“If I think it works, then that’s what I’ll do”: Melbourne creative Tyde Levi on music and fashion

“I think I’m coming more into knowing who I am.”

Tyde Levi is a man of many talents. At 23, he’s already dabbled in many ventures – DJing, producing, singing, modelling and acting, to name a few. Immersed in the arts from an early age, he has the kind of capability and charisma that makes it seem like he could do just about anything.

As a creative shapeshifter, Tyde needs a shoe that’s just as versatile as he is, not to mention comfortable and performance-ready for the long days spent on his feet. Accompanied by his adidas Originals sneakers, Tyde spends his days traversing around Melbourne, experimenting with his art and having fun with his style.

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For Tyde, that might mean styling adidas’ Superstars with a worn-in, colourful jumper, or wearing Sambas with a rockstar-worthy distressed leather jacket, or pairing navy Gazelles with jorts. We caught up with the Melbourne-based musician to talk about his style inspiration, growing up in a family of creatives and finding himself as an artist.

How’d you get into music?

My family was always very, very musical. My mum used to act and sing and model actually, so I definitely got all the genes from her. My dad is like, the least musical person I know, but he always seems to have a lot of notes when I show him new songs.

My youngest memories of music were probably [of] dancing. I used to do hip-hop and dance to Michael Jackson songs all day, every day, that was all I did. And then slowly I moved into DJing. I started DJing and producing and kind of thought I couldn’t sing because Troye was already singing at such a young age. So I was like, I can’t really do that, he’s the brother that does that.

Then just through production, my friend heard me sing around the house. We were making music together, producing it, and he was like, “Just sing on this so I can hear what it’ll be like with a singer”. And I did. That was the moment I started singing and I honestly never looked back.

What was the journey like entering DJing and producing? How did you know you wanted to explore that?

I think what made me get into DJing was the Melbourne [and] Australian DJs like Will Sparks, Timmy Trumpet, I was like 13 [and] 14 going to Good Life music festival, the under-18s festival. I was always selling stuff on Gumtree so I had some extra cash and just bought a little DJ controller, started DJing and just fell in love. [I] actually ended up DJing at Good Life!

What was your relationship like with music growing up?

There was always music playing in the house. My mum, especially in the car driving us to school, would absolutely blast [music and we] would be dancing in the car. So yeah, music was always something we did together.

We were always listening and singing and dancing and [performing in] talent shows and all that stuff, all the time. It was just a huge part of our lives and I’m kind of not surprised we’ve all somehow ended up doing something musical. I remember because Troye was singing, he was probably playing most of the music. So I remember listening to old Lana Del Rey songs [and he] showed me Frank Ocean for the first time.

What was your relationship like with fashion growing up?

I’d say my relationship with fashion took a little while to grow. When I started thinking [about] what style is to me I think I just copied what I was seeing around me. Obviously that meant wearing OG and iconic brands like adidas. Turning to that really [helped] me [on] the path to my own style. 

My family and parents would always kind of let me do or wear what I wanted. They let me have my freedom. And sometimes I’d buy some things and my older brother would crack a joke or be like, “What are you doing?” but yeah, it was [a] pretty open [and] free-flowing household,

How would you describe your style now?

I really like that ’60s [and] ’70s rockstar look, like Mick Jagger is probably a big one for me. Little crop tops, shirts, tight pants, leather boots, all that stuff. But even to this day, I struggle sometimes to really let my true style show because I’m afraid of what people will think, or I’ll worry it doesn’t look good even though I want to wear it. [Do you] know what I mean? 

But even then my style is kind of all over the place. Sometimes I’ll go for a skater look – denim jeans, adidas Sambas and a nice tee – and other times I’m in leather boots, tight corduroy pants and a singlet and leather jacket. Style is so much more [about] a feeling to me rather than what I’m actually wearing. 

Style and music go hand-in-hand. How do they coexist for you?

I think I make a lot of different music as well. You know, like, I’ve made R&B, I’ve made some pretty pop songs, and now I’m kind of making indie folk, psych rock stuff. So just like my fashion sense, my music tastes and what I create are also pretty different. And each song could be in its complete own different realm.

Being 23 years old, your identity is still constantly in flux. What’s it like navigating your sense of self?

I think I’m coming more into knowing who I am. Probably for a while, I thought I knew. And honestly, within the past six months, I’ve realised I really don’t. I’ve had a pretty transitional period of my life [in] the past few months.

But to answer your question, I don’t know if I think [I] fully know [my]self. That’s kind of exciting, you know, it might be scary but I think at the same time, it’ll allow so much creation and trial and error. And that’s fun, right? 

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