theaussieword.com catches up with Bonka.
How and where did it all begin for you? What drew your interest to the music industry?
It all started in high school, we would DJ house parties and other private events. Obviously, the prospect of doing it for a living began to grow as we performed more and more and our hunger to progress grew with each show. The music industry drew us in with the prospect of partying and having fun at first, but as we have grown it is very rewarding and exciting to not only play shows to thousands of people but to showcase our skills and music to a wider audience every weekend!
What motivates or influences you in your quest to make great music?
The constant drive within us to keep progressing, music is something we are passionate about but the touring and playing shows is what really motivates us also! Music is a necessity, but good music can also catapult you to amazing heights so our passion to keep playing and enjoying what music enables us to do is what pushes us to keep producing quality records!
What are your biggest goals you hope to accomplish as an artist?
As artists our biggest goals would be to play some of the biggest musical festivals that are on offer and keep releasing music that is both enjoyable to make and well received by our fans!
What can we expect from you in the coming months? Any plans to tour?
Yes, we actually have started our tour for our next single already, and it’s our biggest to date! 7 countries over 4 months, It has already been a wild ride but more exciting things and amazing experiences are coming!
Tell us a bit about your latest release and how would you best describe your music?
“All Your Love” is our latest dance-pop record, following on from our last single called “Focus” which featured Sydney’s lovely and extremely talented BIANCA! Best way to describe this latest record would be: a very summery upbeat vibe with catchy vocals which you can bob along to anywhere wether it be in your car at the gym or in a nightclub or a festival with us!
Give us an insight into your creative process. What gets you writing songs?
Every record we release has to serve a purpose and be a true indication of where we are heading as an act and as musicians! So a spur can come from something as simple as listening to a sample or hearing an old song that just makes you feel something, true excitement and an arousal of emotion when listening to music is such a powerful motivator for us and it can lead to days in a studio and you can emerge with something entirely brand new and exciting just like “All Your Love”
Is there a hidden meaning in any of your music?
We try not to go to deep in our lyrics as it can often detract from the vibe we are trying to cultivate for the songs, but each of the lyricists put their own flavour into the records so maybe it’s more a question for them… Who knows!
Success, what is the secret to it?
There is no secret really, just consistency and surrounding yourself with people who will drown out all the noise and make sure you stick to your “true north”.
What has been your biggest career highlight so far?
Touring India and through Asia would have to be up there as it was a truly eye opening experience. We are so fortunate her in Australia and often times we forget that. Seeing different parts of the world while doing what we love has definitely been one of the most amazing parts of our journey. Not only that, but to be given the opportunity to truly understand and appreciate that music is universal, that it doesn’t care where you are from, how much money you have or what language you speak, has been a insanely humbling for us.
Which stars of the music industry do you find inspiring?
In our small little part of the industry artists such as Timmy Trumpet, Peking Duk are revolutionising how Australians and Australian Dance Music is viewed on the world stage, and are laying a path for those who aspire to reach the same heights.
Are there any new projects in the pipeline?
Yes, so much new music! That’s all we can say for now on that tip, but the next year is going to be very exciting for the Bonka camp!
The music industry is huge, where do you see yourself a few years from now?
Hopefully still enjoying ourselves and progressing with all things Bonka. Having said that nothing is guaranteed so we don’t like to look too far into the future. We just make sure that day to day, week to week we are doing the right things and if we keep doing those things, the future will hopefully take care of itself!
What is your favourite and least favourite part about this line of work and why?
Our favourite part of the industry is the people and the unforgettable experiences you cannot get in any other profession. The only thing that I can think if that I am not a fan of, would be the flying. It’s great going to new places but planes are too damn small for big guys like us!
Name a few of your favourite Australian artists.
PNAU, Fisher, Peking Duk, Dom Dolla, Timmy Trumpet
The shape of the music industry has changed significantly over the years, including the use of social media, how do you feel about the industry as a whole and what does it mean to you in getting your records out into the public eye?
It’s a super exciting time with so many opportunities coming through with the integration of social media! If anything it makes getting our records out easier and quicker! As millions of people can now have access to your music at the click of a link!
How do you plan on cracking the international market?
The international market is a hard one, because what we think the industry is in australia isn’t even scratching the surface over seas. The market is just so much bigger than anyone can realise so to combat that our approach and mindset has had to change in regards to progression, but for anything we do, we rely on our skill, brand & music to set us apart in a market inundated with people trying to achieve the same thing!
Do you collaborate with others? Who is on your wish-list?
We do and we love to do it! On our wish list in terms of singers, at the top would have to be Icona pop. Not only because the are absolutely smashing it and have been for many years, but I feel their lyrics and sound would compliment one of our tracks very well and we would make an absolute banging club/pop record.
What advice do you give for someone wanting to follow in your footsteps?
The only advice I can give is that no two people follow the same path, especially in a creative industry, there is no how to guide and you will make mistakes but so long as you keep giving your best and ensuring you are building your brand and performing at your best day after day in regards to the music you produce and the shows you play.
A message for your fans. How do you best interact and respond with your fans?
The only message we preach and will push again is absolute gratitude, we love what we do and we wouldn’t be able to do it without each and every one of you. No matter who or where you are if you reach out to us we will get back to you and if there is anything we can do for you we will do our very best to see that it happens! In terms of interaction, any social media we are on you can reach us and we will personally respond to everyone 🙂
Any last words?
Always appreciate the people who show you new music, these people are very important !
Website: www.bonka.com.au