BIGSOUND 2018 Artist Focus Eilish Gilligan

Give us a short description of your music: Dreamy, freaky pop.

Which acts are on your must-see list at BIGSOUND? I can't wait to see Didirri, Arno Faraji, Moaning Lisa, Eliott - definitely way too many for me to list!

In your career to date, what have been the key watershed moments? I think I would say that when my song S.M.F.Y. was added to full rotation on triple j, pretty much everything changed for me. I'll never forget it - it was like, 'so *this* is what it feels like to have all your dreams come true.' It feels very good!

If you could give your younger self, starting out as a musician, a few words of wisdom, what would they be? Understand and respect your own worth. It took me a long time to get that.

Why should people come and see you among the many amazing bands at BIGSOUND? I did once aspire to be a music theatre ingenue (before realising that I'm only a single threat) so my shows are rather dramatic, haha. I think they're super fun, and I'm not the best dancer but a little thing like that isn't going to stop me!

What industry lessons would you like to take away from the BIGSOUND conference? As a self-managed artist I'm always open to learning more about the industry and BIGSOUND is the perfect place for all of that stuff. I'm really excited to attend as many panels as I can and make the most of the experience.

What do you identify as the most pressing issue impacting the Australian music industry at present? I think that, broadly, lack of diversity/representation in every facet of the industry is one of the most pressing issues, if not the most pressing issue, in the Australian industry at the moment. It's well and truly time for change.

What music trends do you think are dominating right now, and do you have any predictions for the coming year? I think it's literally anyone's game at the moment, which is the best way things can be! Strict genre lines are becoming less and less of a thing and I think that's great. No predictions - I love being surprised.

When and where is your BIGSOUND showcase? The Flying Cock - Tue, 4 Sep 2018, 9:50pm - 10.20pm; Family - Thu, 6 Sep 2018, 10:30pm - 11.00pm