community that inspire you.

I find queer people and people of colour (POC) in Sydney's music community very inspiring. I mean, I’m inspired by them in every community and the music scene is definitely not an exception. It takes a lot of courage and drive to be visible as a POC and queer person with racism, homophobia and transphobia still making up the foundations of our society creating more challenges for individuals from marginalised groups especially in an industry like the music industry where artists rely on people liking their persona as much as their music. Trying to excel in a creative field where your success is dependent on engagement from an audience socialised to not value your identity or the messages you are trying to send is no easy task. Lucky for us, there are more proud and powerful POC/queers gaining recognition in the mainstream than ever before and even though we have a very long way to go, the times are most def changing.

What are your plans for 2018?
My plan is to keep on keeping’ on! I will continue to do my very best to spread love and wholesome vibes through banging’ creative endeavours and maybe also drop an EP later this year but you’ll have to wait and see.