Why Make Music

Ben Abraham

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/ [https://www.instagram.com/benbenabraham/] Follow Tim Shiel: https://www.instagram.com/timshiel/ [https://www.instagram.com/timshiel/] Watch this episode in full on YouTube: https://youtu.be/O165SngH2Bg [https://youtu.be/O165SngH2Bg] See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

Update!

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 [https://www.instagram.com/timshiel/] or email me here: timothyryanshiel@gmail.com See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

Ed Service

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/ [https://www.instagram.com/shouse.shouse/] Follow Tim Shiel: https://www.instagram.com/timshiel/ [https://www.instagram.com/timshiel/]  Watch this episode in full on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cxy3uSi30pw See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

Montaigne

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 [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 [https://www.instagram.com/actualmontaigne] Follow Tim Shiel: https://www.instagram.com/timshiel/ [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 [https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/tank-time-with-montaigne/id1771442875]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 [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMEsaCZKEG5-CsSHtv_5tBcy3j40B9dr0]. See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

Tim Hollo

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/ [https://www.livingdemocracy.org.au/] Green Music Australia: https://www.greenmusic.org.au/ [https://www.greenmusic.org.au/] Follow Tim Hollo: https://www.instagram.com/timhollo [https://www.instagram.com/timhollo] Follow Tim Shiel: https://www.instagram.com/timshiel/ [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 [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.