Armani White On Making Australian Debut For BWS Cool Room: ‘It Made Me Feel Good, Knowing The Music Made It That Far’

Summer is fast approaching, and good lordy, we are feeling it. BWS have our backs, though, cranking up the cool factor with the highly anticipated return of their BWS Cool Room gig series.

This year’s program features three highly exclusive, intimate concert experiences: one in Eora/Sydney that went down in October (headlined by Lime Cordiale), one that Memphis LK will play in Awakabal/Newcastle later this month, and one in Naarm/Melbourne headlined by none other than viral rapper Armani White. And these shows aren’t just cool for the fact they’re so special – they’re taking place in actual purpose-built refrigerator rooms.

White’s show is particularly exciting, given it’ll mark the Billie Eilish hitmaker’s first-ever performance on Australian soil. “When I got the call to perform inside a huge inflatable cool room,” he said upon the show’s announcement, “I just had to say YES! The creativity and the concept for something like this is extremely impressive and it is what I am about musically. As an artist, I am all about pushing the boundaries but still making sure my music is for all of those who appreciate it.”

The gig itself will go down on Thursday December 7, taking place at the Point Ormond Reserve in Elwood. The only way to attend is by winning tickets through a ballot hosted on the BWS website. Hopeful punters will also go in the running to win a Golden Ticket, which includes double passes to the show as well as flights, accommodation and a meet-and-greet with White himself. Head here for all the info you’ll need to sign up.

We caught up with White in the lead-up to the gig, learning all about what he plans to get up to in Australia, and what he has on the cards for 2024.

So your show for the BWS Cool Room concert series will mark your first time ever performing in Australia – what does it mean for you to be making the trek Down Under? Is this something you’ve been keen to tick off the bucket list for a while?

Yeah, I’ve definitely been excited to perform in Australia, especially since we started getting plants over there. I think I went four-times Platinum in Australia or something – it’s some crazy number, but since we got that information I've always been excited. And I just always seen videos from Australia. That’s like the furthest from home that you could possibly be. It made me feel good, knowing the music made it that far.

What are you excited to get up to when you're not hitting the stage? Do you like to go out and about? Do you like doing tourist stuff, especially when you're playing in a new country?

Yeah, the first time you go to any new area, you gotta do the tourist thing. You gotta. You gotta check that off the bucket list. But then after that, it's like, what's the culture like? What's the food like? What's the night scene like? What's the women like? You know what I'm saying? Those four things, that kinda defines how good a city or country is, I guess.

Tying into the BWS cool room theme, what's the coldest place you've ever played. And how did you power through without freezing to death?

The coldest place I've ever played? We did a show in the middle of winter for New Year’s in South Lake Tahoe, and I had an asthma attack when I was in the middle of performing. I will never forget that day. But yeah, that was the coldest place. I don't remember the exact temperature, but I know I had a jacket on while I was performing.

When you're up there spitting fire like your life depends on it. What's your drink of choice?

I mean, if I’m spitting fire, I need some water to cool that down.

2023 has been downright enormous for you, between all the shows you’ve done, the Road To CASABLANCO tape, and your giant collabs with Macklemore and Jeleel. What have been the biggest highlights from this year (so far)?

The biggest highlights of this year were obviously going onstage with Billie [Eilish] and taking my mum to the VMAs – that was real cool. All the nominations have been really cool. And I just came back from London – that was a really cool grounding experience. That was the first time I travelled by myself to a new city, just unplugging a little bit. And I got to do a Taco Bell commercial, that was really fun.

In addition to those aforementioned icons, you’ve recently collaborated with peeps like Denzel Curry, Ludacris and Busta Rhymes, Fivio Foreign, A$AP Ferg… Wild shit. What’s it been like to link up with some of the all-time biggest names in rap?

It has been dope because there's no longer a conversation of looking up, it’s more like looking across. I'm forever a student to hip-hop and music in general, but to be looked at on a peer level for some of these people, it’s dope.

Looking to the future, what does 2024 have in store for Armani White?

Projects, that's my priority. All 2023 I’ve been on the road non-stop, but now we’re working on the projects and going on the road officially. I think all of that is 2024. 2023 was just going out and touching the world, and making sure that people know the face – we attach the face to the name and the music. But now it's time to travel all that music across the world.