CREATIVE CONVERSATIONS 155: 360 | OUT OF THE BLUE AND BACK AGAIN
Interview by Brooke Gibbs.
It’s been eight years since 360 dropped Vintage Modern, and even longer since the ARIA-winning rapper stood atop Australia’s hip hop mountain. In that time, the world has changed and so has he. Now, seemingly Out Of The Blue, 360 is making a triumphant return with a powerful new album, an intimate national tour, and a renewed sense of purpose. But this comeback isn’t just about music. It’s about survival, self-reflection, and the raw, redemptive power of truth.
With his signature honesty and disarming humility, 360 sat down with Futuremag Music’s Brooke Gibbs for a revealing conversation about addiction, mental health, his creative rebirth, and the brotherhood that has kept him grounded through it all. As he prepares to hit stages across the country this July and August, joined by longtime friend and collaborator PEZ, 360 opens up about what it means to fall apart, put the pieces back together, and finally find joy again in both life and lyricism.
From the vulnerable storytelling of his single Save My Soul to the behind-the-scenes magic of their upcoming Forthwrite podcast, this isn’t just a return. It’s a reckoning and a reminder of why 360 remains one of the most compelling voices in Australian music.
FMM: Well, firstly, it's so good to see you back because I last interviewed you when you released Vintage Modern, which feels like a lifetime ago now, and you've had a bit of a break since from releasing music, so what have you been up to?
360: Oh, wow, that's a good question. The last eight years has been pretty hectic for me. A lot of ups and downs. Mainly downs for me in that time. You know, I had to go to rehab about five years ago. I've been struggling with addiction for most of my adult life, and five years ago, I got to the point where it was like, if I don't do something about this, then I'm gonna die. So I went in there for four months. The last five years has been a process of just trying to sort my life out, get myself together, get healthy, and finally start being responsible for myself and not falling back into the old habits.
FMM: Mental health recovery isn't something that just happens overnight, so how did you know when you were ready to come back?
360: I thought that once I went to rehab and got out, I would hit the ground running and I'd be back. I thought that's all it would take. But it was kind of a rude awakening. I got out and I was still in such a dark place that it took me about two years to get out of that darkness and start feeling good again. But a lot of it came down to my health. I was very overweight. I was 120 kilograms, so I spent years sorting my diet out and getting exercise. I think when you look after your physical health, your mental health goes hand in hand with that.
FMM: The new music is great. I’ve been listening to Save My Soul, and my favourite lyric is, ‘they know me when I fall, but I get back up.’ A lot of people in your shoes could have given up, but you’re back here strong, so what inspires you to get back up?
360: Thank you for saying that. I've always wanted to be a good role model for everyone. Not just young men, but everyone. I guess I kind of was thrust into the spotlight and was pushed as this young role model from an early age. And I think I really failed. To be honest, I think I've definitely failed at being a good role model. I know for a fact that I've inspired heaps of people to start using drugs, which was never my intention. So, to do that was really, really difficult to reflect on that. I know that I've had a positive influence on people as well, but the fact that I had had such a negative influence on people made me want to really come back and not finish on that note. Not to fall in a heap and then just leave it there. If anything, I would want to come back and give people something positive to look up to and then go out.
FMM: You've described the new album as a blend of your older sounds with a refined edge. Can you tell me more about that?
360: Yeah, it's definitely a bit of a blend of everything. I feel like if you listen to my discography, it feels like the natural evolution of where I should be going or where I should have gone. Like if you listen to my old music, it might be just me because I'm hypercritical of myself, but I can hear the flaws in my rapping. I can hear where I'm still trying to find the flow. I'm still trying to project my voice properly and stuff like that. And with this album, I feel like this is finally in a position where I actually really like the music. I feel like I'm an established artist now, not someone who's still trying to work out how to rap.
FMM: I'm really excited to see that you're going back on tour. What are you most looking forward to and what do you have in store?
360: Yeah, that's interesting. I'm so looking forward to doing these new songs. I'm looking forward to seeing how they go down with people. We previewed a couple of the songs on our last regional tour, and they went down really well. So, I imagine they're going to go down even better now that people know them. Also, just getting on tour with PEZ again. We've both had similar trajectories in our life where we've had our issues that we've gone through and to now come back full circle and we've connected as friends deeper than we ever have before. We've both gone through so much, physical, mental and spiritual growth in that time that it feels like we're in a place where we should have been all along.
FMM: I love that you guys have had such a long-term friendship and collaboration because sometimes in the music industry you see a lot of fallouts or people pitting against each other to get to where they want to go. What do you think has worked between you and PEZ to maintain that?
360: There's never been any ego there. And it's interesting you say that because I've known a lot of people, especially in the Aussie rap world, where you become friends with someone, but then because of the music side of things, it's like it becomes a competition and there's a lot of ego involved in that. The beautiful thing about our friendship is that we've never had that. We've never tried to compete with one another at all. If anything, all we've wanted to do is trying to help one another be better in all aspects of our life. We haven't actually butted heads in that regard because I think it would have gotten really ugly if we had. Our friendship is just a very pure one. It's like we have a brotherhood. He's such a good person. You should see how much he's grown. He's gone through a beautiful life, and he's got these two beautiful kids and he's such a good dad now. I'm very proud of the man that he's become. I think we both are really good for one another in that regard, which we inspire one another to be better.
FMM: You’re going to be sharing a lot of your story on this tour, which comes through in your lyrics, but when it comes to your stage presence, what are some ways you like getting your story across?
360: I really like connecting with the crowd. Performing the songs is one thing, but trying to reach them on a level between the music is something that is also an art. I don't think people understand that. The way you converse with the crowd between songs is also really important. So, I'm looking forward to doing that and I’m still trying to figure out exactly how to do that, but I’m keen for that.
FMM: In addition to the music stuff, you’ve also been working on a podcast. What’s that all about?
360: Yeah, so we've started a podcast. We always wanted to do one. Whenever we catch up. Like, if PEZ comes over here, we'll be sitting on these couches and we'll be talking for hours, and the conversation goes in these really interesting places. It gets really, really deep, and then it gets super funny and just hilarious. We've always said, imagine if we could record these conversations. So, we just started doing that. At first, we tried to do it ourselves, using our own equipment, and realised how difficult it was. Then we started working with a friend who's got a studio and helping us with all the production of it, and it's looking amazing. The quality of it is really, really well done. We’ve got about five episodes, and we're tackling all aspects of life. We're going to be talking about PEZ and I’s history together, where our music went, what our life's been like since, what his life's been like, being a father, and also like our spiritual journey as well. We'll put it up on YouTube, we'll drop reels on Instagram and stuff like that. It'll probably be on Apple Music as well.
360’s Out Of The Blue Tour
FRI 18 JUL | THE FORUM, MELBOURNE VIC
SAT 19 JUL | ODEON THEATRE, HOBART TAS
FRI 25 JUL | METRO THEATRE, SYDNEY NSW
SAT 26 JUL | FORTITUDE MUSIC HALL, BRISBANE QLD
FRI 01 AUG | HINDLEY ST MUSIC HALL, ADELAIDE SA
SAT 02 AUG | METRO CITY, PERTH WA
SUN 03 AUG | MAYBERRY, DARWIN NT
