Lithe Is Stepping Out of the Shadows to Embrace Fame: ‘It’s Part of the Job’

Over the last few years, brooding Australia-born singer-songwriter Lithe has established himself as one of the most prominent new voices in rap and R&B. When I say quietly, I mean extremely quietly: He’s never done a major interview – he’s rarely even shown his face in his music videos, all while his minimalist dark R&B has accumulated hundreds of thousands of streams. His granulated vocals drift between confession and confrontation; his production leans light, but never fragile.

It’s a mix that has earned him a fiercely committed fan base and a reputation as a perfectionist who releases new material only when the work feels undeniable. It’s true that TikTok and virality have partially aided in Lithe’s gradual yet consistent rise — his song “Fall Back” took the app by storm last year — but the larger part of his motion remains a mystery, and that impending fame has been admittedly stressful for him.

“Everything just gets flipped upside down,” Lithe tells Billboard of fame and virality. “Your whole life gets flipped upside down. You got pressure. You gotta look at this s–t differently. People see you as that.”

Every single track on Euphoria, his debut project that dropped in November, has hundreds of thousands of streams, showcasing a particularly insatiable group of supporters when it comes to Lithe’s music. That devoted fandom will be put to the test next spring, when Lithe will set out on his first-ever U.S. tour starting in March. Lithe admits that love, fame, and all the publicity that comes with it are unbelievably overwhelming, but what choice does he have?

“It’s part of the job,” he says with an exhale. “I just wanna continue making good music, but be aware that there’s gonna be more visibility. That people are gonna look into my life a little bit more. Slowly, I’m becoming more comfortable with that, but really, I want people to know the music.”

Below, Lithe details his rise and how it feels to be on the cusp of stardom and his new project Euphoria.

How did you first get into music?

My dad was in a band, and when I was growing up, everyone was playing music. My brother [and] my sister sings. So I kinda just fell into it and started actually producing around 13 years old. I was producing for years, and then by the time I was 17, 18, I started singing and using my own vocals ’cause I was dying to find vocalists, but in Australia it was kinda hard.

How so?

There was a big lack of cool artists at that time. I feel like we do well in all the other genres, but I was the type that was willing to die for this s—t, I just could not find anyone. So it’s kinda hard being a producer looking for a vocalist because everything depends on [them], you know?

So your dad played music professionally or just for fun?

He was in a band since he was a kid as well. Just always making music, but he was kinda obsessed with it too much. He had to give it up to raise a family. He was very proud to see me. [I] kinda had the torch passed.

Did you start making music with the goal of being able to do it for a living one day?

Well, I mean, I just didn’t know what the f—k to do with myself. Music was the only thing that I had going for me, but I didn’t know I could make it my life. It was that thing that was just there, like a little brother. It’s always there, you love it to death, you know? But then I figured out later that people actually listened to me and heard what I’m tryna say. People around the world are picking up what I’m trying to get across. That’s when me and my team were like, “Okay, wait, I think we can actually do something with this.”

What was the first song that made you feel that way?

It was a very slow build at the start. I had songs that were doing okay, but then I had a song, “Fall Back,” that went viral, and that was life-changing. But it was difficult to deal with in the sense of everything just getting flipped upside down. Your whole life gets flipped upside down. You got pressure, you gotta look at this s—t differently. People see you as that. I’ve been doing this forever, but now people see it as that.

Was that overwhelming?

Definitely was, definitely was. I [remember] I flew back home and I told my mom that things are about to get a little different, and she didn’t believe me. Now, today, her life has changed. My family’s life has changed, and we come from not much, so yeah, it is kinda overwhelming.

How do you manage that?

Well, I think the best thing for me has been coming back home. Seeing my day ones, being amongst…you know? ‘Cause you get out there, and it kinda gets a bit crazy. So I think surrounding myself is a big thing; I make sure I do.

So “Fall Back” blows up, what’s the next move that you decide after that point?

From there, our main goal was, “Oh s—t, we have this monster of a moment.” We didn’t want it to feel like one moment, and it’s gone. We’d seen that happen. So we planned out who we wanted to work with. What does this mean to me? What does it mean to the fans? How can we steer this into letting people know more about our lives? It was a big moment to tell this story slowly. We didn’t want to jump the gun.

When did Roy Woods, Don Toliver all come into the mix?

Roy Woods was one of my first features, and I was over the moon with that. We linked here in Australia when he came and toured. He was cool. We vibed, and he’s just a good guy. With Don, I met him in L.A.

What was it like watching Don work?

He pulled through to the studio, and that was such a moment for us. Just to watch him record and watch his team work. I was just taking down notes like, “Damn, he’s moving like this? He’s moving like that?” Then while he’s recording, s—t just sounds angelic. It’s crazy.

Who else is on this dream list of collaborators?

Probably like The Weeknd, Travis [Scott]. People who have been in it for a minute and have cultivated like 15 years of music.

How was the process of putting together a body of work for the first time?

We were kinda taken aback by building a project because we wanted it to feel together. Everything gelled. From the mixing to the lyrics, we understand it’s not just 13 singles. It’s 13 songs that are a story, a pathway. So it was a whole different way of writing. We wanted to define a place called Euphoria. This tape was kinda — I wanted it to feel like the chaos within [that world].

As fame is beginning to creep in over here in the U.S., has there been a culture shock coming from Australia to the States?

Yeah, it was just the fact that everyone is there. You walk down the street, and you’re like, “Wait, is that that guy?” Back in Australia, you don’t really get that. If someone is there, the whole country stops, and it can be like a nobody. But I just appreciated that about L.A. and New York. They don’t really have that kinda stardom thing. So it’s cool, you can just talk with those people straight up about music and get straight to the point with all the fluff. It’s just cool being around these people who have changed the world and built the world, and they’re so easily accessible.

You talk a lot about this on Euphoria, but how has it been navigating the spoils that come with fame?

I don’t really see it as fame, I just see it as this whirlwind that none of us kinda expected. We can do things we kinda dreamt about, but understanding that that’s not everything.

What was the most challenging song to make?

Definitely “Josiah,” the whole “too far gone” thing. I recorded that in Miami, and it felt more away from the chaos. It was me sitting by myself, with my thoughts, and [thinking] about how this world is actually affecting me and my relationships.

Are you nervous at all about this upcoming tour? That’s a lot of visibility for someone who’s kind of thrived in the shadows.

For the longest time, I knew how much the image mattered, but I was so deep into the music I wanted to get rid of that. I just wanted people to know my music for my music. So that’s why I hid a lot of things. I feel like musicians can get away with a lot if they look the part. I’m more introverted, so I would have rather had the music talk. At this moment, I’m feeling like it is what it is. It’s part of the job. I just wanna continue making good music, but be aware that there’s gonna be more visibility. That people are gonna look into my life a little bit more. Slowly, I’m becoming more comfortable with that, but really, I want people to know the music. I want people to know where it comes from.

Especially considering what happened with your father becoming obsessed, I wonder if you struggle to maintain a healthy sort of balance between fame and making art?

It’s not an easy thing to do. It’s almost like this life kinda intrudes on your normal life. It is what it is — it’s what we chose. You can’t really complain about this s–t. My friends and family have felt the weight of this. You can just sit and appreciate what [success] has done. But I asked myself that years ago. I think I was just too obsessed with it, and it was more that there was no plan B kinda thing. It was the only way I saw for getting out. To build something for me and for my family. I kinda accepted it, and I don’t know if it’s gonna affect me later. But being obsessed with the music and obsessed with the creation of it, yeah, I mean, we’ll see. I know it could be a bit of a problem. I don’t know how to balance those things a lot.