
When the Opera House is your home, you never know who you are going to meet! It’s one of my favourite things about my house: I am always meeting someone new! And most of the time, they are really creative and exciting people. They might be actors or dancers or musicians or directors or artists – you never know who is going to pop up next!
Sometimes, I like to pretend to be a magazine reporter, and I interview my friends. I’m going to share these interviews with you here, so that you can get to know some of my friends, and also find out about some amazingly talented people that have come to work at my home, the Opera House!
But this time, I’m going to ask Neey to do the interview! Because it’s with one of her all time heroes!
I met Kim ‘Busty Beatz’ Bowers when she came and performed as part of a sold out show called Sista She. Since then, Busty Beatz has been my hip hop hero! She helped me to realise that girls can be just as good as boys when it comes to hip hop! I’m so excited that I get to interview her!
NEEY: Hi Busty Beatz! Wow, it’s so awesome to get to interview you! You’ve been one of my heroes since the first time I saw you perform! Can you remember how old you were when you started to work in the Arts?
KIM: I was 15, and playing guitar in a band called Spdfgh in the early 90’s. It was an all-girls band, and we had many influences from early Punk, and also Indie flavours. We made a few records with the help of Half a Cow Records and toured relentlessly for about 10 years.
NEEY: Wow, I never knew you played the guitar! So does Sid! What happened after that?
KIM: I played in a few more bands after that, as well as doing some solo stuff. I mastered my skills as a MC and beatz producer, then got into composition and sound design for theatre. It might seem like an odd transition, but I really had a love for the art form! At that time, my little sister Candy B was creating an act called Sista She with fellow artist Sarah Ward. They were really gaining some notoriety. They asked if I could program beats for the Hip Hop infused Comedy treats, and a new collaboration was birthed.
NEEY: Performing with your siblings is great fun, isn’t it! What else would you say has been a highlight of your career?
KIM: There have been so many highlights over the years. Supporting Bikini Kill at the Annandale Hotel. Working with Pioneer Jonzi D on Hip Hop Theatre production East London West Sydney for Sydney Festival was awesome. Late night DJ Sets at the Guilded Balloon at Etinburgh Fringe. Working as Musical Director for Briefs.
NEEY: What projects are you working on now?
KIM: Candy B and I have set up Black Honey Company, Fearless Sticky Performance. We make cross genre work, music, theatre, live performance and dance for the Hip Hip generation. We have spent the last year touring our kids’ show, MC Platypus and Queen Koala’s Hip Hop Jamboree, Hip Hop Theatre show “Who’s That Chik?” and Comedy show “Australian Booty“.
Currently we are working on Hot Brown Honey Burlesque which is a collaboration between ourselves and Lisa Fa’alafi from Polytoxic Dance Theatre. We have performed at Darwin Festival and Woodford Festival. Its fun, confronting, raw and raunchy. It is also a platform for invited Brown Artists to showcase their skills. We are in creative development with Queensland Theatre Company for our full length musical based on Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night – Twelve: A Soul Musical from the Streets by Candy B and Busty Beatz.
NEEY: That sounds amazing! You sure are busy! Do you have advice for aspiring artists?
KIM: Keep doing it. Even if it is not where you want it to be, keep doing it. Nothing is ever going to just fall in your lap – you make the work then you work. Be smart. Know your art makes you a change maker. The arts is chaotic and challenging, there are extreme highs and lows, so know your worth. Know your community – you’re an artist and you will need the support of like minded people. Get mentors – know who has come before you, get advice and show respect.
NEEY: I love the idea that my art can make me a change maker. Busty Beatz, before you go, do you have a favourite memory from the Opera House?
KIM: I have two memorable moments of the Opera House. The first is when Sista She sold out our inaugural season of “Inna Thigh – The Sista She Story“. We had the most exciting time, coming directly from the Hip Hop underground to the Opera House stage. The second memorable moment was working with the Opera House’s Juvenile Justice program. Candy B, Fred Leone (Impossible Odds) and myself created four tracks with young people in the Opera House Recording Studio with in house engineer, the amazing Jason Blackwell.
Isn’t she amazing! You can find out more about Busty Beatz and her work by clicking on the links below! I’m feeling all inspired to go and get practicing!
SidNeey Stars Forever!
Neey
WEB:
www.blackhoneycompany.com
www.mcplatypusandqueenkoala.com
www.australianbooty.com
www.hotbrownhoney.com
FACEBOOK:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/MC-Platypus-and-Queen-Koala/294628520666634
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Hot-Brown-Honey-Burlesque/307485559297945?ref=hl
