The Australian band chasing global fame - while remaining a total mystery

For today’s musicians, fame and familiarity are a package deal. Taylor Swift doesn’t just release music, she mines her heartbreak for millions. Billie Eilish doesn’t just sing for her fans, she tells them about her personal life in live Instagram Q&As.

It’s a transaction of sorts: to climb the ladder of stardom, today’s stars must share themselves with the public.

Glass Beams’ music is clearly connecting with people, but the artists behind it remain a total enigma.

But what if that trade-off weren’t necessary? What if fame and anonymity could coexist? This is precisely what Glass Beams, a Melbourne-based musical trio, are aiming for.

Since releasing their debut EP Mirage in 2021, the psychedelic-rock group has surged in popularity, accruing nearly 695,000 monthly listeners on Spotify and more than 871,000 Instagram followers. They sold out every show on their debut European and North American tours, played at Meredith Music Festival last December, and have performances scheduled at Melbourne’s Asia TOPA, Coachella, and Barcelona’s Primavera Sounds this year.

The music clearly connects with people, even as the musicians remain a total enigma.

To date, almost no one has seen their faces, which are concealed on stage and in photos by bejewelled masks. They barely utter a word during performances. Their music has no lyrics. The only member known by name is founder Rajan Silva. The others remain shrouded in mystery, down to their gender, age and nationality.

“It’s a personal choice, I like it this way,” Silva says in a very brief email (when trying to maintain mystique, phone calls are out of the question). “There’s a lot of information out there about everything and everyone. These days, it’s refreshing to have some questions remain unanswered.”

Though Silva says the group is not intentionally mirroring other “anonymous” artists, such as TISM or Daft Punk, he admits they’re probably doing it for similar reasons: to highlight their sound above all else.

“Other artists could try it to see what they would create if no one ever knew they made it. At the very least, it would change their practice,” he says.

Their sound, which fuses Hindustani ragas, cosmic rock and ’60s psychedelia, feels natural to Silva, who is of Indian descent. The sonic fusion and melody-driven nature of Mirage and Mahal (2024) have lent a universality to their music, appealing to people from Melbourne to Istanbul.

“It’s refreshing to have some questions remain unanswered”: Glass Beams’ music does all the talking.Credit: Photo: Tim O’Keefe. Art direction: Odette. Assisted by: Ashley Woodward.

And when you’re as instantly recognisable as Glass Beams, with their earth-tone androgynous outfits and doily masks, music booker Woody McDonald says you don’t need people to know your name.

“I saw a poster recently while driving down Hoddle street [in Melbourne]. I was miles away, but could just tell from the colours – that’s Glass Beams,” says McDonald, who booked the trio for Asia TOPA in February.

“They have such an amazing visual thing going on … It seems like a dream, really. These guys get to play around the world, but if they walk down the street anywhere, they can remain completely private.”

Glass Beams perform at Fed Square x Asia TOPA Live on February 21.

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