Josh Zesach studied our Bachelor of Music at our Sydney campus and has since used everything he's learnt to become the successful performer known to us as M!GRAIN!

The Sydney-based musician and producer has pulled from such a wide range of influences and over the past couple of years, has amassed an extensive back catalogue of material that refuses to be categorised by any one genre — his sound is undeniably inventive and endlessly imaginative.

We caught up with M!GRAIN to hear more about what he's been getting up to since graduating from JMC and how he has managed to consistently create!

You’ve had such a stellar career over the past few years, what have been some of your career highlights?

I would definitely say when my debut album hit over 100,000 streams over a weekend! The whole experience really helped with online stats like monthly listeners and streams which in turn helped gained some confidence and credit on such a renowned streaming service. 

What has inspired your sound?

Being a 90’s baby! I grew up listening to a lot of rock and rap music so I would say it's probably a mix of Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Ice Cube, Alice in Chains, Metallica and Black Keys. Being from the Northern Beaches, I do say that the bluesy and surf rock genres have come into play.

After the success of “Factuality” and your recent singles, how have you worked to create new material and continue creating your unique persona?

When it comes to my music, it has always been about creating something different from the last project. My process is generally just trying to make time to write new music whenever I can. Usually, I'll finish writing a song in one session, then I go back to it after a while and smooth out the kinks and edges before releasing it.

In terms of my personality, it's hard to convey who I am on social media because I dont have a PR representative or a manager, it's a solo team over here. Instagram is definitely the place where I feel I can show people more and more what M!GRAIN is all about, go check it out here!

Who would you love to collaborate with?

This is a hard question! RHCP, Metallica, Dua Lipa, Pharrell Williams…so many names running through my head. I would love to create an album that features a member from some of the iconic Australian rock bands like INXS, Midnight Oil, Hunters or the Collectors and even Mental as Anything.

What do you miss most about touring?

The atmosphere of meeting new people and artists and making a night of it! Like most artists, I sadly couldn’t tour the album release for “FACTUALITY” because of the COVID lockdowns and don't know when I will be able to return to performing live just yet.

Any future projects in the works? 

I have constantly been writing and recording non-stop, even when I was writing for the album. Someone else takes over my body and just plays this music that even I listen back and say “what is he playing there?” which is really exciting. There are about 12 singles lined up for release in 2021 (plus whatever little melody pops into my head at the time!)

How do you think studying at JMC prepared you for working in the industry?

JMC prepared me for a lot of things, some I didn't even know I'd need preparing for until they actually happened! From working with other people who have different creative input and visions, writing emails, understanding the business side of things like touring and budgets etc., and the experience of touring with other bands. It's also good to note, that doing your own research and figuring things out for yourself really helps the process as well. 

What advice would you give to anyone who is interested in pursuing their music career?

Be prepared… it ain't easy! It is amazing that so many people now have an outlet for creativity thanks to the internet, distributors and DAW’s although it does make it that bit harder for truly great artists to stand out, not just musically but performance-wise too.

I'd say work hard and when you think you're done, work harder! There is always more work to be done.