Australian solo acoustic guitarist and composer most known for his two-handed “bell harmonics” techniques. He is in the tens of millions in terms of streams on various music platforms and hundreds of millions in video views, with the latter featuring a camera rig inside his guitar. He has been offered a tour at the end of the year throughout Japan, has also performed in Taiwan, and was calling in from France for this interview. Listen to him talk about making a living off of Spotify too.
"I started actually recording when I was in early high school, so, maybe 14 (years old)."
"Sometimes I look back and think, 'Gee, did I achieve enough or have I gone hard enough in that time'?"
"I started playing guitar when I was five and I distinctly remember, I had a couple of lessons to start with and I remember the first one and I just fell in love with the guitar and to this day I can remember thinking that this is what I want to do with my life."
"I guess where my technique kind of stands apart was I thought, 'Gee, can I transfer what I've done on the right hand onto my left hand?' which was something that had no precedent. I'd researched, looked high and low, if this had been done before and it hadn't."
"I spent a few years - I remember doing, like, 16-hour days - just grinding on this technique."
"To focus on something that I care about, I've never really struggled with that. I've certainly never known the word boredom, and I do like a challenge."
"Performing's not my first love when it comes to the music sphere. I love nothing more than just sitting down on the couch, playing guitar and practicing technique or composing or doing videos."
"There's a photo with me and there's a billboard behind me with me on it and people see that and they're like, 'Oh, okay, so you're kind of a serious guitar player'."
"I really owe Spotify and just the digital ecosphere a lot... Spotify really changed my life."
"Spending money to promote a video on Facebook, I think, is, like, the most valuable thing that you can - or Instagram too, Instagram's excellent - those are the two things that I would really suggest artists look into and that's really what changed things for me."
"Consistency is the absolute crucial part of being successful with live streaming."
"I certainly don't see myself as talented. I see myself as someone who has just worked very hard."
"Blossom"
"Kindling"