At 13-years-old, Inkabee a Noongar hip-hop and R&B artist from Perth/Boorloo has been making serious waves. From America’s Got Talent, to triple j Like A Version, Inkabee dominates the stage wherever he goes.

Introduce yourself and the music you create, for those who don't know you yet!

Hey, my name's Inkabee. I'm a young Noongar from Perth Boorloo, I make hip-hop, I make R&B, and yeah, that’s me.

You have a brand-new single ‘Vibez’ out, congrats! Tell us a bit of the backstory behind this song.

So, the backstory behind 'Vibez' is that we were all in Canada. Just being there made me feel really inspired, seeing all the different vibes around. I decided to do an R&B song because I was finding my way into my R&B phase, and that's just kind of what it felt like – a real vibey song.

In March, you became the youngest artist ever to perform on triple j Like A Version. What was this experience like?

It was a crazy experience being the youngest artist ever on triple j Like A Version. I feel very honoured being able to do that; it's a very big accomplishment. I was a bit nervous at the start, but with all the rehearsals and practices leading up to it, I knew that I was going to smash it. So yeah, it was great.

Who are some of your biggest influences, inside and outside of music?

An obvious one is my dad, FLEWNT. He’s done lots of great things for me and I’m very inspired by him. Outside of that, I’m inspired by whatever I’m listening to at the moment. If I’m listening to rap, I’ll do a rap song. If I’m listening to house, I’ll do a house song. If I’m listening to R&B, I’ll do an R&B song.

You’re dropping your debut mixtape on April 29. What makes this project so special to you?

One thing that makes the mixtape real special is that it drops on my 14th birthday. It’s basically the story of my music journey so far, like a scrapbook of my life. It starts from when I was 10 all the way to 14, and there’s talk in between the tracks to tell the listeners what’s going on. It closes off that part of my life from being young up to 14, and then gives me space to start a new chapter.

What have been some of your career highlights so far?

Being able to travel to all these places at such a young age. I'm really lucky I got to travel to the USA and all over Australia. Doing triple j Like A Version and America's Got Talent were two big accomplishments. But one of the best things was definitely performing at the triple j One Night Stand with 3%. That crowd was crazy, and now it makes me want to make every show feel like that.

What advice would you give to young musicians who want to do what you do?

I just say keep making music. You never know how far you're gonna get. Honestly, I never knew that I was gonna make it this far. Just keep being yourself and don't let the haters get to you.

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