All Black Alby is an artist so criminally underrated you almost feel like an idiot for not knowing of him sooner. But once you get to know him, you’re torn between wanting to shamefully gatekeep and wanting to tell the whole world about him.
Here, we’ve rightfully chosen the latter.
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Velvety harmonies and an entirely DIY approach are only the tip of the iceberg of what to expect from Cairns-via-Sydney R&B artist, All Black Alby, born Albert Daganayasi.
Chatting to him about life outside of music, you’re instantly reckoned with his true hustler lifestyle. During the day, he’s a labourer in the mines trying to make ends meet and travelling interstate when necessary to the job site. At night – or whenever he gets the time to go back home – he settles into his bedroom studio and mixes elements of R&B, soul and hip-hop that speaks to you. Despite this constant on-the-go way of living, Alby’s warmth and kind spirit are far from tainted.
Born in Auckland, Alby was brought up between Mount Wellington and Onehunga, raised on a sentimental concoction of different genres that have formed his own music tastes.
“I was surrounded by my older cousins all the time. They’d listen to a lot of West Coast hip-hop back then. A lot of neo-soul too, other than the traditional Fijian hymns. I think I got most of my music taste from them,” he told VICE.
Like most Pacific Islander families, Alby’s first brush with making music was through church where he played bass alongside family members in the church band. This upkeep of family tradition led him to pursue music later in life. Despite viewing himself as a “proper late bloomer”, Alby’s musical come-up feels just right.
“I’ve always had family that were involved in music. I have a cousin who gigs a lot in the soul circuit in Sydney. I’d go watch his shows and I remember always being fascinated by it. But I didn’t think that I suited the scene,” he said.
“I had another cousin that’s a producer and I guess just being around him pushed me in the same direction. I became a proper studio rat from there.”
His first two tracks “Cruizn” and “It Ain’t Right” hark back to his upbringing on Fijian hymns and gospel music with its harmonies. His vocals aren’t flashy, but sincere. Instead of belting high notes or spinning trills, Alby’s vocal chops poignantly complement the stories he tells about family, friends and the essence of a hard-knock life. Much of this can be owed to the artists he feels influenced by: D’Angelo, DJ Quik, Che Fu, Fat Freddy’s Drop and George “Fiji” Veikoso.
“The way they approach music and make music is something I aspire to do,” he said.
All Black Alby doesn’t think himself into a hole when creating music. Most of his released tracks are the result of impromptu bedroom sessions that he dropped on Soundcloud.
His nonchalant approach caught the attention of other Sydney artists like MRVZ and Dylan Atlantis, with whom he went on to collaborate.
“Collaborations confirm that this is what I’m meant to be doing,” he said.
“Whether or not I had the intention [to collaborate], I’d still be making music. Especially with MRVZ, he’s an established artist and he’s doing his own thing, so him reaching out to me and wanting to do a whole mixtape together, that was definitely big confirmation for me,” he said.
The notion of creative collaboration is still something fresh and new for Alby – especially given he’s lived in Cairns in Far North Queensland for the last eight years. Far from the commotion of Sydney and Melbourne, the serenity of Cairns continuously fuels his creative movements.
“There’s not much going on in Cairns, but there are a lot of good artists,” he said.
“I feel like a lot of artists up there feel they have to move out of Cairns to do something. For me, Cairns has always been a getaway. All my family and friends are in Sydney, but Cairns is where I go to clear my mind. It’s so laid back and I feel like in a good way, we’re behind every other city. You can really appreciate the real shit in life up there,” he said.
In an oversaturated industry always chasing to find the ‘next big thing’, All Black Alby is a breath of fresh air.
Looking beyond money and success, all he wants is to make music that is genuine, and that speaks to the generations to come.
“I’d love for kids to grow up and see that they have better options when it comes to music, and not feel like they have to dress and be a certain way and listen to certain things. I’d like to open up that way of thinking,” he said.
“I just wanna make quality music. I feel like Australia has a lot to offer when it comes to that. We’ve got mad culture, mad sounds that haven’t been fully embraced yet. I’d love to see, or at least be a part of that.”
Adele is the Junior Writer & Producer for VICE AU/NZ. Follow her on Instagram and Twitter here.
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