Craig Claro
- Dec 22, 2023
- 5 min read

Catch Our Interview with Australia's Emerging Artist, CHRISTOS

Updated: 7 days ago

CHRISTOS interview with The Cage, a music discovery blog by Cage Riot — Photo by CJ Cannon

GET IN THE CAGE WITH CRAIG

We chatted with CHRISTOS, an Australian songwriter making waves in Australia's vibrant music scene. CHRISTOS took the cities around Australia by storm this past year, and as a music producer, songwriter, and performer, there will be nothing holding him back for 2024.

Can you tell us about your creative process when producing music?

For me, music comes from a feeling. I always start by listening to instrumentals, and if I connect with what I hear, I'll instantly have melodies in my head. A lot of the time, I'll go to the studio and throw myself straight in the deep end by making something from complete scratch, or I'll bring an idea I've recorded in my voice memos and build it from there. It only takes me about 1-2 hours to record an actual song, but I write, record, and mix all of my own music, so the process from here is pretty much me sitting in the studio for hours on end. I'm also a bit of a perfectionist, so a lot more time goes into the song once I start mixing it and adding extra layers. Once I've got a solid demo, I'll send it to the producer, and we'll normally restructure the beat and add more elements until I'm happy with what we've created.

How do you blend different music genres to create a unique style?

I grew up listening to a lot of bands making Punk & Rock, and these styles were pretty much my first introduction to music. My mum would play everything from Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Red Hot Chilli Peppers to Michael Jackson and Chris Brown. I'd say these diverse styles impacted the music I make today as I naturally gravitate to Punk Rock but am also heavily influenced by the SoundCloud rap era of XXXTentacion and Lil Peep. Personally, I just make what sounds good to me, and the way I do that is blending what I grew up on and what I listen to nowadays.

What inspires your lyrics and the themes you explore in your songs?

My lyrics are always true and meaningful, I look at each word that goes into a song as an important piece of the puzzle. I speak on things I've experienced in my own life, and a lot of the time, it's things I probably wouldn't say in conversation, so instead, I put them into a song. This has always been the easiest way for me to get things off my chest and to know that I can help people with their own problems while doing that is amazing.

Can you share specific examples of how you've pushed the envelope with your sound in previous projects?

I started off releasing predominantly hip-hop and R&B music because, at that point in time, this was what I was most drawn to. As I grew as an artist and experienced more things, I felt my core influences coming more into play. My music now puts those original influences on full display whilst still having the Hip-hop undertones, and I'd like to say it's my very own style.

How do you ensure that your music resonates with listeners and evokes emotions?

When I make music, I always make what feels true to me. When people resonate with the stories I'm telling and it makes them feel some type of way, that's more of a bonus to me. As artists, we should always make what we want to make, and if people are drawn to that, even better.

Cage Riot music blog "The Cage" with CHRISTOS — "wrote u a letter (with Paris Shadows)" Cover Art

What role does collaboration play in your music-making process? Your most popular song on Spotify is "wrote u a letter (with Paris Shadows)." Can you tell us how this collaboration came about? What was the process of collaborating with an artist from another country?

This is a story I always love telling because Paris is someone I've been listening to since I was in high school and he's one of my favourite artists. One day out of the blue I decided to send him a dm to check out my song' medicine (for u)'. He ended up seeing the DM, really liked the song, and actually suggested that we should do a song together to help give my career a bit of a push. Long story short, I go to the studio as soon as I can and record something for us that turns out to be one of my favourite songs to date. Paris loved the track, jumped on it, and sent an amazing verse back to me, and now it's out for the world to hear! Moral of the story, you can't be afraid to shoot your shot because I would never be able to say i've got a song with one of my favourite artists if i didn't shoot mine!

How do you balance staying true to your artistic vision and appealing to a broader audience?

My artistic vision is to stay true to myself always and create powerful music that can help people along the way. One thing I've learned after being an artist these past 5 years is that people are naturally drawn to you for being you. I think the best way to appeal to an audience is by being yourself, not putting on a facade, just being you. For me, this isn't a difficult thing; it's as easy as just turning the camera on and talking to the supporters like I'm having a normal conversation with my friends! I think I get the best of both worlds by having this outlook, as I'm staying true to my vision whilst appealing to a broad audience.

Can you describe the impact or message you hope to convey through your music?

When I think of my music in the bigger picture, I want to be able to help people by making them feel heard and understood. I know the message I am trying to convey through my art is one that can capture a wide fanbase; it's just a matter of obtaining the attention of that audience. I don't make music just to make music; I am serious about helping and influencing in every way that I can along the way, and that's my goal in this industry.

You performed a lot this past year. Has performing impacted your creative process as a writer and producer?

Playing a bunch of shows this year has been one of the biggest highlights. It's one of my favourite things about being an artist, getting to engage with a crowd and give them a show they'll remember. Performing has 100% impacted my creative process in a positive way as I now make music with that additional thought of "imagine how this would sound live". I even find myself writing songs about experiences I've had at my shows, so it's really just lit the fire under me even more.

What does 2024 look like for CHRISTOS?

2024 will be my biggest year yet. I've got soooo much planned, from dropping my new project early on in the year and hosting my very own release event to launch the project. That's really just what the first couple of months look like, but you can expect lots of music, lots of shows, new merch, and so much more amazing stuff all year! There's a lot more I want to say about it all, but you'll just have to stay tuned and watch it all unfold :)