From mesmerising audiences with his high-energy live show, Logan is quickly becoming an artist you need-to-know. The Gold Coast based singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, dancer, and producer roared into his breakout year in 2023 with a colourful vision of creativity that will have you immediately hooked. Showcasing at BIGSOUND, SXSW Sydney and opening for Pacific Avenue, he showcased to his strongest ability his artistic vision and set the bar for what was to come. His debut mixtape “Lost In Translation” is out now and heralds the lead singles “Huh”, “Stop And Stare”, “Wow”, “Famous”, “Movies”, “Say It”, and three brand-new songs.

I recently chatted with Logan about the creative process behind his debut mixtape “Lost In Translation”, creating the visual world for this project within the captivating music videos, and finding his groove on the live stage. Check it out BELOW:

THOMAS BLEACH: Your debut mixtape “Lost In Translation” is out now and it’s a bold body of work that I think perfectly introduces you to listeners. What do you hope the biggest takeaway from this mixtape is for first time listeners?

LOGAN: I hope their biggest takeaway is that they hear something new. I’m always striving to say things and sing melodies that I wouldn’t think of.

TB: “Still Holding On” closes the mixtape in a very raw and vulnerable light compared to the rest of the body of work. Can you explain the creative process and the intention behind this track?

L: “Still Holding On” was a very in-the-moment song, it came out of a one-take freestyle about something happening in my life at that time, which kinda means that it was both the process and the intention outpouring at once.

TB: “Famous” and “Wow” both have this infectious energy to them that also capture this genuine joy within the recordings. Can you tell us a little fun fact about the recording process for each track? 

L: I always love to know which melody or instrument inspired a song. For “Famous”, it was the organ. I had arrived at my producer Tony Buchen’s studio, we agreed to finish the song from the day before, but this package came in the mail, it was this little red organ. Tony plugged it in and jammed for about half an hour while I sat and watched. He played what went on to be the main “Famous” organ line, and I said, hold on, we gotta put that down, there’s a song right there.

There were actually two different versions of “Wow”, it was basically written twice in one day. The word “Wow” was the only thing that stuck – the original chorus was “I fell in love with an angel” but then five hours in, I jokingly sung “I fell in love with my neighbour” and quickly knew that was the direction.

TB: What song from the mixtape went through the most versions to get it to where it is now sonically?

L: These songs really all became well-mixed versions of demos I wrote in my bedroom over the past few years! So for the versions of songs that made it onto the Mixtape, it really came down to tightening the mixes – which I’d say all took equal time.

TB: The music video for “Huh” was the moment that I was like, “he’s a star” because it was such a unique and captivating glimpse into your artistry and the vision you have. There were a lot of quirky public shots, did you have any funny run-ins with the general public while filming?

L: We honestly had so, so many awkward and funny run-ins! We filmed it on the Gold Coast, where I live, and the places we shot at were some of the city’s busiest areas! Particularly the payphone shot. We had a crowd of people watching and cheering from a-far! It was both nerve-racking and confidence-boosting boosting, however that adds up… But to say the least, what a fun experience it was and I was so over the moon with the result! I worked with some really cool local creatives, including my director Levi Cranston, who shot the whole thing on film. He also worked on the “Famous” music video, which was another sick music video. 

TB: Your live set is genuinely impressive. The first time I saw it I was taken aback. When you began building the set, how long did it take you to find the right groove with the band and the songs, and the structure of it all?

L: Thank you! You know, my band has done an amazing job of replicating my recordings, they’re such fantastic players, it hasn’t been difficult at all to find the feel. And choosing the songs for the set was super fun. I thought about it for a little bit, obviously I had to have the mixtape songs in the set, but also added some songs in the archive that I wanted to see the light of day sooner – which they may just be easter eggs for the future! My favourite song to play live has become “Still Holding On”. In rehearsal we’d play it from start to finish but, one night, we randomly began jamming right after playing ‘Stop & Stare’, and we hit this funky groove. I couldn’t stop from dancing and singing to it, ad-libbing lyrics from “Still Holding On” – which we ended up adding as a bridge/break-down for the song exclusive to our live show – it’s always a highlight for me. Even though it’s planned, it’s a different version every time and we keep it candid!

TB: Last year saw you supporting Pacific Avenue and Teen Jesus And The Jean Teasers, as well as performing at BIGSOUND, SXSW Sydney, Spilt Milk, Heaps Good, and Mushroom 50 Live. What was one of your favourite moments from performing live last year? 

L: I would say the first show with Pacific Avenue. It was my first ever live show, it gave a response I couldn’t have imagined. The following night, some of the fans showed up again and even knew the lyrics, that was surreal. I also have to mention, the opportunity to perform at the Mushroom 50th along with so many Australian legacy artists was such an honour – Rod Laver Arena, 12,000 people. It was a vivid taste of my dream since I was little, I couldn’t put that feeling into words.

TB: And from all of those performances, what was the biggest learning moment you had where either something went wrong and you had to act in the moment, or you walked away from the set and had some strong re-evaluation? 

L: One night, I dropped the mic stand during my first song, my microphone cable was faulty and fell out multiple times. I made those mistakes clear and laughed at myself with the crowd. It was a learning moment though, I want to do the very best show I can every time, but sometimes things don’t go to plan and you kinda have to see the good in the bad.

TB: Dancing is a massive part of your life, and it’s a massive part of your live-set too. When you started incorporating it to the show did it come naturally or did you have to think about the stage choreography in a different way?

L: It was totally natural, music makes me dance. It also makes me feel super comfortable to sing in front of people if I’m dancing too. One day, the dream is to graduate my off-the-top shows, and create a special performance involving choreography and more. But until then, I’ll keep getting down the way I do.

TB: You are hitting the road next month with Kian for a show in Castlemaine. Are you preparing a new live show for it ? Will some of the new mixtape songs make an appearance? Anything from the next chapter too?

L: For sure. I may or may not add some new songs from my future projects too, we will see. But I am so so excited to play this show alongside Kian! See you all there !!

“Lost In Translation” is out now!

LOGAN + KIAN CO-HEADLINE SHOW

Saturday 25 May – Live At The Camp – Castlemaine