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Perth Now
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Complete 180: Rapper 360 credits God for return to stage
Matt Colwell has been to hell and back. The 38-year-old Aussie rapper, better known by his stage name 360, has surfed the euphoric highs and suffered the lonely lows of fame. Surging to the charts in 2008 with his album What You See Is What You Get, the Melbourne-based artist's 2011 follow-up Falling & Flying scored him ARIA recognition as 2012's Breakthrough Artist. Collaborating with rock star Daniel Johns, and even supporting Eminem on tour in Australia in 2014, 360's trajectory was the envy of many grass-roots rappers looking to break through. However, the title of his second album proved true, with the star succumbing to crippling substance abuse and mental health battles in the ensuing years. 'It was like the fame, the money, the sex, the status, the houses and all that were just these things that I was always working towards having more of,' he tells PLAY. 'Nothing was ever enough.' Controlling his vices in the early years as a 'functioning addict', the rap artist says it all began to unravel when he became a 'depressed mess' and had gained 35kg. 'It got to the point where if I kept going down the path I was on, I was 100 per cent going to die,' he says. 360. Credit: Michelle Grace Hunder 'I spoke to my parents and just said, 'look, I've got to go to rehab'. And that was five years ago.' The star's journey to redemption has been built on a holy trinity of spiritual awakening, prioritising mental health, and regaining a hardness to his 6'4' frame as a former basketball player. However, the born-again Christian has most publicly credited God for finding himself again. But the irony that he once undermined religion in his music is not lost. 'I openly mocked Jesus Christ,' he admits. 'There's a number of my songs where I talk about God in quite a harsh way.' Now, instead of dropping the Lord's name in vain, the reformed rapper proudly carries his faith in the form of a cross around his neck. Unfortunately, 360's complete 180 from party boy to church-goer was a difficult pill for some fans to swallow. 'I lost thousands of followers (on social media) within the first week of sharing about it,' he says. 'I was kind of expecting it, but I also wasn't expecting the level of support that I was going to get. I thought I was going to lose everyone, but the support has been incredible.' With 360's upcoming fifth album Out Of The Blue set to drop on July 11, his early release Save My Soul rediscovers a knack for melding hard-hitting verses with catchy melodies. And weaved among the fast-moving bass line, he's owning up to his mistakes. Sodom & Gomorrah, another release, symbolises the rapper's emergence from the ashes of his formerly sinful lifestyle and the death of his destructive behaviours. But 360 doesn't label his new music 'Christian rap'; rather the same familiar style delivered by a man whose view of the world has shifted. And his joy in making music recaptured. As recently as only two or three years ago, he reveals, there was still very little hope his voice would return at all. 'I was living in grayscale, and suddenly this colour was coming back into my life,' Colwell says. 'A lot of this album was channelled from that place of feeling like I actually feel good, I actually feel happy, I feel healthy.' Embarking on his biggest national tour since the 2010s, 360 is set for a run of shows across the country this winter, ending at Perth's Metro City on August 2. 360. Credit: Michelle Grace Hunder Supported by Pez, a close mate from his teenage years who followed a similar path to hip-hop, 360's crowd might look a little different to 15 years ago. And this time, the once stalwart of Australia's rap scene takes his position as a role model seriously. Because he's far more aware how literally his message can be received. 'I had someone reach out to me and go, 'Man, I'm so happy you've become Christian. When I was 15, me and my mates used to listen to your music and you're the reason we started doing drugs',' he says. 'When I heard that, I was just like, 'brother, I do not like that'.' Tackling his issues head on, and sharing them with those who might also be struggling, Colwell now hopes he can be a vessel for good. 'I think the values that I have now and the person that I've become, I do think it's a lot more worthy of looking up to than the person that I was,' he says.
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Country music superstars perform chart-topping duet at Boston Calling
The first night of Boston Calling ended with two country music stars sharing the stage for an electrifying duet. Luke Combs brought out Megan Moroney to perform Combs' 2019 smash hit 'Beer Never Broke My Heart.' The song, which was the lead single from Combs' sophomore album 'What You See Is What You Get,' topped Billboard's Country Airplay chart, becoming Combs' sixth consecutive No. 1 on the chart. 'Beer Never Broke My Heart' has been certified six-times platinum by the RIAA as of August 23, 2023. The performance marked a full-circle moment for Moroney as the self-proclaimed 'Emo Cowgirl' appeared as an unpaid extra in the song's music video back in 2019, Combs told the crowd. Continuous rain would not stop Megan Moroney fans from enjoying her performance on Friday, May 23, 2025 during Boston Calling at the Harvard Athletic Complex. Continuous rain would not stop Megan Moroney fans from enjoying her performance on Friday, May 23, 2025 during Boston Calling at the Harvard Athletic Complex. Continuous rain would not stop Megan Moroney fans from enjoying her performance on Friday, May 23, 2025 during Boston Calling at the Harvard Athletic Complex. Continuous rain would not stop Megan Moroney fans from enjoying her performance on Friday, May 23, 2025 during Boston Calling at the Harvard Athletic Complex. Continuous rain would not stop Megan Moroney fans from enjoying her performance on Friday, May 23, 2025 during Boston Calling at the Harvard Athletic Complex. Continuous rain would not stop Megan Moroney fans from enjoying her performance on Friday, May 23, 2025 during Boston Calling at the Harvard Athletic Complex. Continuous rain would not stop Megan Moroney fans from enjoying her performance on Friday, May 23, 2025 during Boston Calling at the Harvard Athletic Complex. Continuous rain would not stop Megan Moroney fans from enjoying her performance on Friday, May 23, 2025 during Boston Calling at the Harvard Athletic Complex. Moroney also told fans about it during a VIP pre-show at a May 15 concert at the Amory in Minneapolis, Country Chord reported. The 'Am I Okay?' said her best friend drove her to Nashville so she could appear in Combs' video. 'If you literally look at the Spotify canvas, I even made it into the 8 seconds,' Moroney told fans. 'I was supposed to be the drunk girl at the bar, so I was holding up a fake beer.' The 'Tennessee Orange' singer can be seen around the 2:20 mark of the video. Moroney shows up a few more times as well. Combs' closed out night one of Boston Calling on Friday, May 23. Fall Out Boy will headline Saturday night while Dave Matthews Band will close out the festival on Sunday night. Click here to see the full schedule for Boston Calling. Find this tucked-away lounge at Boston Calling for free merchandise, games PHOTOS: Luke Combs wraps up Night 1 at 2025 Boston Calling Acclaimed indie band recalls Boston Calling act that left them starstruck After serious safety concerns at Boston Calling last year, fans return in 2025 T-Pain gets Boston Calling sprung on Night 1 (Photos) Read the original article on MassLive.
