Tay Oskee

The childhood of every musician plays a big role in the type of artist they grow to become. Tay Oskee’s incredibly unique upbringing though was perhaps even more pivotal than any other artist I’ve spoken with.

Oskee’s mother is Indian so he has always been “surrounded by different cultures and sounds” which is where he credits his love for different instruments from around the world to. Aside from Indian culture Oskee has also been influenced by Aboriginal culture from a very early age.

“My Mum and Dad worked up in the Northern Territory so that was a big chunk of my childhood. We lived in Yirrkala, an aboriginal community, and then I went to school at Nhulunbuy which is the mining town. I spent more time with the Yolngu people than I did with white man which at the time I thought nothing of but looking back it definitely played a big part in shaping me as a person.” Oskee explained.

Musically this comes through primarily in Oskee’s lyrics, notably his connection to nature and the feeling of being lost in the big city.

That feeling of being lost is something Oskee will have to tackle more and more in the future as his music really begins to blossom, particularly after winning the Byron Bay Blues Festival Busking Competition earlier this year.

“I went there not expecting much so when I found out I won I couldn’t believe it. It was always a dream to play Blues Fest so when suddenly out of nowhere I’m playing on one of their huge stages it freaked me out a little bit.”

Since performing at Blues Fest Oskee went on to record his latest single, Like Waves, with Murray Burns (Mi Sex) and will be making his way down to Sydney for only the second time ever this weekend.

“I cant wait to get on the road. This is the most extensive tour I’ve done so it’s really exciting.”

Looking ahead to 2018 Oskee says to, “keep an eye on my social media feeds and Spotify because there’s lots of new music coming.”

Dec 17. Golden Barley Hotel, 165-169 Edgeware Rd, Enmore. FREE. Info: www.facebook.com/tayoskee