360 On What Will Be A Career Shaping Year

ARIA Award-winning and multi-platinum Australian rapper 360 is back and ready to ignite Aussie stages once again on his national Out Of The Blue Tour that will see him return to the largest venues he’s graced since he exploded onto the scene in the 2010s, hitting Melbourne, Hobart, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth this July and August, joined by fellow local hip hop icon, and longtime 360 collaborator, PEZ. Fresh off the release of his potent new single Save My Soul, 360 has unveiled his forthcoming fifth studio album, Out Of The Blue, set for release this July, coinciding with the start of this incredible upcoming run of shows. Speaking to Matt Colwell about the drug addiction and mental health challenges he fought his way through was one of the most powerful interviews we have undertaken but a remarkable story with a positive outcome.

Yeah, it sounds like it’s shaping up to be a really big year for you as 360.
Yeah, man, it’s gonna be a wild year! Dropping a new album after eight years is pretty insane to me, and touring again—it’s very exciting.

Was it just a case of life getting in the way, or was it just not the right time for an album?
Oh, man, I’ve been battling drug addiction and mental health issues pretty severely for about fifteen years. There have been moments where I was doing well and others where I wasn’t. From 2017 to 2020, things got really bad, I was on a destructive path that would’ve led to death if I didn’t do something about it.

Five years ago, I went to rehab for four and a half months. I got off some heavy medications and then spent the last four years trying to sort myself out, getting my act together, working on my spiritual, mental, and physical health.

That’s a real testament to you getting through to the other side. Do you spend much time reflecting on how far you’ve come?
A little, but there’s also a lot of shame and guilt that sits there. When I went to rehab, my family was living at my place. After four months away, I came back, and my mom had suffered a full nervous breakdown. I think she was so worried about me, so stressed, that it really affected her. My dad, too. I walked in after four months, and both of them looked like they had aged five or ten years. They looked frail and weak, and that hit me really hard.

It was difficult to see, but also necessary. I needed to realise what my self-destructive behavior had done to the people who cared about me. That moment made me say, Okay, I need to sort my life out, not just for them, but for myself.

How important has music been in your healing process?
Music has been everything. I honestly don’t know what I would’ve done without it, it’s been like therapy in itself. I’ve done a lot of actual therapy, but even then, there are things I find hard to talk about, whether with a therapist, friends, or family. Instead, I write about them. When I go through something I struggle to express, I put it into lyrics. It’s a powerful outlet, it’s a lifesaver.

Do you feel like you’re in the best place you’ve been in years?
This is the best place I’ve been since I was a teenager. When I was nineteen or twenty, I was happy. I started partying, dabbling in drugs, not to escape anything, but just to make a good time better. Then, out of nowhere, it turned into full-blown addiction. I didn’t plan for that. I didn’t think it would lead there. But suddenly, I woke up in it, and I was stuck for so long. Now, though, I’m in a great place, really active, doing a lot of kickboxing, hitting the gym, eating well. Diet plays a big role, too.

Spiritually, I feel strong. I’m lucky. A lot of my life was spent stuck in darkness, like living in grayscale. Everything was black and white, joyless. About three years ago, two years after rehab, things were still grayscale. Then, suddenly, it felt like I turned a corner, and the color started coming back into my life. I felt purpose, actual happiness and joy, without having to rely on chemicals for it, which was really cool.

You should be really proud of yourself for that journey and for getting through to the other side. So many people aren’t able to turn it around like you have. Full credit to you, man.
Thank you, man, I appreciate that. I definitely am proud, but I also never want to get ahead of myself. In the past, I’ve claimed sobriety and felt like everything was good, only to relapse months later. But now, I feel like there’s no going back, I’m in a great place, and I’m staying vigilant about it.

Absolutely, one day at a time. Looking at your upcoming tour, does that give you a new level of appreciation you might not have had on past tours?
Yeah, man. We did a tour two or three years ago, and it was incredibly difficult. I was nervous, had no confidence in myself, and jumping on stage in that state of mind was brutal. All I wanted to do was have a few drinks to numb that feeling and loosen up, but I knew if I did, I’d spiral out of control again. It got to the point where I questioned whether I could keep doing this. The anxiety and nerves were overwhelming, and I thought maybe I should just give it up.

But after touring the capital cities and then doing a regional run, I started feeling more present on stage, more comfortable. Before, I’d see myself through other people’s eyes and be hypercritical of every movement, convinced everyone was hating it. Getting through that was tough, but being on the other side now feels incredible. I’m lucky, I get to do what I love as a career. That’s a blessing in itself.
And to actually be doing it while feeling good again, that’s something I’ll never take for granted.

How much of that shapes the new album you’re working on? I’m assuming it’s set for release sometime this year or maybe early next year.
Yeah, the album is out July 11, and the whole theme of it is pretty much positivity and optimism. It was written about two years after I started feeling good, so it’s very different from my past work. A lot of my previous albums were drawn from really dark places, and while that music can be powerful, this one comes from a more confident place. It was really cool to channel that energy and create something hopeful instead of just straight-up despair and depression.

How was it in the studio? Was it challenging or confronting to share these songs with others for the first time, kind of laying your soul bare?
It was actually really cool. The process for this album was a bit different from my previous ones. Normally, I’d write my lyrics in the studio and then read them off a piece of paper while recording. For this album, we’d start by creating a rough beat and getting the chorus down, then I’d take it back to my own studio to write. I’d record everything at home, not a fancy setup, just enough to get the ideas down. Then I’d listen over and over again until I had the lyrics memorised. Going into the studio and recording them from memory, without reading off paper, was a game-changer, it really helped the flow.

What was it like listening to the album as a complete piece for the first time? Almost taking it in like a fan would, was it a moment of triumph or validation?
Definitely triumphant, but also surprising. I didn’t think I’d get to a point where I was making music like this again. In 2022, I put out about six songs. I worked hard on them and wanted them to be perfect, but they weren’t, they just felt okay. I committed to releasing them anyway because I knew if I didn’t, I might never put out anything again.

For a while, I had it in my head that I’d never live up to the success I’d had in the past, and I was petrified of putting out music that wasn’t good enough. But once I leaned into it and moved past that hurdle, I felt more comfortable.

Working with Tyron and Hoppy, we’ve created something that I truly believe is my best work. I know everyone says that about their latest project, but this one feels different. When I listen to my old music, I can hear myself still trying to find my way as an artist. There were flaws, things I was still figuring out. With this album, I finally feel like I’ve reached a point where I’m genuinely happy with the music. It stands alongside my favorite artists, and that feels incredible.

That’s awesome, to get to a place like that and have that kind of reflection. Fingers crossed it does really well for you. It sounds like you’re on a really good path. Does this set a bit of a blueprint for how you’ll approach your next album or project?
Yeah, I mean, if I can work with Tyron again, I’d be so happy. He’s been instrumental in this whole process.
This is my album, but if it didn’t have his production and chorus writing, it wouldn’t be anywhere near as good. Producers and engineers are often underappreciated, but he’s played a massive role in making this record what it is. If I can continue working with him, I feel like the sky’s the limit for what we can do next.

For the upcoming tour, you must be stoked to be playing some big venues on this run.
Yeah, it’s really exciting! I remember when I released my last album eight years ago, we played The Forum in Melbourne, which holds two thousand people. Back then, I expected the show to go well, but we only sold one thousand tickets. We had to shrink the setup to make it look good and cover up the fact that it wasn’t fully sold out. That was a bit of a letdown at the time. But now, it looks like this show is going to sell out quickly, which is really exciting. I’m pumped to do these shows.

Do you see yourself expanding beyond Australia, maybe taking another shot at touring overseas? Or are you focusing on home for now?
For now, I’ll focus on home. I’d love to go overseas at some point, but to really build momentum in a new market, you need to have a presence there. That would mean moving away from Australia for a while, and I’d be open to it eventually. But right now, my focus is on growing things here first.

Interview By Rob Lyon

Catch 360 on the following dates, tickets from 360music.com.au