Brisbane’s Growing Music Scene Has Never Been More Obvious Than King Ivy

Brisbane artist King Ivy doesn’t abide by the rules. His music is fluid, textured, and colourful. A lover of all things, he can’t be bound to one genre – but you can hear elements of many in his music: alternative R&B, soul, funk, indie, pop punk. On some songs, he lays punchy lyrics about a complicated love down on a bed of hazy guitar chords. On others, he’s belting lyrics about rebellion and the intoxication of a one-sided romance over dance synths and drums. 

If there’s one way Ivy can communicate his innermost thoughts, it’s through the art of sincere, earnest songwriting.

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King Ivy – born Kobe Afoakwah – moved to Australia from Ghana when he was only eight months old. Now 21, he resides in Brisbane, a place that he struggled to feel at home in when he and his family first settled. As he got older, Ivy began to appreciate Brisbane as a compelling hub of innovation that makes it stand out among the other big cities of Australia.

“It was a bit confusing at first because we came from Ghana, and being the only Africans in a majority of the places you go in Brisbane feels a bit strange,” he told VICE.

“The Brisbane creative scene, everything we’re doing, it’s growing. We don’t get as much attention compared to other states. Especially right now, the scene in Brisbane is becoming something of itself. It’s not Melbourne or Sydney – it’s its own thing. I feed off of that.”

“What we do down here is completely us. We’re all very real and ourselves, which is what I love. All I do is be myself.”

King Ivy grew up surrounded by gospel music, a sound that he still feels connected to. The dominant vocals and empowering, euphoric sense of connection that exists within gospel is evident in his music.

“I think the music I make right now is very soulful. I try and go for the feel, that’s most important. That’s what gospel music does, it feels good,” he said.

“I think that gospel music played a big impact on the music I’m making today, just from the vulnerability of gospel music and the vulnerability of my music.”

Ivy started making music to “type beats” on YouTube – a collection of royalty-free beats that independent producers publish for people who want to replicate the sound of their favourite artist. When he turned 16, Ivy was exposed to wider instrumentalists and began creating music that was “abstract”, “alternative” and “creative”. 

His debut EP, Brown, is a collection of sonic daydreams straight from the mind of 15 to 17-year-old King Ivy. It’s a woozy, metamorphic and playful collection of songs that toy with the trial-and-error of finding a unique sound. The beauty in its blemishes is what makes its authenticity soar.

“I made Brown just to experiment. It was around the time I transitioned from rapping to singing and music-making, and I was just having fun,” he said.

“At the time, there were things I was going through that made all of these songs connect as a body of work; relationships, life. Brown was me experimenting, playing around with things I would come up with.”

While Ivy loves the idea of making music a sustainable career, he is more content knowing that he found something that gives him purpose and discovered a sound that is solely his along the way.

“I’m just happy that I found my thing. I feel like a lot of people go through life without finding their thing. I wake up every day and I know what I’m doing. It’s a blessing.”

King Ivy’s new single “Violet” is out now. You can listen to it here.

Adele is the Junior Writer & Producer for VICE AU/NZ. Follow her on Instagram and Twitter here.

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