VICE Spotlight: Zion Garcia

The first time I saw West Sydney’s Zion Garcia perform was at an ACCLAIM All-Stars showcase at the Metro in the CBD. Obviously, there were many categorically good acts, but Garcia’s performance was the one that I couldn’t shake from my puny brain.

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Not only was it his upbeat, high energy tracks – that have resulted in the often-touted title of alt hip hop trailblazer on Australian shores – but also a stage presence that was hard to describe. If I had to put it succinctly, it’s as if he became some sort of humanoid robot. His eye contact shifted, he moved his limbs with a certain stiff tilt and the tempo of the songs acted as a backdrop to move his body across the stage. It was extremely satisfying to watch.

Just the same as it is to listen to his music. The type of stuff that makes a crowd “oooh” at a sudden bass drop and move their heads in devotion to the beat. I’m talking songs like his latest, “Munch,” and most streamed, “Apply The Pressure”. In his own words, a sound he describes as “real”.

And that probably comes from a vast array of influences, both mainstream and surprisingly niche.

“Damon Albarn, Isaiah Rashad, Q-Tip, Frank Ocean, Earl Sweatshirt, Tyler The Creator,” he tells VICE.

“I also tend to draw from Spike Jonze, Johnny Knoxville, old Tony Hawk game soundtracks, and Guitar Hero (specifically Guitar Hero 2). Also super influenced by Gaspar Noe and his film soundtracks, my Tongan and Spanish heritage and Western Sydney. My influences differ from project to project, but this is basically my foundation.”

Garcia was 16 when he released his first track, “Plastic Women”, likening his initiation into music as being “like magic”, sparking an escapism in the same way that genres like fantasy and sci-fi did for other people.

“It felt like a whole new world I was discovering. I also saw the way music would make people around me deal with things better. I just saw music as a beacon, that light to look for,” he says.

“I always looked to music to help me find my peace in things. I also don’t really put pressure on hoping my music does anything specific for anyone, but I’d be honoured if it made anyone feel less alone. Also, if my shit just soundtracks a special moment for someone, that’s an honour too.”

Perhaps the best thing about Garcia’s output is his authenticity. Unlike industry plants plucked and signed because of some numbers on socials (not to say there’s anything wrong with that…maybe) Garcia belongs to a thriving and growing ecosystem of music makers in Sydney that continuously put on for local nightlife, mainly through the prodigious collective, Heartstoppers, that also include the talents of SOLLY, Dylan Atlantis and Isaac Puerile.

And that authenticity carries over into his big goals moving forward.

“[I want to] see my vision for the country and the world come to fruition, see my music go full technicolour, see Australia become what I know it could be,” he says.

“Start a label someday and fund the next generation of artists in any way I can (specifically Polyneasian), whether it’s films, fashion, and/or music. Be someone who could spread the right energy to whoever needed it most. Give back to art in the way that it gave me. Be someone the younger me wish he had. I think we all want that lowkey.”

Follow VICE Spotlight on Spotify for a weekly rotation of some of Australia’s best upcoming artists. This week: Zion Garcia, 1tbspn, Moktar, LORA, Tommy Gunn + more.

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