
Focusrite Awards Tileyard Education MA Student With Bursary Tileyard Education is a postgraduate and professional training facility that houses a world-class recording studio, tech lab, production and songwriting rooms and a lecture space. Located at Tileyard London, it forms part of a creative hub in the heart of the city, with a diverse community of artists, independent creatives, entrepreneurs and businesses.
Abi aka VNRBL, winner of the Focusrite 2020 music education bursary, has been studying a Commercial Music Producer MA course at Tileyard over the past year. Awarded with one of our Clarett 4Pre USBs, and an SL MkIII, Launchpad X, and a Bass Station II from Novation, we caught up with Abi to find out what's next for her as an artist, her route into music production and how she works through her creative process.
Can you tell us a little about yourself and why you wanted to study the commercial music producer masters at Tileyard Education?
I'm a producer, singer-songwriter and drummer from a friendly beach town in Western Australia called Perth. A few years ago, I moved to London to pursue a career in music and decided to take my production to a more professional level - I knew I could do that at Tileyard. I realised that being around likeminded and ambitious music producers would help keep me motivated and achieve my goals.
How long have you been making music?
Back in Perth I had been experimenting making demos in Logic, so I was familiar with using a DAW and working with loops. I've been producing full length tracks for around four years now. I've been lucky to have some amazing producers as friends to help mentor and encourage me along the way. I've always kept this mindset of if I work on this every day, I'm going to improve'. It's nice to hear the progress I've made when I listen back to some of my first tracks.
What was it that first made you want to produce music?
I grew up being musical. I used to get hold of my older teenage sister's CDs to listen to. At the age of nine, my music teacher told me I had talent and suggested to my parents that I should start taking drum lessons. Soon after, I naturally picked up bass, piano, guitar - if there was an instrument around, I would find it and start jamming. Learning instruments at a young age gave me a strong foundation for music which I'm really grateful for.
As a singer/songwriter in London, I spent a lot of time with producers and asking lots of questions. I came to the point where I thought, I could do this. The producers encouraged me to start and gave me loads of tips and feedback on my tracks. They also thought it was great that I was an aspiring female producer who was enthusiastic as they were.
What challenges do you face in your creative process and how do you overcome them?
My greatest challenge is also my greatest strength: managing my emotions. I seem to feel everything so deeply whether it's positive or negative. It feels overwhelming sometimes and, like a lot of artists, I can find it hard to keep motivated. I'm getting better at separating the technical side of me from the creative side. Having a daily routine that I always stick to really helps. I use my emotions when it's time to do the creative stuff where it's useful, like songwriting. I also try to live a healthy lifestyle and eat well. I also love boxing and want to get back into that. It's great because it's a full-on work out and teaches you how to control your emotions by staying calm.
Who are your greatest inspirations?
Peter Gabriel immediately comes to mind. I have many musical inspirations, but he's someone I've looked up to a lot over the past five years. He not only inspires me from an artist and a producer perspective, but also I'm drawn to his character and integrity. Not many people would believe this but I'm really shy and he is too. He often talks about how he uses masks and costumes on stage to help him perform as he naturally quite introverted. He's a seriously empowering guy and I really hope to meet him some time soon. In terms of my current producers that I really like are DJ Snake, Clean Bandit, Zedd and of course Max Martin.
Talk us through your creative and recording process.
Whenever I feel a strong emotion, I grab it and then work with that feeling. I'll usually get a hook line in my head first, and just start singing it around and playing with a melody. From there anything could happen. Sometimes I'll find one sample or sound that inspires me and work a song around it. Other times I'll look towards the piano or guitar and find the chords first. It largely depends on how I feel and what kind of mood I'm in. I don't have one way of doing anything, I'd get too bored.
How would you describe your current sound?
My influences are wide and diverse, but my current sound draws from tropical house and afro beat. Its groove based with energy but also has a laid-back feel at the same time. I love London and consider it home now, but Australia is still close to my heart. Memories of hanging out with my friends at the beach, swimming with our clothes on and coming home covered in sand is influencing the way I'm producing at moment, I want to recreate those memories in my music.
Why Tileyard Education?
I had heard about Tileyard from my producer friends and I could see it had a magical kind of buzz. I was drawn into Tileyard's community of artists and creatives, all working together to achieve the same goal. It's the first time I've found somewhere that I felt I could get behind the vision and that's what makes Tileyard special: you get to be part of something bigger than you.
What do you hope to be doing in three years' time?
I want to be performing my songs at festivals all over the world. I
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
01/09/2026
Bridge Technologies will announce at IBC2026 (Booth 1.A71) that its VB440 produc...
01/09/2026
DAZN has announced an agreement to acquire EverPass Media, a commercial sports distribution platform serving bars, restaurants, hotels, and other venues in the ...
01/09/2026
The USTA and Kalshi have announced a multi-year partnership making Kalshi the Official Prediction Market Partner of the US Open, beginning with the 2026 US Open...
01/09/2026
MASV will exhibit at IBC2026 (Booth 5.B40, RAI Amsterdam, September 11-14). CTO Majed Alhajry will appear on a panel session, A Tale of Two Feeds: Automation o...
01/09/2026
FingerWorks Telestrators has announced a partnership with Broadcast Rental to ex...
01/09/2026
FOR-A has announced the expansion of viztrick AiDi into two dedicated products: Go Vertical! AiDi and AiDi Sports Hub. Developed by Nippon TV and delivered glob...
01/09/2026
Sony Pictures Television has launched Live TV on PS5, a free ad-supported streaming experience available to PS5 players in the United States. The service is acc...
01/09/2026
Friedrichstadt-Palast in Berlin has installed a Riedel production infrastructure spanning video, intercom, control, and I/O across the venue, implemented in col...
01/09/2026
Arkona technologies GmbH has announced an OEM partnership with BFE Studio und Medien Systeme GmbH to offer arkona-branded control panels for its SDI-IP routing ...
01/09/2026
Cricket Australia has launched Cricket TV, a direct-to-consumer streaming service built on Eluvio's Content Fabric platform. The service is currently in ear...
01/09/2026
Eluvio has announced it was selected to power Pasifika , a new direct-to-consume...
01/09/2026
Layercake, the company behind the intelligent media workflow platform Streamcake, has appointed Jon Marquard as Director and Chairperson. The appointment marks ...
01/09/2026
Gravity Media has announced a multi-year renewal of its agreement with Stawell Gift Event Management to produce the complete broadcast of the Powercor Stawell G...
01/09/2026
Beam Dynamics will exhibit at IBC2026 for the first time (Stand 14.FT29, Hall 14), introducing License Intelligence, a new module for managing software licenses...
01/09/2026
Interra Systems has announced that ZOO Digital has selected BATON for file-based quality control across its media workflows. ZOO Digital delivers localized ente...
01/09/2026
Bridge Technologies has announced the deployment of its VB330 monitoring probe at Sunrise, supporting the Swiss telecommunications provider's IP-based telev...
01/09/2026
Riedel Communications has announced the continued expansion of its managed coach communications partnership with Scottish Rugby Union, now entering its third se...
01/09/2026
Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, includ...
01/09/2026
SMPTE today detailed the centerpiece of its IBC2026 program: the SMPTE Roadshow: Future of Media Infrastructure, a full-day workshop on Monday, 14 September, th...
01/09/2026
Inside the Music and Sound of Michael
Sound Particles have announced an upcoming webinar with John Warhurst, the Academy Award- and BAFTA-winning supervisin...
01/09/2026
Piano offers tutorials, lessons & feedback via app
Roland have just launched a new digital piano that integrates with a mobile app in an effort to encourage...
01/09/2026
Update introduces 7.1.4 support via Dante
Trinnov have just announced a software update that will allow Nova units with eight licensed Optimizer channels to...
01/09/2026
SBS secures exclusive rights to FIFA World Cup 2030
1 September, 2026
Media releases
Major sports rights deal ensures all Australians will be able to view...
01/09/2026
SBS announces the launch of outcomes-based measurement across its network
1 September, 2026
Media releases
New offer sees national broadcaster put outcomes...
01/09/2026
Revealed: The Booster Economy' how $140bn+ in everyday inheritances'...
01/09/2026
SBS census explorer to provide new insights into contemporary Australia
1 September, 2026
Media releases
The 2026 Census Explorer will give marketers new i...
01/09/2026
SBS and oOh!media launch exclusive SBS News content partnership across office, a...
01/09/2026
SBS offers marketers greater reach with extension into outdoor, creator economy ...
01/09/2026
SBS and The Guardian join forces to supersize sustainability challenge for 2027
1 September, 2026
Media releases
SBS Media and Guardian Australia have join...
01/09/2026
SBS goes deeper in 2027 with provocative Australian documentaries, star-studded ...
01/09/2026
Amazon MGM Studios have commissioned a new thrilling 6-part drama, Crouch End, b...
01/09/2026
New York August 31, 2026 Nielsen is announcing four new local methodology enhancements that will be activated into Local TV currency data starting today, Au...
01/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
01/09/2026
Pronology, a developer of cutting-edge broadcast workflow solutions, showcases the newest capabilities for its StreamFile Core platform at the 2026 IBC Show (S...
01/09/2026
PROTON Unveils Next-Generation FLEXY Camera at IBC 2026
Brie Clayton September 1, 2026
0 Comments
10-metre serialised coax unlocks new perspectives an...
01/09/2026
Hulu Drama The Season Graded with DaVinci Resolve Studio
Brie Clayton September 1, 2026
0 Comments
Senior Colorist Mark Kueper of Picture Shop crafts ...
01/09/2026
Pluxbox Launches CoreOC to Transform Mission-Critical Media Operations
Brie Clayton September 1, 2026
0 Comments
A vendor-agnostic operational control l...
01/09/2026
Layercake, the company behind the intelligent media workflow platform Streamcake, today announced the appointment of Jon Marquard as Director and Chairperson. T...
01/09/2026
Actus Digital, a LiveU company, will unveil the next generation of its Actus X platform at IBC2026 on LiveUs Stand 7.C24, demonstrating how broadcasters can sim...
01/09/2026
Broadcast Solutions, a leading systems integrator and provider of innovative solutions for the broadcast media industry, delivered transformational technology a...
01/09/2026
Quortex, the intelligent video technology company carved out from Synamedia by Lumine Group, today announced that Odisha Television Network (OTV), the leading r...