BIGSOUND 2018 Artist Focus Riley Pearce

Give us a short description of your music: It's music you'd listen to staring out of a train window... or into a train window if you're stuck at the station and your train is running late.

Which acts are on your must-see list at BIGSOUND? Asha Jefferies, No Mono, Eliott, Carla Geneve.

In your career to date, what have been the key watershed moments? I played Pinkpop Festival in Holland which has had some amazing calibre acts play it in the past. In fact, so many times on this past European tour I've had moments where I'm on stage, look around and take a deep breathe in and think 'I'm so lucky'.

If you could give your younger self, starting out as a musician, a few words of wisdom, what would they be? Write heaps, work on your live show and make connections. If you do all of that and your songs are good enough, you'll be in a pretty good position for things to take care of themselves.

Why should people come and see you among the many amazing bands at BIGSOUND? There's so many amazing artists at BIGSOUND, I don't blame you for missing my set. If your legs are getting tired, feel free to come to my showcase and sit/lie down... Usually encouraged.

What industry lessons would you like to take away from the BIGSOUND conference? I suppose, working on my live show, seeing what I can take away from how other artists perform.

What do you identify as the most pressing issue impacting the Australian music industry at present? Gender inequality on festival line-ups. Bridging the gap for acts not in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Australian artists quotas on radio.

What music trends do you think are dominating right now, and do you have any predictions for the coming year? Well now that plastic bags are banned I could see the tote bag trend kicking back into effect.

When and where is your BIGSOUND showcase? 10:30pm Tue 4th Sept at Black Bear Lodge; 9:50pm Thu 6th Sept at Laruche