SIPPY Stops In To Speak On New Monstercat Release "Get Wompy" [INTERVIEW & PLAYLIST TAKEOVER]

SIPPY is an Australian-born, LA-based, producer and DJ. She has built a serious following through her energetic performances, bubbly personality, and hard-hitting anthems throughout her international music journey. She has performed all around the world at the biggest music festivals including Electric Zoo, HARD Summer, Lost Lands, and more. SIPPY has released on bass music’s most notable labels while dishing out official remixes for A-list artists including The Chainsmokers, Zeds Dead, NERVO, Krewella and more. With her new track “Get Wompy,” she is making her debut release on Monstercat which has been a goal of hers for years. The track is monstrous and sure to set dance floors and festival crowds ablaze. It's the perfect dubstep weapon to add to her artillery of bangers. Not only is she releasing her brand new single, but also a new merch line! We are also proud to present the HIHF x SIPPY playlist takeover featuring her brand new track, “Get Wompy,” her biggest hits and collaborations, and tons of other tracks she has been rinsing of late. Stream the official playlist down below and be sure to check out the awesome interview SIPPY stopped in to give the HIHF team about her new release, her production career, world travels, and personal life! We hope you enjoy it as much as we did. Follow SIPPY on Socials: Instagram | Twitter | YouTube | Spotify | Soundcloud https://open.spotify.com/playlist/22w7XYaNSMXxKhLGoBgOoc?si=0b2a54af23f24681 HIHF: How excited are you for your Monstercat debut?  SIPPY: I’m very excited!! I’ve been wanting to work with Monstercat for a long time and have been in talks with them for a long time - so I’m excited for it to finally happen! Feels like it’s the perfect timing for me. HIHF: How does "Get Wompy" reflect your growth as an artist over the past few years? SIPPY: “Get Wompy” is a track where I’m exploring more of the layering of sounds throughout my drops. I feel my sound design has come a long way in the past few years and this track is an example of that. You can see how I’ve given more attention to the detail and the counter rhythms that help drive the track which I don’t think I had the skill to do in the past. HIHF: What do you want fans to know about the track?  SIPPY: Being completely transparent - this is a track that a lot of labels weren’t interested in releasing, but it would go OFF at shows. So I decided that I was going to self-release it. As soon as I started preparing for the self-release, Monstercat hit me up and said they loved the track and wanted to sign it. It was an awesome way for us to have our first release, because I felt both myself and my fans believed in this song, so it was awesome to have Monstercat as a part of that belief as well. HIHF: Do you ever get impatient when you have a track you're eager to share?  SIPPY: A little bit. But being able to play it live helps me with that. I love seeing how people react to it, especially when it’s an unreleased track because the reaction is so genuine - it’s all about how they feel in the moment rather than having that anticipation from a track/build-up that they already know. HIHF: How did your journey as an artist begin in Australia? SIPPY: I was always a musician through school. But I started DJing when I was around 20-21, I played for years in the corner of bars/anywhere that would have me as well as Chinese Laundry and World Bar. I slowly learned to produce through youtube and friends, and eventually, I decided to really go for it by studying at Icon Collective (online from Sydney). From there it just slowly snowballed and eventually I decided if I was going to go for it, now is the time. I started interning for a reputable engineer in Australia. HIHF: How have acts like Zeds Dead and Bear Grillz influenced your career in its early stages? SIPPY: I met Bear Grillz early on in my career in Aus. He saw potential in me and offered for me to come visit the States to see what the scene was all about. After I came over and saw it all, I decided to truly dedicate myself to making this my career - so really I owe that discovery to him. He helped a lot with advice along the way. Zeds Dead has always been a huge inspiration to me (even to this day). I have seen so many of their sets and am still blown away every time. I aspire to have sets and a catalog as diverse as theirs. They really pushed me out to their fan base from before I got to the States and all throughout my first year here - which allowed me to start building a fan base that are truly interested in me as an artist. I honestly love their music and the focus on songwriting, and that’s something that I try to implement in a lot of my music. HIHF: What advice would you offer artists worldwide who seek opportunities to gain credibility as producers or performers? SIPPY: Don’t get stuck focusing on your micro-cultures/local scenes. The local scene is important for building you, offering support and a place to learn, grow and develop. But you need to remember how big the world is and how many people are out there. Focusing on a more global approach will help you build a career with longevity and creative flexibility. Also - go out and meet people. I can’t tell you how many opportunities have come from just connecting with artists/promoters/label A&Rs etc as a person, rather than just pushing an agenda. At the end of the day, we all want to work with like-minded, genuine people. HIHF: How have you evolved as an artist, behind the scenes, since your earliest releases? SIPPY: When I first began as an artist my focus was “How can I finish a track that sounds good enough to release/to sign to a label?” Obviously, my skills have come a long way since then, so instead of focusing on basics I can really explore my creativity and write songs that I’m truly proud of. Originally my skills limited me in how I could express my creativity whereas now that I have developed them a lot more I feel I can truly allow my creativity and taste to take over. HIHF: How has your release process changed? SIPPY: I used to be very focused on making sure that my release schedule was super consistent and there weren’t many breaks between releases, but sometimes that would come at the cost of the quality. I also allow myself more time for the exploration and development of my skills. I gave myself a fair bit of a break just to improve on my production and feel as though I had unlimited time to experiment, and I found that allowed me to really level up in the music that I was making. HIHF: Are your goals different when you sit down to make a track? SIPPY: Definitely. I would say that usually, I don’t have a “goal” in mind when I’m producing, aside from writing music that inspires me/is inspired. But in saying that - often when I sit down to write I have an idea of what I’m trying to write, whether that’s inspired by a feeling, or another track, or a particular vibe. HIHF: How do your upcoming events, shows, or festival appearances affect your production process? SIPPY: They’re super disruptive honestly. I write my best music when I feel as though I have “unlimited time”. It makes me feel I have time to experiment and make mistakes and play around - which is when I write my best music. But in this day and age, you need to be able to produce on the road. I’m good at getting tracks finished on the road, and almost always pull my laptop out on flights/in hotels. I’ll often start new ideas on flights as there are no distractions and it almost feels like borrowed time. Also sometimes shows make me prioritize writing music that is playable in sets, rather than just being creative with it - which can be a good or a bad thing. HIHF: Do you aim to create tracks that align with particular festivals or audiences? SIPPY: Not particularly. I used to try and produce tracks that I knew would fit on certain labels as I was getting hit up by a lot of labels asking for music. But honestly, I just write what feels right to me in the moment. HIHF: What can fans expect from your upcoming support slots on the Adventure Club Tour? SIPPY: For the Adventure Club tour, I’ll be playing a lot of unreleased music. But from me, it’s going to be that fun party vibe with a lot of diversity! HIHF: How has the bass scene in Australia grown since the global recognition of significant artists like Flume, What So Not, and Alison Wonderland? SIPPY: Honestly, unfortunately, the bass scene in Australia is pretty dead at the moment. We lost some very reputable bass venues, we had lockout laws, we had covid lockdowns, and all of these things have contributed to a culture that doesn’t prioritize going out late and partying. HIHF: What other Australian (or NZ) bass artists should everyone be on the lookout for? SIPPY: There are so many talented producers coming from Aus and NZ! I have a lot of their music in my sets too. Neotek, Mylky, Hydraulix, Oski, Doctor Werewolf, Badvoid, Jacknife, and Eddie just to name a few! HIHF: Tell us about your new merch! The first drop sold out in minutes; were you surprised? SIPPY: I was surprised! I didn’t expect it to sell out that quickly! And then we did a re-stock and most of those sizes sold out in a few hours as well! It was the first time I’ve dropped a jersey and honestly, the design is amazing. But I’m super grateful for everyone’s support in buying merch. HIHF: What was the process of designing merch like? SIPPY: "The process is pretty streamlined - mostly because the lead designer at KT8 (Tony) and myself very much align when it comes to taste and style. We’re both very into skate brands and have bonded over designs that we like - so that definitely helps. Usually, he’ll ask me if there’s any particular theme that I want in the design, or sometimes I’ll send him over my upcoming releases as inspiration. Then he’ll send me over something, and usually, it’s just small touch-ups from there. He’ll usually send me a graphic that he’s designed, and then we’ll adapt it or take parts for different clothes/cuts. HIHF: Did you consider other designs, or did you know the color scheme and rabbit were it? SIPPY: Design-wise - this was it from the start, but the color scheme definitely changed. We started with simple colors - plain black, plain white, plain pink backgrounds, but the KT8 team knows that I love a bit of color and edge, so we played around with different bases, and the purple tie dye look for the jersey was it! When I get the designs I’m usually given multiple colourways and options - so that streamlines the process for me to choose my favorite design. HIHF: What is the Australia to LA journey like? SIPPY: Logistically? It’s a 13-15 hour direct flight, and can be quite expensive. Career-wise? Honestly, it’s a long, tough, and expensive process. Visas are difficult and expensive to acquire. It took me years to build a case strong enough for me to get my US working visa and cost thousands of dollars. HIHF: What were your biggest struggles while stuck far from home during COVID? SIPPY: So I actually got stuck in Australia during covid, so I was very grateful for that. I don’t think I could’ve handled being stuck away from my family and friends during covid. Although once I did finally move to the US in 2021 I was stuck in the US due to covid and visa issues for about 10 months, and that period was really tough and left a long-lasting impact on me. I am so close to my family and friends, they are massive support and huge inspiration for me so I really struggled during that time (and still struggle not being with them day to day). On the one hand, that period of time was heartbreaking for me. I had spent years trying to get my US visa and tour the States, I had finally gotten a small taste and then it was all taken away. I had spent my money on my visa and apartment/furniture in the States and had left everything behind in LA (not realizing that Covid was about to hit/I wouldn’t be able to go back). But honestly - during Covid, I did my best writing and honestly leveled up massively in my production - I’m really grateful for that time and look back on it fondly. I think I was just so grateful every day that I was surrounded by my family and friends and in the safety of home, which actually made me more productive and driven. HIHF: What are your best travel tips for international artists? SIPPY: Be willing to lose money on playing shows. Look at the bigger picture. Try and find friends that you can crash with or use friends/ small trusted Facebook groups to find short-term sublets for your tour. Have price alerts on for international flights so that you can book when prices are at their lowest. HIHF: Tell us about your quest to play in the Touch Football World Cup team. SIPPY: Touch Football has been a part of my life for years in Australia - it’s a very common sport over there. I was playing Premier League Touch Football in Aus, but obviously, when I came to the US, I figured there was no one playing Touch over here. Luckily, I found out I was wrong and found an incredible team to play with over here (the LA Royals). HIHF: What's the training plan heading into 2024? SIPPY: It’s mostly just consistent independent training following a training program designed by the US strength and conditioning coaches, along with monthly fitness training to make sure we’re all on track. We have a few interstate training camps so that we all get a chance to train/play together. Other than that my training is with my LA team (the LA Royals) while we prepare for Nationals in October. HIHF: How did you get involved? SIPPY: It honestly started with me just wanting to go and play some social Touch Football! I saw a Facebook post about a club day for the LA Royals. I went down to play and they asked me to join their team. Most of them were selected for the US team trials and they encouraged me to make the journey to Austin to trial for the US team. I trialed at a weekend-long camp in Austin and made the team! HIHF: Do you have any big plans for the rest of the year? SIPPY: A lot of big plans honestly! I’m releasing a lot of music. A few singles, a few remixes as well as an EP on the way before the end of the year! I have 2 support tours announced (Adventure Club and Mersiv) as well as my own headline shows, festivals, international shows, and more support shows all to be announced! I’m excited for the rest of the year. HIHF: Any new projects on the horizon or special events you're particularly enthused about? SIPPY: I’m very excited to release another EP this year. I’m excited for the rest of festival season, and I’m also super excited to jump on the Mersiv bus tour - I love bus tours! HIHF: Upcoming collaborations you can share? SIPPY: A few I can’t share, but I can share with you that I have a collab with Dirt Monkey that I’m very excited for us to release! There’s a Smoakland collab in the works, and I’m also very excited for a release with Mylky who many of you may not know about - but he’s a very talented New Zealand-based artist, so I’m very excited to share his talent with you all! Thanks so much to SIPPY for taking the time to chat with the team! Be sure to show SIPPY some love on socials, check out her HIHF Playlist Takeover above, and save her latest release, "Get Wompy!" https://open.spotify.com/track/3JFbLpgf57vGArmdFULXNB?si=46d3c670bd40460b

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