Tash Sultana is coming home. The Australian singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer has announced their first headline shows since 2019, hitting Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane with a string of special, intimate performances. Fresh off the release of their Return To The Roots EP, we caught up the artist about creating the new music and what to expect from these shows:

We’re so excited you’re coming back to Australia for your first shows in six years. I know you have an amazing studio of your own in Melbourne that you’re super proud of. Is that where you wrote your recent Return to the Roots EP?

Yes, I’m so proud of the space. That’s where I wrote most of it.

Do you ever write in other environments?

If I’m overseas I usually keep a little setup in my backpack so I can walk into somebody’s studio and have the basics of what I need. But it’s nice that people are coming to [my studio] now.

You’ve just announced your upcoming Australian tour, your first one in six years. How has your live show evolved since then?

You can’t even compare it. Well, I mean the rest of the world can because I’ve been over there touring this entire time and not in Australia. They’ve kind o coming along on the journey. But for Australia it’s been this huge chunk of time missing. I didn’t tour Terra Firma in Australia or Sugar or anything like that so it’s been six years where I haven’t done a tour. And it’s going going to be three small shows. First in, first served. One night only. Get in quick.

Will you add more shows when they ell out immediately?

No but I’ve got a plan up my sleeve that I’m not going to ruin…

Exciting. Is there a song you’re most excited to play live? Or that you’ve been playing overseas that is you’re loving?

Pink Moon has been going off. You gotta be there. YOu’ve gotta come to the show. I’ve worked so hard on this show, the production is fucked up. The visuals are insane. It’s a full acid trip but without taking acid. So for the people who are taking acid I can only imagine what that experience would be?

I’ve never asked anyone this but I think you will have a good answer. What’s your pre-show ritual?

It’s really long. Strap in, I’ll tell you. It’s four hours long. So on a typical show day, I wake up at the same time, get up, eat at the same time, soundcheck at the same time. And then I do a thing called a lockdown. So four hours before I go on stage, it begins. I'll eat a meal and then I'll have a cold shower, and then after that I will meditate with a vaporizer mask on in front of an infrared light for half an hour. Then after that I will do deep yoga  or pilates for half an hour. Then I tune my trumpet, tune my saxophone, and then pick an outfit. Steam it, have bone broth, put my face on, and then do vocal warmups pretty much all the way up until I go on the stage. I take my guitar into the toilet and sit on the toilet with my guitar for 30 minutes.

And do you eat the same thing every day?

No, I have the same supplements every day though. When I come home and I don't have routine, I find that adjustment really, really hard because I train like an athlete on tour so that I can perform the best and sing the best. I need to be able to run around without getting out of breath.

Do you sing while you work out, Beyonce style?

Yeah, I do.

Is there anything inspiring you right now aside from music?

Facing myself. It’s really hard, but I think it's really necessary. There's a bit of shadow work that I need to do right now. Things that need to come to the forefront and be resolved in order for me to be able to like move into the next part of my calling. So I’m feeling absolutely everything.

That's a scary thing to do.

It's really scary. I love it.

Tickets to the Australian shows are on sale HERE.

Listen to Return To The Roots HERE.

@tashsultanaofficial