Matt Hsu is a Taiwanese-Australian musician and composer. In 2016 he began creating music as a multi-instrumentalist under the moniker Matt Hsu's Obscure Orchestra,
which in 2020, also became a live ensemble consisting of Brisbane
indie music
Independent music (also commonly known as indie music, or simply indie) is a broad style of music characterized by creative freedoms, low-budgets, and a do-it-yourself approach to music creation, which originated from the liberties afforded by in ...
ians,
hip-hop
Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hi ...
artists, classically-trained musicians, and multi-disciplinary artists.
Early life and education
Matt Hsu was born to immigrant Taiwanese parents in Brisbane.
As a child he listened to metal and punk music, in an effort to distance himself from Asian stereotypes, but later embraced his Taiwanese heritage, using music to express overcoming internalised racism.
When he was 15, he played in a
metal band
Heavy metal (or simply metal) is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the United Kingdom and United States. With roots in blues rock, psychedelic rock and acid rock, heavy metal bands developed a ...
, rapping covers of
Rage Against the Machine
Rage Against the Machine (often abbreviated as RATM or shortened to Rage) was an American Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1991. It consisted of vocalist Zack de la Rocha, bassist and backing vocalist Tim ...
.
Career
Hsu is known as the co-founder, trumpet player and songwriter for the
folk punk
Folk punk (known in its early days as rogue folk) is a fusion of folk music and punk rock. It was popularized in the early 1980s by the Pogues in England, and by Violent Femmes in the United States. Folk punk achieved some mainstream success in t ...
band
The Mouldy Lovers
The Mouldy Lovers are a Queensland Music Award–nominated musical group with seven members, which formed in early 2010. They perform gypsy-influenced ska music with punk, reggae, Romani music and Klezmer elements. The band came to prominence i ...
.
[
In 2016, Hsu began composing as "Matt Hsu's Obscure Orchestra", initially as a solo project.
His 2019 debut album ''The Shirt Album'' is notable for having been released "in the form of an organic fair-trade T-shirt in place of a CD" with the aim of reducing potential ]plastic waste
Plastic pollution is the accumulation of plastic objects and particles (e.g. plastic bottles, bags and microbeads) in the Earth's environment that adversely affects humans, wildlife and their habitat. Plastics that act as pollutants are cate ...
. The album features collaborations with noted Tibetan musician Tenzin Choegyal, Triple J Unearthed
Triple J Unearthed is an Australian digital radio station and online music discovery platform. It is a sister station of Triple J, owned by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
Unearthed began in 1995 as a regional talent competition open to ...
Sprung Hip Hop winner Blaq Carrie, and Japanese musician Kenta Hayashi,
As a "one-person orchestra" he has performed at TEDx
TED Conferences, LLC (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is an American-Canadian non-profit media organization that posts international talks online for free distribution under the slogan "Ideas Change Everything" (previously "Ideas Worth Sprea ...
and Australia's BIGSOUND
Fortitude Valley (often called "The Valley" by local residents) is an inner suburb of the City of Brisbane, the state capital of Queensland, Australia. In the , Fortitude Valley had a population of 9,708 people. The suburb features two pedestri ...
Festival, and has been featured on SBS World News
''SBS World News'' is the news service of the Special Broadcasting Service in Australia. Its flagship nightly bulletin is broadcast at on SBS with additional weeknight late bulletins from on SBS. ''SBS News'' is the name of the news app and ...
, and ABC's Art Works.
Awards
Queensland Music Awards
In 2020, Hsu became a Queensland Music Awards winner in the world music
"World music" is an English phrase for styles of music from non-English speaking countries, including quasi-traditional, Cross-cultural communication, intercultural, and traditional music. World music's broad nature and elasticity as a musical ...
categoryQueensland Music Awards
The Queensland Music Awards (commonly known as QMA and known as the Q Song Awards from 2006 to 2010) are annual awards celebrating Queensland's emerging artists. They commenced in 2006.
Each year, the QMA Song of the Year is immortalised in ...
(previously known as Q Song Awards) are annual awards celebrating Queensland, Australia
Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, ...
's brightest emerging artists and established legends. They commenced in 2006.
(wins only)
!
, -
! scope="row", 2020
, "Make Everything"
, World Award of the Year
,
,
Live ensemble
Formation
In 2020, Matt established a live ensemble consisting of Brisbane indie musicians, hip-hop artists, classically trained musicians, and multi-disciplinary artists. Known as Matt Hsu's Obscure Orchestra, the ensemble is "underpinned by gender equity, inclusivity and visibility",
Core members
* Yvette Ofa Agapow -
* BADASSMUTHA -
* Sophie Bird -
* Tenzin Choegyal -
* Nima Doostkhah -
* Katherine Gough -
* Ai Hasegawa -
* Laura Hjortshoj-Haller -
* Matt Hsu -
* Andrew Humphreys -
* Georgie-Rose Jurss -
* Courts Lovell -
* PJ McEwan -
* Lucie Pegna -
* Katie Randall -
* Han Reardon-Smith -
* Saro Roro -
* Jodie Rottle -
* Skylar Sansome -
* Gabby Spina -
* Jonathan Sriranganathan -
* Kaya Tominaga -
* Caroline Townsend -
* Ebony Westwood -
* Fiona Wheeler -
Reserve members
* Mika Atkinson -
* Antonia Burwell-Rodriguez -
* Sarah Probets -
* Clair Wheatley -
Past members
* Aimee Harris -
* Alice Wheeler -
* Fin Nicol-Taylor -
* Flora Wong -
* Jen Horn -
* Kathryn Bermingham -
* Lisa Kelly -
* Maja Salamon -
* Steph McIntyre -
* Tristan Rogers -
Guests and collaborators
* apadalia -
* Ashleigh Djokic -
* Blaq Carrie -
* Ethan Enoch -
* Kenta Hayashi -
* Aurora Liddle-Christie -
* Cait Lin 凱琳 -
* L-FRESH the Lion
Sukhdeep Singh Bhogal l better known by his stage name L-FRESH the Lion, is an Australian hip hop artist and producer. Based in South Western Sydney, Bhogal has released four studio albums as L-FRESH the Lion, highlighted by 2016's ARIA Award- ...
-
* Loopy! 鹿皮 -
* Mack Ridge -
* Naavikaran -
* Anisa Nandaula -
* Nardean -
* Rina -
* Sachém -
* SOLCHLD -
* Zy The Wway -
* 老莫 ILL MO -
* 春艷 -
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Orchestra, Matt Hsus Obscure
21st-century Australian singers
Living people
Australian people of Taiwanese descent
Australian male singer-songwriters
Musicians from Brisbane
21st-century Australian singer-songwriters