Playing To An Empty Room
I was at the best show that no one went to at BIGSOUND this year.
For those of you who aren’t tapped into the Australian music industry’s major arteries, BIGSOUND is an annual music conference and showcase held in the various venues and beer gardens scattered throughout the streets of Fortitude Valley in Brisbane. After seeing 36 acts play at BIGSOUND this year, I was left exhausted, inspired, and a little surprised at what did (and didn’t) live up to the hype.
To go to every show there is quite literally impossible, but if you’re organised and willing to catch half of each act, you can end up seeing a massive amount of talent across the three days. I found myself thriving in these conditions, weaving in-between venues like a seasoned pro; strutting confidently to tents I didn’t know existed a few days ago. I was one of the few people whose nights began at 7pm — the average industry bigwig wasn’t leaving their hotel until at least 9, when the bigger acts were playing.
It was their loss. My BIGSOUND experience had me discovering the best acts earlier in the night, in rooms shared with a handful of people, and with artists who were likely feigning confidence after realising no one showed up. The intimacy of these shows, though, actually made for a much more captivating performance. This was especially true for an act I caught at the very beginning of the final day: Newcastle-based R&B artist Zia Jade.
I shared the dark and smokey dance floor with three others; two girls with their phones adamantly recording, and my friend Connor, who suggested the gig. “You should catch Zia Jade, she’s your vibe,” he said casually, totally unaware that he just altered the trajectory of my entire BIGSOUND experience.
Zia Jade has Doja Cat energy (she’s wholeheartedly unapologetic), mixed with an R&B finesse, not unlike SZA. She took to the stage in a layered denim mini skirt and corset; her bleached blonde hair tied up in long pigtails with accents of black ribbon. Throughout her set, she would relentlessly lock eyes with the handful of us who were standing sparsely in the fog, singing directly to us as she detailed her opinions and desires. I was totally hooked; and momentarily transported to a future where hundreds of people would claim they were also standing in this room at the start of this star’s career.
Her set was a blend of lightly hyperpop-influenced R&B and sultry hip-hop bars. She mouthed along to the samples in ‘Missed Calls’ with rehearsed style before breaking out extremely clean vocal runs alongside the tropical beat. DJ 13 backed up her star energy with great banter and attitude, and their stage dynamic was hugely entertaining in itself. Zia Jade doesn’t have a mass of releases currently, and her set included some new tracks like ‘Broke Boy’, which I am personally highly anticipating.
I asked Zia about her stage persona. “You know, I always say that when I’m on stage my alter-ego comes out, but honestly I just think it’s where I can be the most myself and do it confidently. When I’m on stage, it’s all about having fun, doing what I love, and involving people in that.” I can attest to this. During her set, I found myself feeling more free and welcome to dance and let loose than any other, despite being painfully exposed on the empty dance floor.
So how does it feel to be invited to play at a prestigious industry event, only to find yourself performing to a room of four? “As I step onto stage, something switches and I’m straight into the mindset I need,” she says. “It’s very important to me that people are seeing me for who I am, and that I’m not faking a persona or anything, so when I’m out there it just feels like home.”
Playing at BIGSOUND is a huge achievement for emerging artists in Australia. It’s also something that a lot of industry folks nod along to when you later mention it in your elevator pitch on why you deserve their attention. Zia Jade may have only played for four people in her Valley Loft set at BIGSOUND 2023, but I can see her skyrocketing.
In five years when commercial Australia finally starts to support their very own answer to a gap in the localised PinkPantheress market, I’ll know you’re all lying when you say you saw Zia Jade play at BIGSOUND 2023.
This feature was created as part of The Music Writer’s Lab 2023.
Ella Sterland is a musician and writer. Her musical projects are Dreaming Soda and Bares, and you can find her celebrating female and non-binary musicians on her platform ‘Record the Resonance’.
Illustration credit: Matt Lauricella, @pigeonboyart