VICE Spotlight: Sollyy

Sydney’s “best kept secret '' is a term well suited for an artist like Sollyy. Every time I’ve been lucky to watch him grace a stage (and it’s been a lot of times), he’s managed to pull the most diverse crowds to their feet. Fashion kids, area kids, citysiders, music nerds, social hermits - they’ve all seamlessly come together to watch him take to the decks. A Sollyy set makes your limbs move and flail, as your shoe prints embed the panels of a sticky dancefloor. With the way he’s able to man a stage, and constantly keep the energy at 100 -  it’s clear that at only 24, Sollyy is an integral pillar and keen driving force behind the Sydney music scene today.

To some, he’s known as a prolific selector, boarding planes to play some of the hottest parties across the country. To others, he’s a talented beatmaker, behind the production for acts like 1300, Zion Garcia, CD and PANIA, and Church & AP. Last year, he brought to life Hotter Out West, which gained a cult following through a series of Boiler Room inspired parties based in Western Sydney. 

Now, he’s narrowed in on his musical vision, placing a distinct sound and image to his production by using his own voice and raps, creating sonic walls that pull on the soundscapes of Memphis and East Coast rap. Through a Pasifika-Australian, Western Sydney-coded lens, Sollyy first traversed the depths of his voice at church.

“I grew up in church and we were always singing, so I was already learning to use my voice. I didn’t start to dive into really using it until year seven, and I had discovered Wu-Tang Clan. I already knew the Tupacs and Biggies, because that was kind of the default in an Islander house… but when I started digging deeper for myself, and realising what sounded mad, that’s when I started rapping on the playground,” he told VICE.

After finding a mixed group of older and younger boys at his high school that rapped, a core memory was created, and he began spitting amongst this crew during recess and lunch.

“We'd go with a $25 woolies speaker and sit underneath a tree and just start freestyling over beats. We weren't that great. But that was really what taught me a lot about using my voice.”

Growing up as a Pacific Islander, excelling in things like music, sports or academics granted you cultural brownie points. Outside of these expectations, Sollyy was a music misfit, eager to chase after what he wanted, even if it led to ridicule, doubt, or starting from scratch.

“I always knew I could write,” he said. “It was more just a matter of not being dissuaded by the fact that people are gonna look at me differently. In most things, if you present yourself a certain way, and then you go ‘I do this as well,’ most people aren't going to necessarily jump over. You have to start again. And I feel like I've always been starting again when it comes to music, so I'm kind of used to it at this point,” he explained.

His track ‘Apply The Pressure’ with longtime friend, Full Circle affiliate, and artist, Zion Garcia, currently sits at almost 160,000 streams on Spotify, making it his second most streamed song on the platform. Crafted as a homage to their home, the song put a spotlight on Sollyy as a producer, putting him on the radar of those who weren’t already across his work. When asked if the new audiences this track  brought in would feel impacted by his shift into rapping, he remained firm in his potential. 

“When you build yourself up to be known as one thing, it's hard for people to grasp that…from the outside looking in, people would say “this isn't what we signed up for”. Okay, that's fine. If you signed up for more ‘Apply The Pressure’s then just go listen to ‘Apply The Pressure’. Yeah, I made ‘Apply The Pressure’ but ‘Apply The Pressure' didn't make me.”

His joint EP ‘OPPBOYZ’ with fellow Western Sydney rapper, DXVNDRE, is what first created buzz around his rap abilities. The EP is a tale of two artists from different ends of Western Sydney, the Greater West and South West, brought together by the same artistic vision, despite what their postcodes might be. It’s an earnest and unapologetic critique on area beef that has been happening for decades, trading niceties for brash bars, menacing piano melodies, and calls to action. This kind of storytelling is something that is all-encompassing in Sollyy’s work.

“Rapping is a very personal thing for me…[my writing] is something I like to think a lot of people can really relate to. Growing up in the West as an Islander…not playing sports…or even just coming from a broken home…my lyrics are how I present myself. You might not be able to relate to the life of a DJ or a producer, but you can relate to the life of someone that's worked hard to get to where they wanted to get to,” he said.

Sollyy’s do-or-die approach to his craft is admirable. In a country where the music scene is ever growing, it's the experimental weirdos, DIY kids, and dedicated artists within that are spearheading its shift into notable territory. And at the helm of everything, Sollyy has always made it clear that he is a product of his community.

“I'm really trying to make it known that I am who I am because of where I grew up, because of who I grew up around, the language I spoke at home, the languages spoken within and around the home, the music I grew up with,” he said.

“I would like to leave the world a better place…which I think in this little microcosm of Western Sydney, I have. It’s just baby steps.”

Follow VICE Spotlight on Spotify for a weekly rotation of some of Australia’s best upcoming artists.

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

Read more from VICE Australia and subscribe to our weekly newsletter, This Week Online.