Azim Zain and Eugénie were both transformed by Australia’s independent music culture
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24.11.2020

Azim Zain and Eugénie were both transformed by Australia’s independent music culture

WORDS BY AUGUST BILLY

Indie-emo artist Azim Zain and New York alt-pop singer-songwriter Eugénie appear on the latest Turning Heads podcast.

Episode 24 of Turning Heads is a two-parter featuring interviews with Azim Zain of Azim Zain and His Lovely Bones and Eugénie.

Be Good, the debut album from Azim Zain and His Lovely Bones, came out in November 2020. It’s dedicated to the Canberra music scene that transformed Zain’s life after he relocated there for uni. Zain was born in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, but completed high school in Adelaide before moving to Canberra. He fell in love with the local music scene and began writing and performing his own stuff in 2015.

Be Good was completed in 2019, but visa changes meant Zain was forced to leave the country and return to Kuala Lumpur. He’s readjusted to life back home, but the album is his love letter to the scene that birthed the Lovely Bones.

Eugénie is the project of New York based songwriter Eugénie Thompson. Her debut EP, Arrhythmia, came out in May 2020. It was made in collaboration with producer and jazz guitarist Lee Meadvin and dates back to when the pair were both studying at NYU.

Thompson moved to Melbourne after finishing college. She was born in Sydney, but had lived in New York since she was two years old. The return to Australia and the culture and lifestyle she witnessed in Melbourne had a major impact on her musical ambitions. She’s since moved back to New York, where she finally completed Arrhythmia earlier this year.

Check out the podcast episode below:

I will be back with more new episodes of Turning Heads in the new year. You can follow the podcast on SpotifyPodbean and through Apple.

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