Flying... Not Falling

Twenty-twelve has been an exceedingly good year for Melbourne emcee Matt Colwell, who we all know better as 360. Only a year ago his fame was effectively limited to Australia's relatively insular hip hop community. He was the man who invented rapper tag. Fast forward to the present day and you can't turn on the radio, or music television for that matter, without being confronted by the rake thin and fully inked Melburnian boy done good. Breakout single, Boys Like You, has gone an amazing triple-platinum, while the L,P Falling & Flying, itself has hit platinum status. Current single, Child, has already gone gold and there are plans for yet another single to drop in the coming months. Who would have thought it? Not 360.

“To be honest everything seems utterly surreal at the moment,” he admits, with the voice of a man who can't believe his own luck. “That's not to say I'm not absolutely over the moon because I am, but there's still a part of me that can't believe things have gone the way they have. It's weird, I still feel like the same normal dude I've always been but at the same time I've got all these accolades, like a platinum album ,and I feel like everyone else expects me to be this completely different person now. I don't know: it's insane. One thing I have learnt is to always think positively, always believe in yourself, because when you do that there's no limit to what can happen. It's a cliché but it's true.”

Although 360's success seems to have occurred overnight he is adamant that the path he has travelled has been a long and hard one. “I really have to thank my parents for creating the environment I needed to try and make something happen. Fives years ago when I started I told them to trust me and let me work on my music without badgering me to go out and get a regular job. They realised how important it was to me, they knew you only get one shot at this, so they gave me a place to live and the space to chase my dreams.

“And it was a long road but I got there in the end. People perhaps don't realise but I was living on Centrelink payments until very recently – even after the album came out. So to now enjoy some success and to be able to show my parents that I did achieve what I set out to do is an incredible feeling.”

Can he pinpoint the moment that he felt he'd finally “made it”? “Yeah I can but it's strange because that moment wasn't the one you'd expect it to be. I was told my stuff was playing on the radio; another time I was told I'd achieved Platinum sales – but it wasn't those moments or any like them that finally did it. Things really hit home to me when I saw my mum cry at one of my shows. The fact that she'd been there through all my struggles and was now feeling that way about what I'd achieved was really special.”

Although 360 has been touring incessantly off the growing buzz of Falling & Flying, he now plans to undertake a new round of touring to capitalise on the album's success. It's all part of a master plan to forge a lasting career in very fickle times. “I know there are people out there who've started well but only ended up having a one album career. I know anything can happen but I intend to be here for the long term. This tour is going to take things to the next level, but I'm conscious of the fact you need to build slowly. On past tours I was playing in front of a couple of hundred people, this time I'll playing in front of seven-eight hundred people a show, I'll be doing some under age shows and of course doing some really cool festival dates.” (see sidebar)

“I'm not trying to play huge venues yet. This sounds harsh but I want people to miss out on tickets so that there are always people keen to come, to keep that anticipation for my live shows going. It's all about maintaining the buzz.”

While Falling & Flying has introduced 360 to a much wider audience, he has predictably become a target for segments of the local hip hop underground who have accused him of selling out. You're damned if you do and damned if you don't. “I get it all the time,” he sighs. “You're a sell-out, you've gone commercial. But I've got to the point now where I just don't care: I'm an artist and I love making music. Yeah I still love traditional hip hop but I want to be able to experiment with my craft. I'm not going to apologise for that desire anymore.”

And there's no doubt that the creative risks he took on Falling & Flying, particularly the introduction of electro pop and dubstep into the 360 sound, has paid off. “It has but I want people to know that I didn't make this album because I thought it would be a commercial success,” stresses 360. “I wanted to make an album I could be proud of. One that reflected my hip hop roots but one that also allowed me to be creative. And I'm proud of the record; it's not just 'the same old Aussie Hip Hop album', it's an album of straight-up good music that can reach a whole lot of different people.”

Not content to rest on his platinum laurels, 360 has already started thinking about a follow-up release to Falling & Flying. “I'm determined not to follow a set formula for the next album. I'm not going to make Falling and Flying part two. I'm just going to make music and see where it leads me.

“It's amazing some the stuff I'm writing already. There's so much going on in my life at the moment and I want to tell people about it. I thought I'd peaked before with my writing but I really feel like I'm becoming a much better writer. I've got a confidence in my work right now that I've never had before.”

Plans for the next album are still in the early stages and 360 isn't ready to give up song or album titles. But he is willing to divulge his recent efforts in building the new LP from the ground up.

“I recently went to London to work with a bunch of producers and so far I have two completed tracks and a bunch of other instrumentals that I'm working on. One of the producers I worked with was Jake Gosling, who did Ed Sheeran's album. The track he produced for me is this incredible guitar-driven love song – I'm really excited about it and the album as a whole.”

Speaking of love, 360 will soon be off the market (sorry ladies) with girlfriend Crystal Bale set to become Mrs 360. Question is, does fame and a rock'n'roll lifestyle allow for a successful marriage?

“Of course it does,” laughs 360. “She's an incredible woman and I can't stand to be apart from her. All the attention I get doesn't faze her in the slightest; she understands what goes along with a career in the music business but when it comes down to it she trusts me and knows that I'm not the kind of guy who goes throwing his dick around.

“If I was in her position I'd probably be losing my mind half the time with jealousy (more laughter) – but she's just so strong. Having a good career and being able to make music is one thing. But even more important is having good people around you. I'm so blessed to have her and of course my family, which is incredibly tight. Without them none of this would mean anything.”