Lost in the Clouds – A look into the world of Astris

This interview was written in January as part of a school project, but I finally get to publish it now. As a result, some information is outdated.

Today I’m sitting with Astris, a key member of Malta’s first-ever cloud rap collective, sry4.wav. Astris brings a fresh and innovative perspective to the local music scene that I haven’t found anywhere else. Our conversation touches on his vision, creative process, and experience as he finds his footing as a Maltese musician in a genre many are yet to discover.

sry4.wav

Shannah: So, when did you realise you were interested in music? Were you always interested, or was this something you discovered later on?

Astris: I’ve always been interested, but I never thought it would be possible to do these things independently, due to money and other factors. Then, when I was twelve years old, I saved up enough money to buy a microphone, and from there I started making my own songs.

S: So you started relatively early.

A: You could say so, yes.

S: What’s your relationship with the local music scene? Do you feel like being in Malta has been helpful, or has it held you back?

A: In my collective, we’re all Maltese. sry4.wav is a Maltese collective. From that aspect, I’d say thank God for them as they’re Maltese like me. We also gained some interest from others, people are helping us out, talking to and supporting us. So far, everything has been positive, and I can’t complain.

S: Who are your biggest musical inspirations and why?

A: I think Yung Lean, obviously, as I feel like he was very ahead of his time and on the forefront. You have to admire him because people would make fun of him, and he still continued making music. Recently, he’s been getting people’s respect, but he is a big inspiration. Same thing with Lil B, people would make fun of him, but he does whatever he wants, and that’s something I really love. I’m the type of person to do what I want and not pay attention to, for example, if I’m making a song, to what other people think or what they’re going to say. If I like it, I’m going to release it.

“I would give my life for this, if it meant I made it” - loveyoo (sry4.wav)

S: What does your creative process look like? For example, what do you start with, or does it change every time?

A: Normally, I get sent a beat which I would’ve asked for, and I freestyle on it, take an idea of how the beat is. I write the lyrics based on what’s going on in my life, maybe some sort of story or message that I want to send, and then I work on it further, record at home, mix it, send it to the collective, and then they give me their opinions and we shape the song from there.

S: What keeps you going when you’re going through a period where you’re experiencing a lack of motivation, or you’re going through a creative block, if this happens to you?

A: I don’t really get any creative blocks. It’s more so that I feel too creative and I don’t know what to do with it, I get frustrated, and I don’t feel like it anymore because I’ve made too many attempts.

S: Trust me, I know exactly how you feel. What do you hope your listeners feel or think when they listen to your music? Is there a certain emotion you’re trying to evoke?

A: I don’t know, our songs have different styles, though they’re all cloud rap, there are still songs which are more lively than others. It depends on the song, but in truth, I wish to evoke certain emotions and thoughts in our future projects. The themes are going to be very present.

S: What has been the most satisfying moment, or your biggest achievement so far?

A: I’m not going to mention who, but we had someone who wanted to collaborate on a song with us, and because we’ve only just started out, this is something really big to me. Even the fact I see people posting photos on their stories using our songs, they’re just normal photos, you know? I find it something cool. Or at least I consider it to be cool.

S: Can you share any upcoming projects or collaborations?

A: I don’t want to share who with, but we have a lot of projects coming up, a music video, an EP, and another EP too. In the coming 3 months, we’re going to be doing a lot of things. We have events planned, we’re going to be doing gigs. The future is bright.

S: Thank you so much for speaking to me today. I wish you the best of luck for the future and your upcoming projects. I’m excited to see what’s coming!

You can listen to sry4.wav on all platforms, and follow them on Instagram @sry4.wav.