Australian artist Illy returning to Townsville for first time in six years
Australian music star Illy is making his return to Townsville for the first time in six years, ready to perform his soon-to-be released song. Here’s why returning to the regions is so important.
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An Australian music star is returning to Townsville for the first time in six years, bringing some old hits and new releases to the stage.
Illy has graced the charts time and time again since he entered the hip hop scene in 2009 with successful records such as Papercuts, featuring Australian artist Vera Blue and Catch-22, featuring UK artist Anne-Marie.
This time he is hitting the road solo, taking on his first regional tour since 2017 to reconnect with his Australian fans who have followed him on his music journey.
“The best part of touring is getting to play your music that you’ve worked on and put so much of your heart into and then seeing people connect with it,” Illy said.
“This is my job but it’s also the thing I’ve done since I was 13 and I love it.
“It just gives you a bit of purpose and passion and value.”
Townsville fans will have the opportunity to be the first to hear his new song after its release this Thursday.
The new single Hopeless has been in the works for years, but scored a new spin when up-and-coming Australian artist Indiana Massara took on the vocals.
“I’ve had that song since 2019 but because of the pandemic I thought ‘it’s too good to put out when I can’t play it live’,” Illy said.
“ (Massara) is a legend, she’s really easy to get along with and just a really warm person.”
If you’re a long-term fan don’t stress, there will be plenty of Illy classics that haven’t been heard live in quite some time also making a comeback.
“We’ve thrown in a few songs from way back in the day that we haven’t played live in seven or eight years,” Illy said.
Illy is playing Otherwise Bar on Friday night as part of his Long Way Round tour.
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Originally published as Australian artist Illy returning to Townsville for first time in six years