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Listen Up with Ash McGregor

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Rating
★★★★★
5
from
1 reviews
Categories
This podcast has
47 episodes
Language
English
Publisher
Ash McGregor
Explicit
No
Date created
2025/10/08
Latest episode
2026/10/27
Average duration
51 min.
Release period
10 days

Description

Listen up! This is your new favourite music hub. From big names to the next-gen, Ash McGregor brings you unmissable conversations with artists shaping the sound of now. Each week, deep dive your favourite artists and discover the musicians about to take over. You'll hear it here first. Keep up to date: ⭐️ @listenupwithash ⭐️ @ash_mcgregor ------ We'd like to acknowledge and pay our respects to the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation where this show is filmed.

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Check latest episodes from Listen Up with Ash McGregor podcast


ETHAN FRENCH: The Artist Every Artist Is Following & 'Idea of the Day' | Full Interview
2026/10/27
A year ago Ethan French had 15,000 followers. Today he’s pushing a million, and in his DMs are Justin Timberlake, John Mayer, SZA, Leon Thomas, T-Pain, Jaden Smith and a list that truly keeps getting longer. He's living out a fever dream. Ethan is what he calls an 'artist’s artist'. Self-taught, multi-instrumentalist whose music doesn't fit into one box, creating for craft's sake with so much expertise people draw parallels to Jacob Collier on the daily. In this episode we get into his backstory, the 'Ideas of the Day' project that changed everything, what it actually feels like to wake up to a T-Pain remix notification, having Ben Folds’ number in your phone, and suddenly being flooded with A-list DMs from people you grew up listening to.
STAND ATLANTIC: Bonnie Fraser on Fifteen Years, Refusing to Quit & GODBREATH
2026/10/20
In this episode we go right back to the beginning of Stand Atlanntic: the first iteration of the band (I swear this is not a humiliation ritual!!), feeling overlooked by literally everyone, and a moment where they quietly agreed that if the Sidewinder EP didn’t land they’d probably call it. And they never had to. We relive the stories that have made Stand Atlantic, plus the never-before-heard voice note from 2020 that became Deathwish and the original song Bonnie wrote to beg Short Stack for a support slot. We also get into what made their 5th album, GODBREATH, different to every record before it - live tracked for the first time ever, deliberately imperfect, written as a direct response to the state of the music industry.
MIDNIGHT TIL MORNING: What Does It Take to Be a Boy Band in 2026?
2026/10/06
What does it take to make it as a boy band in 2026? Midnight Til Morning might just be the answer. Shane, Conor, Mason and Zach formed on Netflix's viral Building the Band and since then it has been absolute pandemonium! In two years months they've gone from strangers on a reality show to a globally touring act with a fanbase that will sell out a European run in ten minutes flat. In this episode we get across all four backstories, what it was actually like being on the show, the chaos of secretly being a band before anyone knew they existed. We hear stories of gigs, dive into music creation and tease their forthcoming album (!!!!). Plus the Alex Warren friendship, the poster that went to Sweden and came back, and what the band has planned for us over the next year.
WASIA PROJECT: From Heartstopper to debut album 'Nocturne'
2026/09/23
Will Gao and Olivia Hardy (Wasia Project) are a sibling duo out of London who started making lo-fi bedroom pop during lockdown while they were still in school. Fast forward and they've got hundreds of millions of streams, have opened for Laufey and Tom Odell, and have just dropped their debut album 'Nocturne'. In this episode we get into all of it: growing up classically trained, a childhood home that was essentially a revolving creative hub, and the journey from bedroom demos to on screen fame and a debut album. We also do a deep dive into 'Nocturne' itself, an album that sees the pair really challenge the sound they have built their career on.
JACK GRAY: From Supporting the Biggest Artists to Debut Album 'Swimming In Jeans'
2026/09/15
Jack Gray is every touring artist's favourite support act. Jeremy Zucker, Tate McRae, Matt Corby, Dean Lewis, Freya Skye, Good Neighbours - you name them, he's probably toured with them. Now, after three years in the making, his debut album 'Swimming in Jeans' is FINALLY out. This episode really takes it back to the EARLY days, memories of high school music projects, unhinged lyrics, the first tour he went on whilst having barely any songs to the name. To now an artist/producer living in LA, who's been perfecting his craft for this debut album. We dive deep into the debut album, the stories behind the tracks and production, and hell there's an ester egg voice you may recognise!
BUGS: "We've Lived Five Lifetimes", The Final Album, The Final Shows
2026/09/07
Bugs have spent over a decade as one of Brisbane's most beloved bands. They found each other on Facebook, spent years touring the country, releasing music that refuses to be in a box, and collecting some of the most loyal local fans along the way. n late 2025, Jordan their bassist was diagnosed with terminal stage 4 colorectal cancer, and in June this year was given 3-4 months left to live. They are fresh off releasing their final album HEAD NOISE and at the time of recording are about to play two final hometown shows. This episode is a celebration. We dive into memories from the early shows, horror tours, accent choices, and what it took to build something real and lasting in this industry without a label. We also unpack HEAD NOISE, what they plan for their last two shows, and what this band has meant to each of them. There's a lot of love in this episode (and a whole lot of kissing???), so make sure you spread that love too!
JOEL BIRCH: "She Doesn't Even Know She's Dying", The Story Behind 'House of Cards'
2026/09/01
Joel Birch has spent 20 years at the centre of The Amity Affliction - but the story behind the band is far more complicated than the music alone. On this episode, Joel opens up about the deeply personal story behind Amity’s ninth album, House of Cards, and his complicated relationship with his late mother. We talk about growing up around religion, becoming a parent, mental health, death, social media scrutiny and what the future of The Amity Affliction looks like.
ERIN LECOUNT: "I Lost The Sense That Singing Was For Me"
2026/08/18
Fully self-produced, no formal training, and lyrics that feel ripped straight from a diary - Erin LeCount is an artist on the precipice of stardom. We catch up off the back of a sold out tour, and get into what it really means to grow up in the public eye and navigate the vulnerability that comes with putting your most personal moments out into the world for strangers to dissect. Erin chats production Easter eggs, the sentimental samples nobody else will get, and how this playful approach to music creation is perhaps healing an inner child. She's returned to her self, we are living life to LOVE HYSTERICALLY. If you're a fan of Florence and the Machine, Kate Bush or Caroline Polachek, here's a new artist to add to the playlist!
AMY SHARK: "I Fell Off... I Was Not in a Good Place", The Comeback & 'Soft Pop' Deep Dive
2026/08/04
Not many people know the full story behind Amy Shark's career. Four albums in, hundreds of millions of streams, and it all started because her little brother began guitar lessons and she thought, if this little loser can do it, so can I. In this episode we go right back to the beginning, growing up on the Gold Coast with a family that thought pursuing music was absolutely out of the picture, an angry all-girl punk band called Hansel Kissed Gretel, losing jobs to go see live music, and the sliding doors moment where she almost sent a song called Home to M-Phazes instead of the track that really kicked it all off, Adore. We also get into what album four, soft pop, has felt like compared to Love Monster, Cry Forever and Sunday Sadness, and dive into the sexy and sad sides to this body of work. You can tell Amy has returned to self, she's having fun with it, and after a decade since Adore is still madly obsessed with music.
DICE: World's Most Isolated City, Global Fans & a Second Album Deep Dive
2026/07/28
This is DICE's first proper long-form interview! What a privilege! DICE are one of Perth's most exciting bands right now and it all started with a Covid jam session, a broken heart, and absolutely no plan. In this episode we go right back to the moment they wrote their first original song and realised they might actually be onto something. We get into what it really takes to break out of Perth as a band, playing multiple shows a weekend and carrying their amps across the city until they burned out (and how that burnout turned into some of their best songs). From the turning point in their career that had Australia talking, to deep diving their brand new record 'I Thought the Altitude Would Make It Worth the View'. We cover a lot of ground here, so get ready!
DRAX PROJECT: Busking, Breakout Hits, Blind Beats & Supporting Robbie Williams
2026/07/22
Drax Project are one of the most unlikely success stories to come out of New Zealand: three jazz school kids plus a fan-turned-band-member, who started busking on the streets of Wellington to pay rent and somehow ended up on the same stage as Ed Sheeran, Lorde and Christina Aguilera. In this episode Sam & Ben take it back to the Wellington jazz scene, the busking days, the toga parties, and what it really took to build an audience from scratch in a country where breaking out is genuinely hard. We get into why coming out of jazz school and wanting to make pop music was considered embarrassing by pretty much everyone around them, why they stayed independent, and how they found their sound by deliberately doing the opposite of what was already working in their city. We also talk their viral side project BlindBeat and why after two albums and countless EPs they're done with grand plans and just making music that feels good - they're ripping up that rulebook!
MATT CORBY: Behind One of Australia's Most Iconic Voices
2026/07/14
Not many people know the full story behind Matt Corby's career. Despite being a household name who has soundtracked generations (hundreds of millions of streams, huge hits like Brother and Resolution) the journey to get there is not what you'd expect. We go right back to the beginning singing as a ten year old with a vibrato he couldn't control, touring the country at 14 and landing on Australian Idol. From there it's the move to the UK, coming home broke and in debt, and making coffees six days a week while writing the songs that would change everything. We also get into label politics, the unreleased album he hopes no one ever finds, why he's always pushed back against the industry, and what it means to produce for other artists out of his studio at Rainbow Valley. Plus we hear about the creation of his latest album Tragic Magic which came out of a hard period for Matt.
HOOLIGAN HEFS: From Western Sydney to Rolling Loud Miami
2026/07/07
Hooligan Hefs is the Western Sydney rapper putting Australia on the map. We go right back to the beginning growing up in the 2767, Doonside, making music in a mate's wardrobe with soundproofing and doing it purely for the boys before the rest of the world caught on. We get into what it really means to come up in Western Sydney, why staying independent when the label contracts started rolling in was the smartest move he made, and how he became the pioneer of Australia's drill-meets-EDM sound. We also talk performing at Rolling Loud Miami, linking up with Savage, and the career move Hefs is now making off the back of one conversation with him. Plus: the A$AP Rocky shoutout, and a deep dive into his brand new EP Sixth Sense - packed with collaborations, an evolution in sound, and plenty of nitty gritty in between.
KITA ALEXANDER: RAGE, Rose-Coloured Glasses, the Double Life of Kita Alexander
2026/07/02
Kita's story is one of naivety, guts and manifesting things into existence (which we do a lot of in this episode). We dive into the story that took her from SoundCloud demos and cold-emailing management teams to touring with Dua Lipa and pitching Fisher's 'Atmosphere'. One thing you'll learn quickly: rose-coloured glasses may get you further than you think in this industry. We also get deep into her brand new album RAGE - why the girl who presents as the calmest person in the room has a whole album called rage, what it means to live a double life as a mum and a musician, and why she thinks female anger is finally getting its moment. Plus: her next electronic collab, a live show idea for the single crowd out there, and a deluxe edition that's already on the way!
SOUTH SUMMIT: Mining Town in the Pilbara to 'Run It Back'
2026/06/23
If you're into Ocean Alley or SIX60, South Summit are a band to get on your radar. Today I sit down with Zaya and Nemo, one half of Australia's most exciting reggae-rock acts. In this episode, we go right back to growing up in a 3,000-person mining town in the Pilbara of Western Australia, moving to Perth on rugby scholarships, boarding school, and the random Covid jam session that turned into their first ever song. We relive their first gigs, their worst gigs, and all the lessons they've learnt since dropping their first song back in 2020. They've just dropped a brand new album, 'Run It Back', which sees them step outside of their reggae-rock tag. You best believe we dive into that!

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