Ben Abraham is a singer-songwriter originally from Naarm/Melbourne, now based in Los Angeles.

He spent his early years as an independent artist in his hometown, eventually crowd-funding his first album Sirens. This caught the attention of US indie label Secretly Canadian and major publisher Sony/ATV, who started putting him in writing rooms for other artists. This led to cuts on records by Demi Lovato, The Chicks, Ben Platt and Wafia. One of his songs for Kesha - her comeback single "Praying", co-written with Ryan Lewis - currently sits at half a billion streams on Spotify. 

In 2022, Ben’s second record was released on Atlantic Records, making him labelmates with Ed Sheeran, Cardi B & Coldplay. It’s an album that sees Ben reconciling his deeply-held faith with his identity as a queer person. In 2023, Ben was dropped by Atlantic. He now finds himself recalibrating his music career, returning to his roots as an independent artist and working alongside his parents to explore his Indonesian heritage.

Follow Ben Abraham: https://www.instagram.com/benbenabraham/

Follow Tim Shiel: https://www.instagram.com/timshiel/

Watch this episode in full on YouTube: https://youtu.be/O165SngH2Bg

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dropping in with a short update on the future of this podcast - episodes will return soon!  And if you think you might be able to help keep Why Make Music going in 2025, get in touch. You can DM me on Instagram @timshiel or email me here: [email protected]

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ed Service is a producer and DJ originally from Aoeteroa/New Zealand. He is also one half of the musical duo SHOUSE.

Since moving to Melbourne about 15 years ago, he’s juggled his creative practice with day jobs that reflect his personal interest in arts infrastructure and community engagement. In 2021, Ed’s career trajectory took an unexpected turn when SHOUSE's song "Love Tonight" became a sleeper hit, going platinum in many countries including the US and the UK. Collabs with David Guetta and Jason Derulo followed, as well as gigs at Paris Fashion Week, through the US and Europe, and of course Ibiza.

With the dust now settling, Ed and Jack have returned to Melbourne determined to re-engage with music at the community level. That’s where they come from, that’s what they care about. So I sat down with Ed to ask him whether his unlikely experience with SHOUSE has changed the way he thinks about music, and to learn a bit more about communitas, or collective joy, one of many deep ideas that informs his creative practice.

Follow SHOUSE: https://www.instagram.com/shouse.shouse/

Follow Tim Shiel: https://www.instagram.com/timshiel/ 

Watch this episode in full on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cxy3uSi30pw

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you are in Naarm next week and want to come see me interview Ella Thompson for the podcast, get your tickets here: https://events.humanitix.com/why-make-music-x-breakfast-club-2-with-ella-thompson

- - -

Montaigne has explored a truly eclectic creative career over the last decade, working across pop music, theatre, video games & more. They've represented Australia at Eurovision, picked up a GRAMMY nomination via Australian video game Stray Gods, and worked with diverse collaborators from David Byrne to Hilltop Hoods to Tom Cardy. A portrait of Montaigne even won the prestigious Archibald Prize in 2023.

Jess is a role model to many, not just as a fiercely talented singer-songwriter and producer but as an activist and outspoken advocate across a wide range of issues.  In the past year, they’ve broken from their long-term management and label deals to start a new era of being 100% independent and self-managed.  What is that transition is like?  And over ten years to a full-time music career, what motivates Montaigne to keep going? 

Follow Montaigne: https://www.instagram.com/actualmontaigne

Follow Tim Shiel: https://www.instagram.com/timshiel/

(Side note: if you've been loving Why Make Music so far, you'll love Montaigne's new podcast Tank Time with Montaigne which is exploring a lot of the same stuff!)

- - - 

Want to see our human faces?  Guess what: you can watch every episode of Why Make Music on YouTube here.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tim Hollo is a musician, writer, environmental advocate and campaigner.  He's been playing viola in FourPlay String Quartet for almost three decades, releasing music and touring the world. He is also the founder of Green Music Australia, an organisation that strives to reduce the environmental impact of the music sector while empowering artists to use their platforms to drive social and cultural change.  

Tim’s recent book Living Democracy is, in his words, an ecological manifesto. He outlines a vision of democracy that feels alive and humane, aligning it with ecological concepts like interdependence, diversity & the inevitability of change.  He draws on First Nations thinking, as well as modern experiments in municipalist governance in places like Barcelona and Syria, to pump life back into the idea of democracy itself and to show that positive change is not only possible, but is happening at a grassroots level in communities around the world.

With faith in democracy feeling particularly low this week, I thought it was good timing to go deep with Tim as someone who is deeply passionate about democracy, climate & music. 

Tim Hollo's book "Living Democracy": https://www.livingdemocracy.org.au/

Green Music Australia: https://www.greenmusic.org.au/

Follow Tim Hollo: https://www.instagram.com/timhollo

Follow Tim Shiel: https://www.instagram.com/timshiel/

- - - 

Want to come to our next live event in Naarm? 
Register your interest here: https://forms.gle/1iYagq2ZPyzVFL8e8

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Are you in Naarm? Would you like to come to our next live event in November? Register your interest here and you'll be the first to know more details:
https://forms.gle/LWBP2CiyBXs4C6V18

- - - - -

Tiana Khasi is a jazz-educated, community-focused singer/songwriter & musician based in Naarm/Melbourne. Drawing on both Samoan and Indian heritage, Tiana puts concepts of home & ancestry at the centre of her work, describing herself as "a bridge person.. doing what she can now, to be a good future ancestor."

We talk about family and growing up, we talk about the reality of being a working musician, balancing day jobs and corporate gigs alongside artistic work, and she shared with me why exactly she feels such a clear and strong sense of purpose about the music she’s putting into the world.

Follow Tiana Khasi: https://www.instagram.com/tianakhasi

Follow Tim Shiel: https://www.instagram.com/timshiel/

Listen to Why Make Music on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/why-make-music/id1765674352

Listen to Why Make Music on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6nymTiG4QX6NLJLJ7UKjeR?si=7ae0618af1b74c6c&nd=1&dlsi=5872f71f6172468e

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr Sam Whiting is an academic and musician from Meanjin/Brisbane.  His research focuses on issues of capital, labour and value as they relate to the creative industries and the cultural economy more broadly.  He is an expert on Australia’s live music landscape, with a rare holistic perspective backed up by deep and exhaustive research. 

With festival cancellations and Live Nation in the headlines, it felt like a good time to pick Sam’s brain.  Is live music really in crisis in Australia?   Why are these small venues so important?  And what, if anything, can artists do about it?

Read some of Sam's articles on The Conversation:
https://theconversation.com/profiles/sam-whiting-1319313/articles

Follow Tim Shiel: https://www.instagram.com/timshiel/

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/qb_5PDwZbcs

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One last chance to join us for our first live event next Friday morning in Naarm, with literally only a handful of spots remaining at the time of posting this.  Head here for more info, and to register your spot:
https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/spirit-level-presents-why-make-music-x-breakfast-club-tickets-1042447958907

- - - -

Noelani is a singer-songwriter, also known as MONRXE. Raised in Meanjin/Brisbane and currently based in Naarm/Melbourne, she is not just a formidable musician but also a fierce champion for representation and education across gender & race intersectionalities.

Noelani is driven by a desire to make the music industry more accessible to marginalised communities, championing safe spaces of mutual respect, equality, diversity & authenticity.  

She is a committee member for Black Music Alliance Australia, a non-for-profit that advocates for education, equity & representation of Black music & culture from the African Diaspora within the Australian music industry. She also works with One of One, another non-for-profit organisation that empowers women and gender non comforming people within Australian music.

We met just a few weeks ago, when we both took part in Green Music Australia’s climate leadership retreat. 

Note: Noelani’s views expressed in the conversation are her own, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the various organisations that she is associated with.

Follow Noelani aka MONRXE: https://www.instagram.com/noelani_thefaceaustralia/

Black Music Alliance Australia: https://www.blackmusicalliance.org.au/

One of One: https://oneofone.com.au/

Green Music Australia: https://www.greenmusic.org.au/

Follow Tim Shiel: https://www.instagram.com/timshiel/

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/WCKKOcdoVPs

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you live in Naarm and are free on the morning of Friday October 25, please join me for the first ever live recording of Why Make Music!  I'll be talking to local duo SHOUSE about their commitment to communitas and collective joy, and their surreal transition into EDM superstars. This event is in collaboration with Breakfast Club, and Francesca Gonzales will be helping to facilitate some discussion groups on the day so we can get to know each other better.

Tickets are limited, and it is a very intimate event, please register below:
https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/spirit-level-presents-why-make-music-x-breakfast-club-tickets-1042447958907

- - - 

Jen Cloher is a song-writer and performer living on unceded Wurundjeri land in Naarm/Melbourne.  Over the course of five albums, Jen has established themselves as an incisive songwriter, dynamic performer & outspoken advocate across a wide range of issues.

Many Australian musicians would think of Jen as a mentor, from many years steering the indie label Milk! Records and faciliatiing DIY workshops for selg-managed artists. Jen has won the acclaim of their peers, toured the world, and in recent years been immersed in a personal journey of discovery, retracing their matrilneal Maori heritage.

A few weeks ago, Jen generously dropped a Google Doc into the world called the “DIY Releasing Music Handbook.” It's a free handbook of knowledge that provides practical advice on releasing music, but also challenges artists to think about why they are releasing music, not just how.  Seems like perfect timing to have a chat with Jen for this podcast.

This podcast was recorded on Wurundjeri land in October 2024.

Jen Cloher's DIY Releasing Music Handbook:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1QVuCF4xAhc5N6rTM-kywNarGnG79os41XGhlIPxMQjw/edit

Follow Jen Cloher: https://www.instagram.com/jencloher/

Follow Tim Shiel: https://www.instagram.com/timshiel/

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/csI62-C0CBM

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why Make Music will be recording live for the first time soon (!) in Naarm/Melbourne on Friday October 25, in collaboration with Breakfast Club.  If you'd like to join us, please register your interest here:
https://forms.gle/8CEaG2HZpxfSuF4v8

- - - - -

Ben Lee’s life as a professional musician started earlier than most. He was just a teenager when, in the early 90s, his lo-fi punk band Noise Addict were put on the map globally after being championed by artists like Sonic Youth and the Beastie Boys.

This led to a truly eclectic solo career that has now spanned decades. Splitting his time between LA and Australia, Ben has found mainstream success with ubiquitous anthems, and he’s worked with Hollywood in film & television, but all the way through he has maintained a fearless independent spirit.

We talked about how his unique creative life has informed his approach to parenting; about the conservatism that still lies at the heart of the mainstream music industry; and what Ben has learned from splitting his career between LA and Australia.

This conversation was recorded in August 2024.

Follow Ben Lee: https://www.instagram.com/benleemusic/

Follow Tim Shiel: https://www.instagram.com/timshiel/

Watch this episodes of Why Make Music on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/j8Y02WjlnDg

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.