Auckland based indie pop group Borderline stop by for a special interview.

How and where did it all begin for you? What drew your interest to the music industry?

We all come from a mutual love of music, since we were all very young. I’m not sure how it happened but we all ended up deciding this was it for us – music was the only path. I think especially for the four of us, a big factor is the sense of community that the industry has. We’re lucky to be in a band with four best mates, but also the other music friendships you make are so valuable. 

What motivates or influences you in your quest to make great music?

I think that our genuine passion for the music around us compels us all to want to make our own and be a part of it all. Music is the driving force in our lives so it just makes sense. 

What are some of your biggest goals you hope to accomplish?

Our main goal as a band is to be the biggest band in the world. No matter how unrealistic that sounds, that inspires us to keep working hard, and we believe we can get there.

What can we expect from you in the coming months? Any plans to tour?

We’ve got a bunch of songs finished and ready to go, so definitely some new music. As for touring, we don’t have an announcement for you right now  – but knowing us we’ll be somewhere exciting very soon.

Tell us a bit about your latest release and how would you best describe your music?

Our new single ‘Heartbeat’ is definitely a fun vibe, we’re super proud of it and so stoked to have finally dropped it. I don’t think that we have one specific sound, our music is more so a product of all of our influences coming together into whatever feels right, whether the vibe is more pop, rock, funk etc. We just make the music that we want to make. 

Give us an insight into your creative process. What gets you writing songs?

Our creative process is pretty unpredictable. There’s no set of steps we follow when writing. We’ve got things that work for us, but inspiration comes at different times and in different ways, so when we’re writing and we feel that spark – we chase it. 

Success, what is the secret to it?

If you’re seriously passionate about what you do, you’ll consciously and subconsciously do everything necessary to make it work and it’ll fall into place one way or another. We’re still figuring it out, it’s really a matter of trial and error. You try something and it doesn’t work? You learn from it. Every artist has a different journey, and so I don’t think there is one big secret. 

What has been your biggest career highlight so far?

Recently we played a run of 5 shows across Australia and New Zealand to celebrate the release of our single ‘Heartbeat’. That was pretty fun. It was our first time playing in Australia so performing  headline shows with such incredible crowds and fans who knew our songs all the way across the ditch was pretty special.

Which stars of the music industry do you find inspiring?

We’re very inspired by artists that take on multiple attributes of being a creative, whether that be live performance, visual aesthetics, instrumentals, lyrical content etc. It’s fascinating to observe different artists and their unique approach to these things. One that sticks out is Chappell Roan with her almost overnight rise to fame, despite having been an artist for so long already. Her story proves that consistency eventually pays off, and the necessity of embracing the fun and unique aspects of yourself that resonate with your audience. Another is Tyler, The Creator with how he encapsulates a whole new visual world into each album cycle. 

Are there any new projects in the pipeline?

Yes! We’ve been writing extensively over the past year and a bit, pulling together a really really long list of demos and songs. We’ve been spending time in the studio and we have the next project well underway. 

The music industry is constantly changing, where do you see yourself in a few years?

This past couple years has been a real whirlwind, but that’s what’s made it exciting and special in a way. We’re gonna keep taking things and they come, try to connect with more people who enjoy our music, and surprise ourselves with where we end up in a few years time.

What is your favourite and least favourite part about this line of work and why?

In our case, being pretty young, we sometimes had people not taking us seriously because of our age. At times, people could be quite patronising or disregard us. We don’t really experience this much anymore, but we learned that if you believe in yourself first before others catch on, it will serve you well in the long run. 

There’s so much to love, but I think our favourite part, aside from creating art together that we’re immensely proud of, is the relationships and sense of community that stem from being a musician. We all have so much love for each other in the band, as well as our whole team. We’ve all been able to meet so many beautiful people through a shared passion. Music is something that can instantly connect two strangers, and that’s such an important thing. 

Name a few of your favourite Australian artists.

There are way too many to name them all, but a few stand outs for us are Tame Impala, Troye Sivan, The Lazy Eyes and Ben Swissa.

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?

With the rise of social media, it means it’s a lot easier to get into the public eye, and it means anyone can make music and create a viral moment. But that also means there’s so many new artists and new music being shoved in people’s faces, making it a lot more difficult to stand out. I think we’ve taken social media in our stride, and realised that’s what it takes these days to connect with a wider audience, so we’ve embraced it into part of our day to day life.

How will you continue appealing to the international market?

It’s been a real goal of ours to expand into overseas markets, especially North America and Europe. We’re working hard to find opportunities and people in our camp in these territories who can help showcase us to the rest of the world.

Do you like to collaborate with others? Who is on your wish-list?

We love collaborating with others. Our wishlist for collaborators is another one of those “there’s too many to count” things but a few at the top of that list would be: Kendrick Lamar, The 1975, Chris Martin, Mk.gee. If by any chance Charli xcx wanted us as a late feature on the brat remix album, we would also happily take part. 

What advice do you give for other artists wanting to follow in your footsteps?

Be confident in yourself and your music – if you like it and it comes from a real place, there’s bound to be a lot of people out there who it will resonate with. Don’t be shy showing people and getting your art out there, and if you are shy, do it anyway.

A message for your fans. How do you best interact and respond with your followers and fans?

Thanks for listening and supporting our music, we love you the most. Feel very free to message online or do say hi if you see us in person! We love meeting and chatting to people after shows or anywhere else and do our best to reply to messages on insta.

Instagram & TikTok: @whoisborderline