Bred from the same controlled chaos as hyperpop, digicore and cloud rap, “sigilkore” has quickly come into focus for the underground and mainstream alike—and 9lives is the one bridging the gap.
The 19-year-old, New Zealand-born producer has made a name for himself in recent months off the back of collaborations with Trippie Redd, Lil Nas X, midwxst, skaiwater and more. Simply put, 9lives is the standard when it comes to making the “dark” and “demonic” sound palatable for mainstream ears, especially for internet era listeners who gravitate toward niche aesthetics and shock value at first glance.
“I would say it’s obviously a lot darker,” 9lives said. “There’s more horror, almost spooky elements to it. Just a bit more of a darker spin [to hyperpop]. It’s still chaotic—it’s super busy and full—but I feel like it’s something that’s very accessible and not too far out to where you’ll be like ‘Okay, nevermind, this is too different for me.'”
The term, “sigilkore,” is a reference to sigils; a symbol associated with magic, deities and occult rituals. Originally, it was inspired by the genre’s frontrunners (Luic4 and islurwhenitalk) and their collective Jewelxxet’s religious beliefs, according to NoBells, whose piece “The Life (And Death?) Of Sigilkore” explains the uncanny origins of the genre. Nevertheless, 9lives has not only become its leading face in this revival period, but has taken it to new heights altogether. Shredding the genre’s suggestive labels as “Roblox music” or “rap for social outcasts,” he’s played a major role in expelling sigilkore from the shadows and hate-filled Reddit threads it seemingly derived from; fashioning it for the masses.
Marked by its busy, Gotham-esque aura, 9lives’ sound feels like you’re fighting a final boss on the last level of Arkham Asylum, gripping your controller ever-so-tightly holding back the urge of whipping it at the wall. This is on purpose, though, as 9lives’ affinity for video games (listen for the Call Of Duty Zombies references on 33.1Fm and #Exclusive) and deep passion for soundtracks compiled for the Final Fantasy, Sonic The Hedgehog and Kingdom Hearts franchises are what have admittedly fueled him to craft his ethereal, dark dystopian world. Aspirations to score movies—specifically any future Batman film—and recent signing to Pulse Records proves the path he’s on is certainly well-paved, affording cornerstone opportunities to work with upper-echelon talent in LNX and Trippie Redd.
“I feel like this is a check that boosted my confidence in a way—like proving to myself that if I want to get on that level, I can. It’s crazy because technically, I’m still a ‘bedroom producer,’ so I’m just chilling in my room making beats all day with my friends. But, “Light” proved to me that if I really want to, I can push to that level—even if I’m stuck in New Zealand.”
9lives on “light” with Lil Nas X and skaiwater
However, 9lives’ work within the underground, especially with alt-phenoms and close friends in Odetari and Kaniii, initially brought light to his focus of bringing all corners of the current wave together. Telling us of a forthcoming compilation album—akin to a classic Metro Boomin project—in the works, seeing artists like Che and Tana hop on a track with Homixide Gang and Young Nudy aren’t “far out,” as he describes. “We’re still in the early stages of it, but it’ll be an album where you can discover new artists. It’s definitely something I want to create, but I’m not going to rush it or force it. For sure by the end of this year, it’ll happen.”
“I want to be the Metro Boomin of the underground. That’s like the pinnacle, forefront image I can give for how I want people to view my music: Being that Metro type of person curating the underground in a way that bridges all these artists together.”
9lives to OGM
Days before the release of his latest single “CANADA,” 9lives sat down with us to discuss his origin story, the definition of sigilkore (and its future), working with Trippie Redd, Lil Nas X, a forthcoming compilation album that looks to bring together the avengers of the underground and more in this OGM exclusive interview.
Read our full conversation below!
Behind 9lives…
Get familiar with 9lives: “Empire,” “Khaos Emerald,” “Light,” “Mistakes,” “I LOVE YOU HOE”
JB: I HAVE to know the origin story behind your name. What’s the meaning behind 9lives?
9lives: “So there’s two sides to this story. Growing up, I always loved cats, but funny enough, I’ve never had one. I know I’m missing out… I think it’s about time I get one. And then, if you grew up playing Call of Duty, you’d know that there’s this customization in the game where you have a calling card, and mine were these two little black cats. I was using that for so long and as I was trying to find [artist] names, I thought back to my childhood and what stood out to me. 9lives felt kind of nostalgic. It made too much sense.”
JB: Being raised in New Zealand, I’m curious as to what you were listening to growing up? What and who are your biggest influences in pursuing music?
9lives: “I had an interesting childhood growing up because everybody in my family played instruments. So I kind of got a bit of everything [sonically], and I’m really grateful for that. I’ve played the drums for about 12-13 years now… It’s essentially what got me into production in the first place. I would do covers of songs and made sure that it was 100% accurate. My dad was a pianist, so I was into gospel as a kid and pop music—whatever was trending in the early 2000s. And then my second oldest brother was a pianist as well. He was more into classical, jazz and the Baroque period itself, which is sick. My oldest brother was a guitarist, so at like eight years old I was listening to screamo and death metal. I’m glad I got exposed to that at such a young age because it’s taught me to be like open minded from the jump.”
JB: Define sigilkore in your own words: How do you feel you have contributed to the genre’s growing popularity? What is the future of it, in your opinion?
9lives: “It started around 2020… I’d say that’s when it kind of solidified itself in the scene. Luci4 is kind of the blueprint for it all. Me and him have been super tight, we’re in the same collective and so I’ve kind of developed the sound along with him over the years. ‘Sigilkore’ is like the back end of hyperpop, but more in the space of Raider Klan where it’s a bit more dark, grungy and underground. It’s an internet culture kind of thing. It didn’t really have a name to it until the fans started getting hip to it… it’s such a weird and unique style. Anybody in the collective [Jewelxxet] is leading the forefront of it now. Everybody that’s here has been here from the beginning.”
JB: What were your thoughts on the hyperpop wave as it was making noise during the pandemic? How is sigiklore different from hyperpop?
9lives: “I feel like they’re still two separate lanes, but they’re very similar. I think the way they evolved is similar; how hyperpop was like super underground and niche, and now it’s gotten to the point of where it’s basically a part of the mainstream. Like that Playboi Carti and Camila Cabello track, that was insane. But I definitely feel like [sigilkore] is going to go in a similar way as [hyperpop did]. It’ll slowly start to integrate into the mainstream. I feel like the way it’s going now is really cool, though, because this is the era of where people are truly getting hip to it—and are seeing it as its own genre rather than a couple artists making music that sounds similar. It’s kind of like established now.”
“I would say it’s obviously a lot darker. There’s more horror, almost spooky elements to it. Just a bit more of a darker spin [to hyperpop]. It’s still chaotic—it’s super busy and full—but I feel like it’s something that’s very accessible and not too far out to where you’ll be like ‘Okay, nevermind, this is too different for me.'”
JB: There’s a lot of room for you to explore and experiment outside of the electronic alternative considering the type of sound you’re pioneering. But do you have any desire to move out of it in the future and delve into other avenues like soundtracks, movie scores, etc.?
9lives: “That sound [sigilkore] will always be my foundation. Even when I started producing, I’ve always just had fun. I prioritized that, so I was always making different sh*t. I’ve done Afro beats and jungle, drum and bass and even just ambience with no drums—almost like soundtrack, movie score type vibes. All of that stuff is on my SoundCloud—the more experimental and of out of the box things. I’d really love to score a Batman movie, honestly.”
JB: Anime and Video Games seem to be a huge inspiration for a lot of artists, but what shows/games have directly influenced your sound? What’s the best video game soundtrack of all time in your opinion?
9lives: “Good question. From a soundtrack standpoint, I would say definitely Sonic the Hedgehog; whoever was doing these back in the day was f**king cooking. It’s so timeless. How it’s still stayed relevant over the years is pretty crazy. I’ve always loved the Kingdom Hearts soundtrack and that’s pretty timeless as well. Same with the Silent Hills soundtrack. It’s amazing. More aesthetic wise, I would probably go more towards the darker, almost like Vampire-y games. Recently, I’ve really been liking the look and feel of the Batman games. They’re really crazy. And definitely the Final Fantasies… I’m the kind of person that takes inspiration from a bit of everything. Whether it’s new or old, I’m always looking for something.”
JB: As a producer, you look at people like Metro Boomin who are curating albums as artists, and I see a similar path for you in the future. You have a few instrumental albums out already, but is a fully curated album in the cards for you? And if so, which artists would you recruit?
9lives: “Yeah. I mean Metro Boomin is one of the people [producers] look up to as far as how he markets himself, how he portrays himself… no one’s doing it like Metro because he’s paved his own way. He’s kind of an anomaly. But in regards to me, in terms of artists you can see me working with, we [Jewelxxet] like taking artists from different lanes and merging it together, more specifically people from the underground and mainstream. The people we’ve been thinking about are artists like Che or Tana and putting them on a song with Young Nudy and Homixide Gang. We’re still in the early stages of it, but it’ll be an album where you can discover new artists. It’s definitely something I want to create, but I’m not going to rush it or force it. For sure by the end of this year, it’ll happen.”
JB: Talk to me about working with Trippie Redd on “Popular,” how did that come about? Did you know the song would end up on Trippie’s album ‘Saint Michael‘?
9lives: “The first time we met was actually super spontaneous and last minute. My management got a call [from Trippie’s team] saying, ‘Yo, you need to fly out this weekend,’ and it was Thursday at the time. Within a few days, we were out in Miami. I had back-to-back sessions with him over two days. The first day was just me and him. We were just chopping it up and cooking. And then the second day, Odetari and Kaniii pulled up, so it was kind of Trippie dipping his toes into the waters of the genre [for the first time]. He was seeing what [sigilkore] was about. That was super sick experience. Trippie is hella down to earth; guy’s super chill. He’s always down to experiment and get hip with new artists as well.”
JB: Working with other up-and-coming artists like Kaniii and Odetari, what’s the biggest difference in working with them versus a Trippie Redd or LNX? Does that approach change? How involved are they in the music you’re creating?
9lives: “With Kaniii and Odetari, we always just chop it up online, on Discord just hanging out, talking, playing games and making music together. It’s a vibe. it’s definitely a lot more casual because we’ve known each other for a while. With Trippie, because it was our first time locking in and he’s an upper echelon type of artist, I definitely had to feel out the situation more than anything. Like ‘let’s see what he’s vibing with.’ It’s almost more of a ‘get to know you’ type of session when it comes to artists like that. Working with him in person was truly a valuable lesson for me. He just kept telling me to ‘keep being you, don’t change for the money, the industry. Just keep being authentic to yourself and make music that’s authentic to yourself.’ That really stuck with me for sure.”
JB: And with midwxst on “mistakes,” I feel like you two are a perfect match in regards to the styles you both champion. Talk to me about working with Edgar and how you guys got connected initially.
9lives: “He’s literally one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met. He’s an animal, he’s so talented, bro. Even at such a young age, I feel like he’s matured so quick. The first session we had, dude cranked out like six songs in a few hours. I was like ‘bro, what the f*ck’ [Laughs]. We’re super close… I feel like seeing an album from us isn’t too far out… it’s definitely going to happen. We have enough for a full collab project. I’m pretty sure we got like six or seven songs just sitting there collecting dust.”
JB: Your latest track “light” with LNX and Skaiwater has made waves recently… and it kind of feels like an assertion of your growing prominence. Tell me what this track means to you as well as working with SKAI and Nas on it?
9lives: “I feel like this is a check that boosted my confidence in a way—like proving to myself that if I want to get on that level, I can. It’s crazy because technically, I’m still a ‘bedroom producer,’ so I’m just chilling in my room making beats all day with my friends. But, “Light” proved to me that if I really want to, I can push to that level—even if I’m stuck in New Zealand. LNX and Skaiwater are super dope people, hella nice. Skai is such a genuine person, they’re so easy to talk to.”
JB: How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard of you? What would be your pitch for them to listen to you?
9lives: “To put it in layman’s terms, I want to be the Metro Boomin of the underground. That’s like the pinnacle, forefront image I can give for how I want people to view my music: Being that Metro type of person curating the underground in a way that bridges all these artists together. There’s obviously so many little veins and lanes of the underground sound. Right? You’ve got people like Ian, Che and Tana and then the Molly Santana’s—they’re all are doing it with their own spin. I want to bring it all together.”
JB: With you being only 19 years old, what is your message for Our Generation?
9lives: “All you need is a laptop and headphones to make a hit. Every day you see these crazy 20 MIDI keyboard set-ups on social media—it’s all so skewed. Don’t overcomplicate things. [Producing] is very simple and straightforward. If it sounds good, it sounds good—and people will f*ck with it. Staying true to yourself is very important because even I’ve seen things where people will stray away from who they are or will follow a trend, or just try too hard to be different. Truly—and I’m not saying this to sound cliche—I think the surefire way [to suceed] is to just be yourself.”
Photos courtesy of Connor Pritchard / DARKPR
