Wax Motif is back on tour in North America, and his 2023 House of Wax Tour is bigger and better than ever before. Sharing the same name as his tour and his DJ radio show, his debut album, House of Wax, has already amassed over 33 million streams since its release in 2022. Wax is off to a hot start in 2023, dropping new tunes on Repopulate Mars and Nervous Records, with a few more planned for Fall 2023.
The House of Wax Tour started in Texas in mid-August before working its way through the East Coast and Canada. Moon Lvnding was able to catch up with Wax Motif at his biggest-ever headline show in New York City at a 100-year-old historic landmark building, The Knockdown Center. We spoke about a wide range of topics such as his most anticipated tour stops including an appearance at Club Space Miami tonight, September 8; his upcoming song releases, including “In My Hands” with Camden Cox which dropped September 1; the journey to make it in the US as an international artist; and of course, Tribeca Bagels.
Sam Wolloch: “In My Hands” drops September 1, and we heard the Zhu collab tonight. Any other IDs with other artists that might drop this year?
Wax Motif: The only other one I know really, I think I’m going to drop is me and Zhu have a second collab that nobody’s really heard. It’s me, Zhu, and Camden Cox, an amazing vocalist. Shoutout to Camden! Zhu is going to drop the first collab on his album, and then I’m going to drop the second collab as my own single. There’s also a few other things, me and Tchami are working on something that I’m really happy about.
SW: So things went so well with “In My Hands” that you brought Camden Cox back for a second track?
WM: The thing is, she’s a beast. She’s written a ton of stuff. She was one of the writers for “Where You Are” with John Summit. With her, because I’m a producer, we can churn it out real quick. With us, it’s make the idea first, and work out what to do with it later.
Shaelyn McCormack: While we’re talking about tracks, what’s another track of yours that deserves a 20-minute version?
WM: Oh that’s hard, because it’s all about the 20-minute version of “Divided Souls.” For my own songs, I don’t know. I think “Divided Souls” could go for 40 minutes, so let’s add another 20 on to there.
SM: Who are some other artists on your wish list you’d like to collaborate with?
WM: There are so many. For me, the reason to collab with someone is because they are totally out of your lane. So Skrillex, Fred Again.. are pretty obvious. But there’s also some weirder ones, like DJ Seinfeld is really cool. Solomun would be cool, Camelphat, I really love Camelphat. I would love to do something with MK, I think that’s really close to happening.
Actually, I don’t like collabing with people I don’t know, so I always try to have a friendship first. So at the end of the day, I just want to collaborate with my friends. Collaboration should feel like genuine friendships, not like a business thing.
SM: What about remixes?
WM: It’s also why I don’t do remixes anymore. After “Fly Kicks” I got offered every remix on the planet, but it doesn’t feel genuine to me. I did “Fly Kicks” out of the love for doing it. Most remixes you’ll hear from me now, I’m not even getting paid to do it because I want to do it. You got to love what you are putting out, and if I don’t love it, I won’t put it out. It took me a long time to learn that, because I was putting out whatever because I need to pay my rent, I need to get by. But the minute I didn’t need to rely on that for my life, let me put in the art, the passion, and what I believe in.
SW: What was it like starting as an international artist and coming to the US and moving to Los Angeles?
WM: It is extremely difficult because anything you’ve accomplished overseas doesn’t matter when you come to America. It’s like you weren’t in the NBA… If you look at most of the artists out of Australia, like Dom Dolla, Fisher, Timmy Trumpet, we’re all older. None of us are 21-year-olds. We had to have a whole career in Australia to get to a point where we’re big enough for American agents to pick us up and get us an American visa. It’s a huge disadvantage. That’s why you see a ton of young Americans on the scene, and then most internationals are generally older because they’ve had to prove their worth in their own country to then get the opportunity to come here and rebuild it again. It’s been a long journey, but I don’t regret it. Once you’ve done all the hard work and proven your worth, it’s really hard to take that away from you after that.
SW: What about a festival bucket list? Are there some festivals you want to jump in on?
WM: I’ve achieved almost all the ones I want to do, the last one is Coachella. I did Tomorrowland this year, I’ve done Ultra, I’ve done EDC Las Vegas. Obviously, there’s the ones in Europe, like Creamfields and stuff I haven’t touched, but the one I really care about is Coachella, so hopefully we do Coachella next year.
SW: Any cities you are excited about playing for the first time on tour?
WM: I don’t think any of the cities are my first time, but all of them are my biggest venues. So I’m going into all these cities doing a show that’s bigger than anything I’ve done in any of these cities. Obviously New York tonight was amazing, LA which is my city, and another one is Denver – Mission Ballroom. I would love to play Red Rocks one day, so this is a precursor to that.
And also Space Miami. I’ve never headlined Space Miami, I’ve played there as support, but never as the headline so I feel like this is my chance to do the 4, 5, 6-hour set that everybody talks about. For Miami, I’m going to do something totally different to everything I’ve done on the tour, which is going to be crazy!
SW: Let’s talk about your tour merch. Why’d you choose to make a soccer kit and who’s idea was the New York Knicks House of Wax logo for this stop in NYC?
WM: I spent my whole life growing up playing soccer, so soccer was just obvious to me. I own like 20 soccer jerseys, Brazil, Barcelona home and away, Arsenal, so of all the jerseys, the first one I wanted to do was soccer.
And the Knicks idea, that was mine! I have Knicks Patrick Ewing jersey, I’m such a big Melo fan, and nothing screams New York more to me than the blue-orange combo. Notorious B.I.G. is one of my favorite artists of all time, I have this hat that’s Knicks and B.I.G. together, and I’ve had it for 10 years. I sent a picture of the hat, of B.I.G. and [the New York Knicks] triangle, and then they readapted it. I wanted something that didn’t say New York but still said New York…and this color combo and the logo is it.
SM: We know you are LA-based, but what is one place that you love to visit when you are in New York City?
WM: Tribeca Bagels. Shoutout to Tribeca Bagels, I love you! I love everyone at Tribeca Bagels.
SW: So what’s your order there?
WM: Chicken cutlet sandwich every time! I asked them to book the hotel next to Tribeca Bagels, which is the Hilton, so I could eat at Tribeca Bagels breakfast, lunch, and dinner… And I’m not the only person who goes there. Rihanna goes there, ASAP Rocky, J. Balvin, everyone. That joint is the sh*t. After this, I’m going there!
SW: Any last messages for your fans?
WM: I love that I have the opportunity to be here and I don’t take it for granted. I’m here only because of my fans. They’re the people who put me in this position. They’re the people who buy my music, who stream my music, buy my merch, buy the tickets. I am actually friends with so many of them now. 5 or 6 of them tonight just started as fans and now we’re friends. That is the Wax Gang. I hate calling them fans, because I know them at a deeper level. They feel like my family.
For what it’s worth, Wax Motif truly made us feel like family while conducting this interview and having us back in the artist area. I’ve never felt more welcomed by an artist in all my life, and getting to speak with the other members of the Wax Gang in the green room, their experiences were similar.
The House of Wax 2023 North America Tour still has over 10 stops remaining including Club Space Miami tonight, September 8, and his hometown show at The Shrine in LA on October 7. For all the headbangers out there, don’t forget that Wax Motif will bring his G-house beats to Lost Lands on Day 3. Moon Lvnding will be on the scene in Legend Valley and is looking forward to seeing the House of Wax in prehistoric times. To keep up with everything going on with Wax Motif, use the handy links below.
