PORTRAITS by SIXPENCE

The title 'Portraits' first came to me through a gift from my friend Chen Chen back in 2022. Around that time, we would hang out together along Southbank and admire the artwork of local artists painting along the sides of the Yarra River at night. It was there that CC (Chen Chen) first felt inspired to delve into the practice of spontaneously painting portraits commissioned by those lucky enough to find themselves strolling by her position on those summery Southbank nights. She only did this a few times , but her work was remarkable. I would hang around her in awe with my camera , taking photos of her at work and engaging with her customers, feeling blessed to be able to share in the creativity alongside my incredibly talented friend. It wasn't long before I asked her to do one for me . Seeing the incredible style, technique , and unique sense of artistry she exhibited in her approach to painting , I knew I would love to attribute one of these terrific portraits as artwork to my first proper project release. To this request, she happily obliged.

Before the title idea of 'Portraits' came to me , I had intended for my first album release to be under the name 'Fragments'. I had birthed this idea off the back of releasing my first solo EP 'Bless ' on SoundCloud and YouTube at the beginning of 2020. At that time , I had a great collection of tracks prepared for this release that I had compiled over the previous years (Heat and Roosters included). I liked this title as I felt it represented the true nature of the project, each song being a uniquely shaped fragment that joined together to make a larger, mosaic-like picture. However, this idea got shelved, being trumped by other creative pursuits emerging at the time.

Fast forward a few years to the idea of 'Portraits', and the same concept applies. However, unlike each song adding together to form a larger picture, each song or "portrait" serves as a unique piece of art in its own right - displaying a different facet or edge of my artistic expression and personality. These portraits showcase various aspects of my creative interests and abilities, as well as levels of depth of human experience in a "gallery-like" exhibition.

'Portraits' is composed of 18 tracks written between the years of 2019 and 2024. As a result, it reflects my life experiences and inspiration over that six- year period. As a musician who is constantly creating but has yet to release a full, comprehensive project , I had a large pool of songs to consider for this release. However, the deliberation process was far from difficult. The tracks I have chosen to include for 'Portraits' are the ones that have overly stood out to me over the years, often lingering in the back of my mind , tugging at my subconscious in a desperate desire to be released.

I have been writing hip-hop music since I was 11 years old and recording since I was 14. I am now 27 and about to release my first album. To say this has been a primary dream of mine would be a vast understatement. I idolized the work of my favorite artists and bands while growing up as a teenager, reveling in the artistry and creative direction. I took great joy in following discographies to comprehend their journeys and found my fandom accompanying their artistic progressions. Throughout the years, I've held felt a sense of guilt and disappointment within myself for not having released a proper album, believing that this was a major shortcoming of legitimising myself as a true musician. However , in reflection of the final product of this album , I couldn't be happier with the circumstance.

"Portraits" is a body of work that not only describes my life experience up to this current point, but also reflects on it from a sense of inner wisdom achieved through the development and maturation of growing as a human being. This growth has granted me the ability to reflect keenly on my life's key experiences, justifying their complex nature and my relationship to them through proper articulation from a source of grounded clarity. In other words, this album is what it is because it took six years to make. As I listen back to this project , it becomes glaringly clear that suffering through a decade's worth of feelings of artistic inadequacy has been worth the final product I have produced. I am so proud to call this my first album, as it doesn't feel like the experiment of a meek, underdeveloped rapper but rather a strong, multidimensional project offered by an experienced artist confident in his own style, creative direction , and place in the world.

So with that, I present " Portraits " -an all-encompassing reflection of my mind, voice , and heart as a musician. I welcome you with open arms to my gallery to gaze into each painting , offering various representations of the differing dimensions of the multifaceted identities of both Sixpence and Jayden. I hope you find something to appreciate and connect with.

- Jayden (30/12/2024)

MELB, AUS

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