Budapest reminds the world-famous rapper of two big European cities
His song Astronaut in the Ocean, released in 2019, did not cause much attention at first, but in 2021 it was unexpectedly picked up by the Tik-tok audience and suddenly became a huge hit: it was listened to by more than three hundred million people on YouTube and almost one billion on Spotify yes. Masked Wolf is currently one of the most popular stars of Australian rap, he has recently worked with artists such as Bring Me The Horizon, X Ambassadors and Tom Walker. This summer, he toured the biggest European festivals, attracting crowds of tens of thousands everywhere, and also performed on Sziget – we wrote about the concert here before – and before the latter he also gave an interview to Origo.
In June, you said on Twitter that three years ago you would have been happy even if ten thousand people listened to one of your songs and were amazed that now you can play in front of an audience of ninety thousand, as you did at the German Rock Am Ring. How does it all feel, isn’t it a little scary?
It’s a very crazy feeling to hear and see that so many people are singing along with you to your lyrics and that what you’ve written appeals to huge crowds in different parts of the world and they’re all there because of you. I think every performer dreams of this. It was scary at first, I’m still a bit nervous before concerts, but then when I step on stage and get overwhelmed with adrenaline and passion, all my fears disappear.
You always wanted to be a famous musician. What’s the difference between the way you imagined stardom as a teenager and the reality you’ve just experienced?
Indeed, already in my childhood, standing in front of the mirror with an object resembling a microphone in my hand, I pretended that I was performing in front of many thousands of people, all of whom were singing along with me. However, I was not prepared for the pressure and tension that comes with the profession. I imagined that all I had to do was get up on stage and play my songs and everyone would immediately go crazy. But it’s not that simple, I have to develop the interaction with the audience, I have to get the auditorium filled with energy. It happens that it is easy to do, but – especially at a festival where not everyone comes because of me, it happens that there are less enthusiastic crowds waiting and I had to learn how to get them excited.
You recently released a joint track with England’s hottest metalcore band, Bring Me The Horizon. Where did the idea for the unusual collaboration come from?
The interesting thing is that they approached me, they wanted me to rap on Fallout tracks. They sent me the first version of the song and I immediately fell in love with it. I had never performed in rock or metal before and I saw the opportunity to try myself in something completely new. Frontman Oliver Sykes is an extremely competitive person, and it’s easy to work with someone.
Nowadays, it has become popular again for rappers to mix their songs with rock music. What do you think about this trend?
Obviously, this phenomenon divides fans of different genres quite a bit, but there are those who mix styles extremely skillfully. A good example of this is Machine Gun Kelly, who is an incredibly versatile figure: he is a talented rapper, but he also sings rock songs perfectly, and bites and slower, more emotional songs are just as good for him. And this obviously makes him incredibly free, since he basically does what he wants, there are no limits.
Your first album, Astronomical, was extremely successful. Is it a lot of pressure to surpass its popularity with the second one, or is that not the most important aspect?
I’d be lying if I said I didn’t care how the next record would be received, there isn’t an artist who isn’t excited about it. But it’s more important to make an even better record by my own standards,
there’s nothing sadder than when someone isn’t driven to constantly outdo themselves. Once you run a hundred meters in forty-eight seconds, you don’t want to run any slower the next time.
But even more important than that, I want continuous renewal, not to get stuck in a single style, I don’t think only in hip-hop and rap, but I want to expand my genre boundaries.
![](https:https:https:https:https://cdn.nwmgroups.hu/s/img/i/2208/20220811masked-wolf-sziget-fesztival-20227.jpg?w=800&h=533&t=5)
What’s the biggest thing about American and Australian rap?
If we look at the biggest mainstream hits, the most significant difference can be felt in the field of sound. If you listen to, for example, a Post Malone song, traditional pop music influences can be easily achieved, so in general, singing plays an increasingly important role in American rap. On the other hand, British music has a greater influence on us, it is enough to think of one of the biggest Australian stars, The Kid LAROI, who is both melodic and has preserved his underground roots.
And are the genre-specific internal conflicts just as common in Australia as they are in America, where gangs shoot each other with guns?
We also have clashes here, but luckily the situation is nowhere near as serious as in America. In any case, I stayed out of these, I was never a member of any band, I consider myself a modest and reserved person who mostly likes to stay at home and write songs, I was never interested in the war aspect of the genre. In America, however, it is much harder to avoid conflict as a rap artist, where tension is embedded in the culture of the style.
![](https:https:https:https:https://cdn.nwmgroups.hu/s/img/i/2208/20220811masked-wolf-sziget-fesztival-20222.jpg?w=800&h=533&t=5)
it’s your first time in Budapest. What are your impressions so far and what have you heard about our country before?
Actually, I didn’t know much about Hungary, the tour is still very busy, I didn’t have much time to look around, but the special architecture immediately grabbed my attention. Budapest is a bit reminiscent of Prague or Amsterdam.