Real conversations about sound, creativity, and the journeys that shape them.
Join me (ŽIVA aka Lucija Ivsic), a Croatian-Australian musician and new media artist, as I explore the complexities of music careers with emerging fellow musicians and sound artists. Through honest discussions, I dig deeper into the challenges of navigating new scenes, forging unique paths, and finding success in niche genres.
To stay updated and get access to exclusive content, subscribe to my monthly newsletter (https://substack.com/@cerealmusictalks?utm_source=edit-profile-page). You can also connect with me on Instagram (https://instagram.com/_xziva) for more updates.
Mladen Milinkovic is a Serbian-born, Melbourne based artist behind underground pop act Lalic, a Melbourne-based band that began as Milinkovic's adolecent bedroom project. https://lalic.bandcamp.com/music Find Cereal Music Talks wherever you listen to your podcast. New episode drops every last Tuesday of the month, accompanied with an artist newsletter. https://linktr.ee/cerealmusictalks https://xziva.org/ https://linktr.ee/lucijaivsic Cereal Music Talks is a podcast spotlighting nic...
31 Mar 2026
NO to Marketing, YES to joy feat. Tongue Dissolver
Tongue Dissolver are a punk/tech trio from Naarm - a project of collaboration, improvisation and momentum, which layers rants of resistance atop piles and piles of drums. I sat down with Andy and Al from the band to discuss their latest album and the process behind it: from what it means to them to make music, build community, and resist the imposed strategies on how artists should promote their work. We filmed at Nighthawks, one of our favourite venues in Collingwood that plays a crucial rol...
24 Feb 2026
Trusting the Process
Nū is an Ethiopian-Australian sound artist, vocalist and live coder* whose work blends non-Western musical traditions, improvisation and Afrofuturism. Using the live coding program Sonic Pi and her vocals, she creates immersive sonic worlds, weaving elements from ambient, jazz, R&B and electronic music. On an overcast Tuesday morning in Collingwood, Nū and I met at Trainscendence - a venue tucked away in a laneway just off Easey St that is a living, breathing hub for artists, makers...
27 Jan 2026
Building your Own Scene (When you Don’t Fit Anywhere Else) feat. Rita Bass
In this very first episode of 2026, I sit with producer and DJ Rita Bass at Russian House venue in Fitzroy to hear more about what stand behind her drive (and burnout), and the search for home, being raised in Melbourne by Russian-Armenian parents. Our conversations moves from to-do lists and routines to the deeper pull of identity, language, and authenticity in sound. From EP milestones to staging theatre-meets-electronic nights, Rita shows how to make the space you wish existed. Music...
28 Oct 2025
Eat, Play, Listen, Repeat w/ Zoltan Fecso
In this episode, I sit down with Zoltan Fecso, a Hungarian, Melbourne-based composer and artist whose work explores the many perceptual possibilities of listening through prepared instruments, field recordings, and electronics. We talk about the challenge of balancing an active creative life; touring, rehearsing, and new projects, while maintaining grounding routines like meditation and journaling. Zoltan reflects on the role of space and place in his music, his connection to landscapes acros...
30 Sept 2025
Departing, Returning, Traveling w/ Ex Ponto
Ivan Masic is a Melbourne-based artist working at the intersection of sound design, projection, and the moving image under the alias Ex Ponto. His practice explores the insoluble intimacy between music, light, and place through immersive, site-responsive works. I visited Ivan in his studio Twomb, to talk about capturing stories through sound, the freedom of instinctive music-making, and how his migrant journey shapes his creative practice. We touched on the importance of letting go of pr...
26 Aug 2025
Don't be afraid to be sh*t w/ Kai Cult
KAI CULT is the cutting edge Techno Punk project of Louis Fuji, combining diverse influences from Asia with the trendy underground sounds of Punk Rock, Post- Punk, Hardcore, Hyperpop and Techno. Inspired by his roots in Punk and Metal, KAI CULT delivers an explosive and energetic live show. He's built a social media system that works for him so I sat down to find out more about his approaches to content and music making. To stay updated and get access to exclusive content, subscribe to ...
29 Jul 2025
A Career in Film Composition with Chiara Kickdrum
In this episode, I chat with Chiara Costanza aka Chiara Kickdrum, Italian-Australian film composer and electronic music producer. Her recent screen credits include the global Netflix hit Heartbreak High, the feature film Panopticon (KVIFF) and Inside, starring Guy Pearce and Cosmo Jarvis, which screened at Tribeca in 2025. She also composed the score for Mixtape (BBC/Foxtel), which premiered at SXSW this year, alongside previous work on Totally Completely Fine (STAN), Australia’s Open (MIFF/A...
24 Jun 2025
Write first, Edit later w/ Gregor
Host ŽIVA interviews Gregor, a Bosnian-Australian multi-instrumentalist, about his songwriting and producing process since 2010, revealing insights into his creative workflow.
27 May 2025
Building through Experimentation w/ Xenosine
Vijay Thillaimuthu, also known as Xenosine, discusses his creative process and experimentation with audio-visual elements in his art, particularly his ambitious piece, Oblation, in this interview.
29 Apr 2025
Finding clarity as a Solo Musician with Punko
In this episode, I chat with Liv Jansz, the creative mind behind Punko, an electronic solo project from Melbourne that blends pop, ambient, and post-punk influences to create dreamy soundscapes. We discuss the transition from being in a band to going solo and how to find clarity in the process. A big part of that is managing decision fatigue - the challenge of handling every aspect of a project on your own. We also dive into the struggles of self-promotion on social media, promoting gigs, and...
25 Mar 2025
Practice makes Perfect with Mia Salsjö
In this episode, I sit with Mia Salsjö, a Melbourne-based interdisciplinary artist whose work exists at the intersection of drawing, music composition, text, and performance. The conversation immediately hits off with a discussion of organised chaos and the role discipline plays in her life and work. With degrees in music improvisation, visual art, and one from the Kundalini Research Institute, Mia's relentless drive is embodied in almost every aspect of her life and work. We deep-dive into w...
25 Feb 2025
Building a career in Sound Art with Monica Lim
The double life is a familiar concept for many musicians and interdisciplinary artists. By day, one thing; by night, another. But what does it take to turn that passion into a full-time career? Monica Lim, a Malaysian-Australian sound artist and composer, traded a conventional path of a tax accountant for the creative highs of fashion design, and ultimately, sound art. Her work now spans installations, performance art, contemporary dance, and new-instrument-making. I caught up with her while ...
28 Jan 2025
Sound Design with evolsleep/evolsound
For this very first episode of 2025, I sat down with evolsleep, a Russian-born, Melbourne-based sound designer and music producer, to discuss his journey of moving to Melbourne and building a successful music business, evolsound. With clients like Adidas, Champion, Sennheiser and Volvo, you've probably heard his work already. Shortly after his latest release 'Kinda regards', over coffee in Fitzroy, I dug deeper to find out how he started his audio branding business, how he avoids writer's blo...
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
47,361
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Podcast Authority Score: 26 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
21
Social presence
0
YouTube
76
Engagement
0
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