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[title]On November 2, Music Wins Festival lands at Mandarine Park with a lineup that includes legends like Massive Attack and Primal Scream. But one of the most exciting comebacks is Tash Sultana — the Australian multi-instrumentalist who went from Melbourne’s streets to global stages, racking up billions of streams and a reputation for game-changing live shows. Known for their signature looping wizardry, raw lyrics, and DIY approach, Tash now returns to Buenos Aires with Return to the Roots, a new EP that digs deep into resilience, authenticity, and the power of starting over.
Buenos Aires is calling you back for Music Wins, and you will be sharing the stage with legends like Massive Attack and Primal Scream. How does it feel to be back in a city that really vibes with you?
I'm really excited. I haven't been back to Latin America since 2018, which is actually a very long time ago now. I'm keen because there's so much in the show that's changed from then, so much growth that's happened, and so much more music that I've put out as well. I don't even know where people find me in that part of the world, but I just have this huge fan base and every single message is always: come to Chile, come to Argentina, come to Brazil, come to Uruguay, come to here, come to there. It just felt like it was time to come back.
It’s truly inspiring to see how much you’ve accomplished at just 30. From your early days busking in Melbourne to now leading global stages, how do you feel you’ve grown along this journey?
I'm tired. I'm very tired. When I was younger everything was just about the music, right? The whole picture was about the music. And now as I've gotten older, the music is one part of a very big picture. The music part is huge, but there are also other life elements that have happened over this time. What I want out of the next 5 to 10 years is not exactly what I just had in the last 5 to 10 years. I don't want to be touring that much in my 30s. It was brutal and I've worked so hard to get to where I am now. I would do it exactly the same way if I had to do it again, but I've just worked so hard to get here.
Your latest EP, Return to the Roots, delves into themes of mental health, resilience, and authenticity. What inspired this introspective journey?
Life happening at a very traumatic and rapid pace that just could not be ignored. As I've been saying in interviews, 2025 has been the worst year of my life. It's been the hardest year of my life. I've had to say goodbye to so many people and things, and so much death. I've never experienced so many people and things close to me just die in traumatic circumstances. Also, my wife got cancer and it was just one thing after the other after the other. No one is exempt from that. It's just a part of what you get when you're a living being. It happens to each of us and no one can escape from it.
Your looping and multi-instrumental style make your shows truly unique. How has working this way influenced the way you perform and create?
When I started out playing music I didn't loop at all. On my 18th birthday my dad took me to a music store and said: “I'm going to get you something for your 18th birthday.” I was deciding between a banjo and a loop station, and I ended up picking the loop station. My dad said: "I think you've made a really big mistake." Which is hilarious when you look back at it now.
I finished high school shortly after that and started busking. When I was busking acoustically, no one gave a shit. One day I thought: "Why don't I just get out the electric guitar, start making some loops and see what happens?" That's how it started. I would be on the street busking, looping, doing these little solos, freestyling, and that was stopping everyone. That was making everyone think: "Woah, what is happening here?" Then I thought: "Well, this is the formula. This is what needs to happen if I want to make a living being a street performer."
From there that little loop station grew: another pedal came along, then another one, and then I thought: “Okay, how many instruments can I shove into this thing?” I connected all this stuff and it worked really well. That's how the looping stuff started. I wasn't the first looper — looping has been going on for a long time. I just am a looper and I do it in a specific way.
You’ve built not only your music but also your own label, studio, and even philanthropic projects. How do you balance the creative side with the business side?
I just work all the time. I literally work all the time. But I have really great teams of people that help facilitate all of this. With my agency that I started in 2019, we have two other co-founders, four agents, two coordinators, admin, a finance department, legal, cyber security, HR, and offices as well.
In my studio I have people that work there to help keep the place afloat. With my management, I have a team of people that look after my career. It's a really DIY project in the sense that I'm in charge of most things, and there's no way I could do this without my team.