Meg Mac has been one of Australia’s most distinctive voices for over a decade. From her breakout track Known Better, which exploded on triple j Unearthed, to fan favourites like Grandma’s Hands and Roll Up Your Sleeves, she’s built a career defined by powerful vocals and deeply personal songwriting.

Her 2019 album Matter of Time even debuted at #1 on the ARIA charts cementing her as a staple of the Australian music landscape.

In this episode, Meg takes us back to the beginning: growing up in Sydney, studying music at Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA), and the moment Known Better changed the course of her life.

We talk about the challenge of being known for the songs that introduced you to the world, how her songwriting has evolved over 15 years, and the creative process behind her new album It’s My Party.

Wisp's breakout single Your Face exploded online and pulled her straight onto the global stage, almost overnight.

But behind the viral moment is an artist who grew up immersed in discipline and craft. Raised in San Francisco, Wisp trained as a ballerina and violinist before stepping into shoegaze - a genre known for both devotion and scrutiny.

In this episode, we talk about what it really means to have a song take off before you’ve fully found your footing. The pressure of being labelled the next generation of shoegaze, and how she navigated it all in such a short amount of time.

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This project has been assisted by the Australian Government through Music Australia and Creative Australia, its arts funding and advisory body.

Cavetown grew up uploading songs to YouTube at 14, building a global audience before he’d even finished school. What began as bedroom covers and self-produced tracks quietly turned into billions of streams and one of indie pop’s most devoted fanbases.

But growing up online comes with its own challenges.

In this episode, Cavetown reflects on evolving in public, from being known for the songs he wrote as a teenager to wanting recognition for the craft he’s building now. We talk about navigating identity, finding your sound, and what it’s like to mature alongside the audience that first found you.

We also dive into his album Running With Scissors, the sonic risks, the growth in production, and the intention behind creating work that feels honest to who he is today.

Hazlett didn’t grow up chasing music, nor fame and fortune.

He started his solo career at 26 after years of playing bass and a stint in advertising.

In this episode, Hazlett reflects on what it really means to back yourself later than most, the leap that took him from Australia to Sweden, and the creative partnership with producer Freddy Alexander that helped shape the sound he’s now known for.

We talk about going from pub gigs to touring internationally, writing songs that feel quietly devastating, and the making of his new album Last Night You Said You Missed Me.

-------This project has been assisted by the Australian Government through Music Australia and Creative Australia, its arts funding and advisory body.

New Zealand brothers Balu Brigada have been building this for years. Writing everything themselves, producing everything themselves, no shortcuts.

With their latest album Portal, that steady grind turned into real momentum. Nearly 5 million monthly listeners, global tours with Twenty One Pilots, and a fanbase that’s catching up.

In this episode, we talk about the shift from early R&B influences to the alt-pop sound they’ve carved out, how moving to New York reshaped their creativity, and why they’re interested in world-building rather than chasing singles.

-------This project has been assisted by the Australian Government through Music Australia and Creative Australia, its arts funding and advisory body.

Before stepping on stage for one of his biggest Australian arena shows, YUNGBLUD sits down for a conversation about identity, ambition, and the weight of legacy.

In this episode, we go deep into the creation of his third studio album 'Idols', an album born from pushing himself to the brink, questioning the persona he built, and rediscovering who he is. YUNGBLUD opens up about chasing something real, and what it means to stand for something in a world that constantly tries to package artists into neat boxes.

We talk about the state of rock music right now, why it still matters, and how his fanbase has grown into something closer to a movement than a following.

This is a conversation about becoming a legacy act in real time and refusing to lose yourself along the way.

-------This project has been assisted by the Australian Government through Music Australia and Creative Australia, its arts funding and advisory body.

Good Neighbours didn’t expect this to work.

After years of trying to make it in music, the duo started Good Neighbours as a one last chance. No expectations, no long-term plan. Then Home took off, and everything changed.

In this episode they open up about the moment they almost quit music for good, how a project started on a whim became their breakthrough, and the full-circle reality of sitting in label meetings with people who once passed on them as solo artists.

We talk about the pressure that comes with sudden momentum, what Blue Sky Mentality represents at this stage of their journey, and what the future of the project looks like.

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This project has been assisted by the Australian Government through Music Australia and Creative Australia, its arts funding and advisory body.

Few bands have left a mark on Australian music quite like The Temper Trap.

From their early days in Melbourne to the slow-burning rise of Sweet Disposition, the band became one of Australia’s most beloved exports.

In 2025, The Temper Trap returned with Giving Up Air, their first new music in nine years, marking the beginning of a long-awaited new chapter.

Recorded live on stage at Beyond the Valley, on the final day of 2025, this special episode sees the band reflect on their full journey: the years before the breakthrough, what Sweet Disposition changed overnight, life spent touring the globe, and the decision to step away. We talk about the hiatus, what time away gave them, and why now felt like the right moment to return.

They also look ahead to their forthcoming album, sharing insight into how this new era of The Temper Trap feels different.

I'm backkkk! Happy 2026!

Silly season has truly been silly, lots of food, lots of events, lots of gigs and rounding out the year at Beyond the Valley. Let's catch up!

Plus, I want to put you on to the act that has SZA talking, Maden Lane.

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Nashville pop artist Thomas Day has lived multiple versions of an artist’s dream.

After breaking through as a teenage heartthrob on America’s Got Talent, Thomas signed to a major label and was quickly positioned for pop perfection. But it wasn’t until he stepped away from polish and leaned into raw, imperfect recordings that his music truly connected; culminating in the breakout success of “She Got a Thing About Her.”

In this episode of Listen Up with Ash McGregor, Thomas reflects on the pressure of early success, and why embracing imperfection changed everything. He plays unfiltered audio recordings live in the studio, and takes us through the just-do-don't-think style of music creation he lives by.

This is a conversation about how unlearning expectations, trusting instinct, and discovering that authenticity is what makes music last.

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This project has been assisted by the Australian Government through Music Australia and Creative Australia, its arts funding and advisory body.