Matt_Hsu's_Obscure_Orchestra
Matt Hsu's Obscure Orchestra
Musical artist
Matt Hsu is a Taiwanese-Australian musician and composer who records and performs as Matt Hsu's Obscure Orchestra.[1] Hsu was born in 1986 to immigrant Taiwanese parents in Brisbane.[2] 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.[2] In 2020, he became a Queensland Music Awards winner in the world music category[3] and has been identified as "one of the freshest feeling projects in Australian music right now."[4] Matt is also known as the co-founder, trumpet player and songwriter for the folk punk band The Mouldy Lovers.[5] Matt's 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.[6] The album features collaborations with noted Tibetan musician Tenzin Choegyal, Triple J Unearthed Sprung Hip Hop winner Blaq Carrie,[7] and Japanese musician Kenta Hayashi.[8] As a 'one-person orchestra' he has performed at TEDx and Australia's BIGSOUND Festival, and has been featured on SBS World News,[9] and ABC's Art Works.
