Many artists' first gigs are modest affairs: a few friends, a small club — maybe not even a club at all, but a coffeehouse or a school gym or a backyard.

But what if one of your earliest gigs was at the South by Southwest music festival in Austin, Texas? For Chet Faker, that's exactly how it went. "It was my sixth gig ever," he says. "It was intense."

Chet Faker — whose real name is Nick Murphy — shared the SXSW story with Mary Lucia today when he stopped in to The Current's studio for an interview and to play a few songs ahead of his show tonight in the First Avenue Mainroom.

Murphy is an artist who embraces the fact that an artist is always growing. "I'm still trying to find my voice," he says, describing his evolution as a vocalist.

And although he's won awards and has earned the recognition of his musical heroes, as well as invitations to tour together, Murphy isn't one to rest on his laurels. "It's nice to be recognized," he says, "but the day you put your accolades on the wall is the day you stop improving."

Murphy also talks about his admiration of Chet Baker's work, about putting his self-critiques in perspective, about how an off-the-cuff cover caught fire online and about what it feels like to earn the admiration of the live audiences in his hometown of Melbourne, Australia. Listen to the full interview by clicking the audio player above.

Songs Performed

"I'm Into You"
"Talk Is Cheap"
"Gold"
The first song is from Chet Faker's 2012 EP, Thinking in Textures, available on Remote Control Records. The other two songs off Chet Faker's 2014 album, Built on Glass, out on Downtown Records.

Hosted by Mary Lucia
Produced by Jade
Engineered by Michael DeMark
Web feature by Luke Taylor

Related

• Random Vinyl: Chet Baker - Let's Get Lost
• Chet Faker = official site