| Matt Hsu's Obscure Orchestra | |
| Birth Name: | Matt Hsu |
| Background: | solo_singer |
| Birth Place: | Brisbane, Queensland, Australia |
| Birth Date: | 1986 |
| Instrument: | Trumpet, clarinet, accordion, double bass, mbira, trombone, marimba, vibraphone, percussion |
| Genre: | Experimental music, art pop, bedroom pop, Political hip hop |
| Occupation: | Composer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist |
| Website: | obscureorchestra.com |
Matt Hsu is a Taiwanese-Australian musician and composer. In 2020, he established a live ensemble consisting of Brisbane indie musicians, hip-hop artists, classically-trained musicians, and multi-disciplinary artists, dubbed Matt Hsu's Obscure Orchestra.
Matt Hsu was born in 1986 to immigrant Taiwanese parents in Brisbane.[1]
As a child he listened to metal and punk music, in an effort to distance himself from Asian stereotypes, but later embraced his Taiwanese heritage, using music to express overcoming internalised racism.[1] When he was 15, he played in a metal band, rapping covers of Rage Against The Machine.[2]
Hsu is known as the co-founder, trumpet player and songwriter for the folk punk band The Mouldy Lovers.[3] [2]
In 2018, Hsu started establishing "Matt Hsu's Obscure Orchestra".[4]
His 2019 debut album The Shirt Album is notable for having been released "in the form of an organic fair-trade T-shirt in place of a CD" with the aim of reducing potential plastic waste.[5] The album features collaborations with noted Tibetan musician Tenzin Choegyal, Triple J Unearthed Sprung Hip Hop winner Blaq Carrie,[6] and Japanese musician Kenta Hayashi,[7]
Emily Wurramara has provided vocals on one of his projects.[2]
As a "one-person orchestra" he has performed at TEDx and Australia's BIGSOUND Festival, and has been featured on SBS World News,[8] and ABC's Art Works.
In 2020, Hsu became a Queensland Music Awards winner in the world music category[9]
The Queensland Music Awards (previously known as Q Song Awards) are annual awards celebrating Queensland, Australia's brightest emerging artists and established legends. They commenced in 2006.
(wins only)! |-! scope="row"| 2020| "Make Everything"| World Award of the Year| | [9] |-! scope="row"| 2022| "Welcome to the Neighbourhood" (Taiwanese: 就當家裡)| World Award of the Year| | [10] |}
In 2020, Matt established a live ensemble consisting of Brisbane indie musicians, hip-hop artists, classically trained musicians, and multi-disciplinary artists.[11] Known as Matt Hsu's Obscure Orchestra, the ensemble is "underpinned by gender equity, inclusivity and visibility",[12] and currently comprises 25 core members and frequent guest vocalists, which include culturally diverse, First Nations, disabled, transgender and non-binary artists.