FVTV original interview ·
The Wellfare Made 15 Songs in a Year. He Says 50 Streams Could Still Be Enough.
The Canberra rapper and producer tells Shordy why VIOLET was named after his car, how anger and hope connect across the album, and why the people closest to him matter more than the numbers.
The Wellfare spent close to a year making VIOLET, a 15-track album that moves between personal disagreements, political frustration and songs that still leave room for hope. The independent Canberra, Australia artist told FVTV host Shordy he wanted to give listeners different ways into his music, even when one style or subject might not reach everybody.
By the end of their October 21 conversation, the usual streaming conversation had become secondary. The Wellfare explained that hearing the people he cares about connect with his work means enough that he would make the album again, even if the music reached only 50 streams. It was one of several moments in an interview about writing honestly, learning production and making a record on his own terms.
VIOLET got its name from a car and a skate sticker
With nearly all the songs recorded, The Wellfare still needed something that could hold the project together. The answer came from the name he had given his own car: Violet. A skate sticker first inspired that name, and an ordinary part of his life eventually became the title of a deeply personal album.
He said he wanted the name to sound like a person because the music comes from real experiences. Some songs present an exaggerated character, but those performances still carry his own feelings. The record draws on relationships and other parts of his everyday life rather than a single fictional plot.
Bedroom beats, a trusted collaborator and a lot to learn
The Wellfare produces his instrumentals in his bedroom. He then works with his friend Gavino, another musician, to record vocals and refine the mix. The two also trade ideas across their creative projects, and Gavino contributed singing and rapping to songs on VIOLET.
That setup is part of how he has grown since first trying production in 2023. He told Shordy that he still has plenty to learn, including formal music theory. For now, he follows the sounds that feel right and keeps measuring each new song against what he made before.
TALK ABOUT ME refuses to soften the message
The closing song, TALK ABOUT ME, begins by returning to its hook before the fuller story unfolds. The Wellfare said that choice was deliberate: he wanted listeners to know the point of the track immediately. His best friend sings on the recording, giving the opening a presence he said strengthened the words.
He explained that several tracks deal with conflicts that are connected without describing one single event. All Talk, Hypocrite and TALK ABOUT ME use anger, exaggeration and argument to express thoughts he could not always say directly in the moment. For him, the point is to put the feeling into the music even when the reaction is uncomfortable.
A French film and a more hopeful final stretch
The opener LA HAINE takes its title from the French film that stuck with him after he watched it. The Wellfare connected the song to frustration with the systems and circumstances he sees around him. Politics appears in his music as a response to subjects that affect his own values and the people around him.
He described Revolution - New Era, placed near the album's end, as a more hopeful statement about what might change if people stopped turning on one another. TALK ABOUT ME follows it as a reminder that he plans to keep saying what he thinks, whether those opinions receive approval or pushback.
A full album built for the people who care
Fifteen songs was a challenge he set for himself as an artist. The Wellfare said he initially wanted to make an even larger project before accepting the limits of the time he had. Working, skating and making music all compete for hours in the day, but he sees those interests as parts of the same life.
He recalled playing a finished track for people close to him and feeling that their reaction made the work worthwhile. Bigger streaming numbers would be welcome, but personal connection is what keeps him recording. VIOLET was made to show what he could do at this point in his life, and he wants to keep building from there.
