The last two years have witnessed a whirlwind of success for multi-instrumentalist and producer Gab Strum AKA Japanese Wallpaper.
The Melbourne youngster has another busy year ahead in 2016, with Laneway Festival appearances and a full-length album in the works. Liberated by his completion of high school in November, Strum says the last few months of 2015 were a juggling act between studies and his Japanese Wallpaper responsibilities.
“I spent the last few months towards the end of high school really giving it a proper crack, which wasn’t a great time I guess, but having finished school and having another tool in the toolkit for when the time comes, I feel it was worth it.”
In 2014 the then-18-year-old won triple j’s Unearthed High competition, skyrocketing the Japanese Wallpaper project to new heights. The rapid growth in popularity brought with it a string of musical collaborations and a high demand for shows, all the while Strum was finishing his last two years of school.
“My parents put a lot of importance and emphasis on my siblings and I having a good education, which is super important,” Strum says. “I have a really close relationship with my management. Every time something came up we would have a chat about it, and if there were a reason I couldn’t do it – like if school was too intense – they would understand. If something came along that I really wanted to do, I would find a way to make it work. It’s pretty fun, and you know, it’s nice to have something outside of school. Obviously school is important, but it’s not everything and it’s nice to have something as equally important outside of that.”
Free from the chains of balancing school and working life, Strum has some big things in store for 2016. Our interview finds him in Sydney, where he has spent the last few days collaborating with friends.
“I’m in town co-writing with a few friends. I just started working on an album a couple of weeks ago. I kind of sat down and was like, ‘Right, time to make a record.’ I was kind of struggling a bit because all last year I was studying and not writing much. I figured a few days away hanging out and writing with friends would be a good way to start writing again. I am hoping this will get things started.”
Strum is no stranger to collaboration. With his tracks featuring the likes of Wafia, Pepa Knight, Jesse Davidson and Airling, it is evident that working with his friends and peers is a winning combination.
“I try and work with people that I love, my friends and people whose musicality I really respect. Each collaboration came together naturally – there wasn’t any industry bureaucracy around it, it was just me showing a track to a friend and them being interested and us working something out. I couldn’t be more comfortable with the people on my records, and that’s a really cool feeling because you have someone to share it with.”
Japanese Wallpaper’s collaborations don’t end at the studio either, and Strum will be taking his mates on the road for his upcoming Laneway Festival appearances.
“I’m playing with a band for the first time with those shows. We have just spent a week rehearsing in Melbourne and getting all the songs together. I’m singing and playing keys and bass guitar. Graham [Ritchie] from Holy Holy and Airling’s band will be playing guitar and I have a drummer called Miles [Thomas] who plays in Montaigne. The group is full of great players and lovely people, it’s going to be so much fun.”
[Japanese Wallpaper photo by Savannah van der Niet]
Japanese Wallpaper plays Laneway Festival 2016 at Sydney College of the Arts in Rozelle on Sunday February 7.
