‘It’s pretty crazy. They’ve sold out quicker than anything I’ve done before,’ the hip hop artiste said, calling from his new Melbourne home.
‘When you know it’s going to be a sold-out show and you know the room is going to be packed with people who want to see you play your songs, you can’t really go wrong.
‘It was really cool to sell out the Metro Theatre in Sydney, which is like a big room, and we did it 18-plus. In the past we’ve come close to selling it out, but as all-ages, so it really has been a noticeable increase.’
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READ NOWHe said fans could expect to hear every song featured on his fourth and latest album Cinematic, which last year debuted at number four on the ARIA album chart.
‘It’s exciting to be playing a primarily new set. It’s something I’ve been looking forward to for a long time,’ he said.
‘The only nerves are from playing a new set and wanting to get that right.’
After his national tour, which includes a show at The Capitol on March 21, Illy will jump on the Groovin the Moo regional festival circuit, which hits Bunbury on May 10.
‘I love Groovin the Moo. I did it in 2010 and even to now, it was one of the best festivals I’ve done,’ he said. ‘At that point I was basically a baby as far as people knowing who I was ” no one really did ” so it’s good to get back on it.’
Having had some time off in New York, the 2013 best urban artiste and ARIA-award winner said he would probably head into the studio after the tour.
‘I put the album out then went on holiday and haven’t really had time to get back into the studio yet,’ he said.
‘There’s a couple of tracks that didn’t make Cinematic that I still love and that are album- worthy, but I haven’t really thought about anything yet.’
Tickets to The Capitol show have sold out but you can catch him at Groovin the Moo.
Tyler Brown