“I think it’s a step of me coming into who I’m supposed to be,” Tkay says of the record. Indeed, the EP does mark a creative leap forward for the 21-year-old, as she branches further out in her variation of style and approach to both rapping and singing, solidifying her position as Australia’s best double threat behind the mic.

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“This is how I want everything to sound and look and feel,” says Tkay. “For this EP I want people to react as if this is real and that I’m here to stay. I think the music is pretty dense and there are so many layers to it and you can tell it’s more connected. I want people to be like, ‘Oh this is a real thing.” – TKAY MAIDZA

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The range across the rest of Last Year Was Weird Vol. 1 only reinforces that further. EP opener ‘Big Things’, which she premiered on triple j’s Good Nights last night, sees her embrace the reggae she was raised on, and even features her dad doing a guest appearance on bass, coming full circle after it was his interest in music that sparked Tkay’s own artistic aspirations. On the forthcoming single ‘White Rose’, she really comes into her own as a singer – her voice displaying sultry, gentle tones that she’s never touched before on record. ‘Growing Up’ possesses a hazy, slacker vibe, while ‘Lullabies’ experiments with an almost spooky melody that will send shivers through you. And finally, ‘Say It’ embraces gospel choir samples alongside soothing organ chords, while Tkay spits fast through the verses, before tenderly singing the r’n’b hooks in the chorus. It may have a short running time, but not a single second of Last Year Was Weird Vol. 1 is wasted.

Alongside the EP’s release, Tkay performed at triple j’s One Night Stand in St. Helens, Tasmania. She shared the stage with a who’s who line-up of the Australian musical landscape, including Vance Joy, Peking Duk, Middle Kids and Alex The Astronaut. She now has as a string of national live dates that will see her performing both headline shows and make festival appearances throughout the rest of the year, including solo shows in Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne (first show sold out and second show just announced) and Sydney, as well as festivals in Brisbane, Rochford Victoria, Roche NSW and Port Macquarie NSW. She’ll finish the year off with what is destined to be a massive set at Falls Festivals around the country, performing alongside the likes of Anderson .Paak & The Free Nationals, Catfish and the Bottlemen, Toto, Interpol, Mallrat, Amy Shark and heaps more.

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Last Year Was Weird Vol. 1 
is AVAILABLE NOW 

via Dew Process / Universal Music Australia

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Select Music and Five Four Entertainment present

Tkay Maidza

‘Flexin” headline tour

with special guests Kwame + Arno Faraji

Tickets On Sale Now via www.tkaymaidza.com

Friday September 7 – Jack Rabbit Slims, Perth, WA – Selling Fast!

Saturday September 8 – Fat Controller, Adelaide, SA – Selling Fast!

Thursday September 13 – Howler, Melbourne, VIC – New show added

Friday September 14 – Howler, Melbourne, VIC – SOLD OUT

Saturday September 15 – Brisbane Festival, The Courier Mail Spiegeltent, QLD

Saturday September 22 – Oxford Art Factory, Sydney, NSW – Selling fast!

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Also appearing at:

Friday September 28 – Sound on Festival @ Perth Arena – U18’s event

Saturday November 24 – Grapevine Gathering – Rochford Winery, VIC

Saturday December 1 – Grapevine Gathering – Roche Winery, NSW

Thursday December 13 to Saturday December 15 – Festival of the Sun, Port Macquarie, NSW

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The Falls Music & Arts Festival

(2018/19)

All details and pricing can be found at: fallsfestival.com

Lorne VIC: 28 Dec, 29 Dec, 30 Dec, 31 Dec (est. 1993) – 18+ event

Marion Bay TAS: 29 Dec, 30 Dec, 31 Dec (est. 2003) – All ages

Byron Bay NSW: 31 Dec, 01 Jan, 02 Jan (est. 2013) – 18+ event

Fremantle WA: 05 Jan, 06 Jan (est. 2016) – 18+ event

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Connect with TKAY MAIDZA

WEBSITE / FACEBOOK / INSTAGRAM / TWITTER

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AMNPLIFY – JAS H