A Quick Chat with Conscious CONNECTS

Tell us a bit about Conscious CONNECTS and who is it for?
Conscious CONNECTS is for anybody who is looking for practical tips and tools on how to be the best artist you can be or how to get involved as somebody looking to work in the music industry. CONNECTS is an annual event that bridges the gap between access and knowledge + practical skills. We’ve curated a line up of people who actually work day-to-day in the music industry as artists and professionals to come and share their insights, tips, tools and resources with the community. The idea being that by the end of the day, you can leave with something to implement in your own practice that will make a tangible difference.

Can you tell us more about the workshops that are available on the day?
This year, you can engage with a series of Activities, Workshops and Stations while also checking out some dope performances. Activities are things you can practically do on the day, for example, perform at the open mic being facilitated by Bodega Collective, or get your own press shots taken by AWWW Pty Ltd, or record your own song in River Road Creative Academy’s Mobile Music Lab. Workshops are sessions designed to give you insights, information and practical tools that you can apply to your practice. This year we have sessions on creating your own pathway in music with Cathy Nguyen from New Gen Artistry, building your own live show and music production with Toby Chew Lee from Day One Builds, getting your performance skills ready with a performance workshop by Timomatic, and learning about how to run your own DIY event with MusicNSW. Stations are an opportunity to meet and connect with a wide range of people from across the spectrum of the music industry including Triple J Unearthed, Outloud, Sedgewick Ave Project and some of our workshop and activity facilitators mentioned above.

The theme is centered around "creating and harnessing opportunities". What does that look like on the day, and why was it the right focus for 2026?
We recognise that everybody in the scene is hungry for an opportunity and sometimes the opportunities aren’t readily available. So instead of waiting for them, we wanted CONNECTS this year to be centred around how to be proactive in this space, how can we create our own opportunities and how can we be empowered to do so.

Western Sydney has produced an incredible amount of talent but historically less infrastructure. What gap is this event filling for artists out west?
Like the event title suggests, we try to connect the dots. We aim to bring the right mix of people together that will bridge the gap. Our community is resilient and resourceful. We may not have everything we need but when we work together, we find ways to make it happen. So for us at Conscious, we always aim to support and empower. To give people a chance to see what’s possible and then provide them access to the knowledge and the tools to go out and do it.

If someone turns up with no gear, no press shots and no contacts, what can they realistically walk away with by the end of the day?
They can literally leave the event with a recorded song, a press shot and a list of real people who they have actually spoken to and connected with on the day. They can even attend a performance workshop with Timomatic and have a crack at performing on the open mic with Bodega Collective. This is not an event where you turn up and just listen to people talk. This event is designed for you to come and get your hands dirty. Get in and amongst it and leave with some things that you can use and apply the very next day.

You've got Timomatic headlining the live performance side, plus RIAH, T1LL0W, PA777IENCE, 84 HeARTz and The Collective Reality performing - how were those artists and mentors chosen?
We’re very excited and grateful to have Timomatic come through and perform at Conscious CONNECTS this year. We’ve seen the work he’s been doing with Mentor Academy and saw it as a dope opportunity to link with Mentory Academy and Timomatic, to introduce the community to their platform and what they offer, which is to build real pathways for artists and industry workers out there. RIAH and T1LL0W are two artists in our current COHORT program which is our year long engagement that works with four Western Sydney artists and commissions them to write, record and release a new single and music video while participating in a bespoke artist development pathway. PA777IENCE is a COHORT alumni who has since performed at places like SXSW London and BIGSOUND. We’re happy to have them back to showcase their amazing music. 84 HeARTz and The Collective Reality are two groups who were formed in our Conscious NXT program, which is our 10-week academy that works with school-aged young people from the Campbelltown-Macarthur region. Both groups wrote a single as part of their engagement with the program, which are absolute bangers! We’re looking forward to seeing them perform their tracks on the day.

Getting music in front of triple j Unearthed is a big drawcard. What's the one piece of advice you'd give artists before chatting to that team on the day?
Come prepared. Don’t be shy. Take your opportunity. Bring your original music, songs that you love and that you’re passionate about and be ready to share. It’s a great opportunity to have your music heard by people who are real lovers and supporters of local music.

Register now to take part in the free Activities, Stations and Performances or book now to secure your spot in a free Workshop. Explore the full Conscious CONNECTS program at conscious.org.au/connects

Conscious CONNECTS 2026 is a Campbelltown Arts Centre program produced in collaboration with Village Boy Entertainment, presented as part of Conscious Elevate which is proudly funded by the NSW Government through Sound NSW.