FOR local rapper Ethan Howard, music is about more than chasing streams, stages or a shot at making it.
It is more about proof of just how far he has come.
Performing as 30-5, Howard is an emerging artist determined to put his city on the musical map, turning experiences with bullying, drugs, alcohol and recovery into music he hopes will connect with young people fighting battles of their own.
“I’m a young, determined, up-and-coming artist ready to prove our city can produce superstars,” Howard said.
Even the name 30-5 carries a piece of home.
“It began as a reference to my postcode and I guess it just stuck and became part of the brand,” he said.
“A huge chunk of my concrete fanbase has been local and I think it stems from a collision of similar upbringings and stories.
“After all, is that not why people connect to music in the first place?”
Behind the growing profile of 30-5 is a teenage journey Howard is now increasingly prepared to confront through his lyrics, spending much of his younger life surrounded by what he describes as the wrong crowds, where drugs and alcohol were increasingly normalised.
After leaving school shortly before turning 16 following fighting and bullying, Howard found himself without the structure and direction school had provided.
“Life sort of hit a wall,” he said.
“Smoking and drinking became my centre of everything.”
The wake-up call came before his 18th birthday when Howard suffered a seizure while sitting at his desk.
“I think that really scared me straight,” he said.
Long before 30-5 became an artist identity, writing had provided Howard with somewhere to put his frustration, thoughts and emotions.
“As long as I can remember, I’ve always depended on some form of writing as an outlet,” he said.
That outlet eventually became music and led to a chance meeting with collaborator Eli “Dingoe” Young at a house party.
Howard was playing some of his early music when Young took an interest and later reached out.
Already immersed in Australian rap and the skating and graffiti culture surrounding it, Dingoe helped Howard find a clearer musical direction.
As 30-5 began finding a wider audience, Howard discovered some of the experiences he once struggled to talk about could become his most powerful material.
His single “snowglobe” dives deeper into his experiences with substance use and recovery.
“I feel like everybody has the opportunity to start again, and it starts by surrounding yourself with the right people,” Howard said.
“You can do whatever you put your mind to. You can’t fail until you give up.”
