Herald: Who are you, where are you from and how did your band/solo project first form?
Randa: My name's Mainard Larkin, I'm a 21 year old rap artist from the North Shore producing work under the name Randa. After graduating high school in 2010, I moved to Sydney for eight months where I lived above a laundromat and spent my days collecting data for a market research company. On the train to work one morning, I came across the music video for Yonkers, a track by Tyler, The Creator. His overall sound and aesthetic was outrageously bold yet still somewhat minimal. Missing my stop that day, I fell in love with rap like never before and began investing in a chill bedroom set up to begin recording.
Describe your sound in less than 50 words:
It's Friday evening, you've just finished your last ever shift at Sears only to realise your crush hasn't texted you back - bittersweet. A single tear is shed, quickly evaporated by the Gardena sun and a call from your pal saying she's spinning at Devon Sawa's crib tonight.
My band name comes from...
My older brother Alistair began calling me Randa when I was about nine years old. I was really into movies like Friday and Next Friday at the time - Chris Tucker was my style icon. I thought his trouser pant, baggy tee and chain look was the trillest thing in the history of all time and tried to dress like him as much as possible. I also have a sister who is six years older than me. My siblings would throw house parties and ask me to breakdance for all their teenage friends. The nickname stemming from my birthname seemed to match this new found style and inclination towards hip hop culture.
