Artist On Artist: Bailey Pickles & Hugo Hui Talk First Email Exchanges, Musical Synchronicity & Chasing The Big Dream

If you weren’t already across the dynamic duo that is Bailey Pickles and Hugo Hui, a quick scroll through your For You page on TikTok will provide an immediate refresher.

Both artists have experienced virality time and time again for their breathtaking orchestral arrangements of iconic songs, garnering over 100 million views and 2 million followers collectively across different social media. Earlier this year, the talented pianist-violinist pair dropped their whimsical, nostalgic rendition of Owl City’s 2009 hit Fireflies, featuring all 200 members of the Sydney Conservatorium Choir. In March, they vowed to continue providing a one-of-one sonic experience through the cinematic reimagining of Coldplay’s 2005 track Fix You, with rising star Ben Swissa on guitar.

Outside of the views, numbers and bustle that comes with being internet sensations, Pickles and Hui are mates who were brought together by their shared love for music. As the pair gear up to release their forthcoming EP – which is expected to showcase more of their exploration of film-inspired orchestral interpretations – they chime in on their journey together this far for Artist On Artist, talking through musical origins, the “big dream” and the email that kicked off their flourishing relationship.

BAILEY ASKS HUGO:

People are always fascinated by how we play by ear — and honestly, you have the fastest ear of anyone I’ve ever met. How did you actually learn to do that?

*laughs* Maybe you haven’t met many people.

For me, I have to attribute a lot to God given talent. My family recalls the earliest days when I was about 6 or 7. I would hear these songs played at church and on the night of, they would hear me playing them on the piano. I started simple with just a melody, then I discovered chords. I wasn’t too sure what chord my left hand should move to, but I definitely knew which ones sounded wrong. From there, I was in an environment where I had to learn to improvise and use my ear, and so I kept developing my sense of harmony. 

Since your ear is ridiculous, do you have any tips or exercises for someone who wants to get better at playing by ear?

Although I said it’s something that came to me naturally, I have had experiences teaching people how to play by ear. I haven’t quite figured out the optimal way, but it can definitely be done. One aspect that often gets overlooked in my opinion is just how important the bass is.

If you’re exploring how to improve your ear, I recommend putting on a song and listening out for the bass. If you can work out a bass line easily, the chords and harmonies on top will come easily afterwards. Other than that, just do a lot of playing. Improvise whenever you can. We underestimate our ears, each time you play something you don’t like, your ear is quite good at making sure it doesn’t happen again. 

I remember the very first email you sent me to introduce yourself. Do you remember what you wrote?

Let me see if I can find it; the email that started it all. 

~

I found it – what a throwback: 

Hey Bailey,

I’m Hugo, just wanted to reach out to you real quick. To keep it short, I run a tiktok account called MS3, where we do similar things to you, hearing songs and playing them by ear. 

I was just seeing if you were down to meet together and just make some music and jam a bit. It’s very rare that I see other musicians with a similar level of harmony and pitch as me so it got me excited thinking about all the fun content we could make. 

If you need some credentials, I’m playing in the encore HSC concert, and am going into performance at the Con so let me know what you think. Fans would love seeing some sort of “playing by ear battle” between us I’m sure! 

Regards, Hugo. 

When you’re writing or playing, do you ever see images or scenes in your head? Is there one that’s really stuck with you?

Oh wow, interesting that you mentioned that. In my classical violin upbringing, that’s a message that has been nailed into my head from all my teachers; the idea that if I don’t have a picture in my head of what i’m expressing, how will the audience feel something. So yes, when I perform, I try and have an image of something in my head, related to the music of course. I think it helps in bringing out the musical side of me more. 

Getting started on posting videos on TikTok can be really difficult. What gave you the courage to start, and what was your process in the beginning?

To be honest, I started social media really late despite being interested in it early due to my fear of putting myself out there. I admittedly have to credit my brother here, who one day said to me, “Hugo if you put yourself online, there’s a small chance of succeeding, but if you don’t, you have 0% chance”. So that day I uploaded my first video, and overnight it got 250K views and my social media journey began. 

What’s your biggest dream in all of this? Like, if you achieved it, it would feel like the pinnacle of everything you’ve worked for?

My dream can be explained in one simple photo. I want to be on stage one day, in front a sea of people, with everyone’s flashlights on waving in the air. I think i’ll be content at that moment. 

You’ve got a really distinctive sound when you play — if someone wanted to try and play like you, what would they need to focus on?

Not gonna lie, probably just forget all about technique *laughs*. In really practical terms, I’d say my sound consists of wide vibrato, slides and ornaments. But of course I’m constantly listening to others and learning from my friends on how to get a better sound because mine is by no means amazing. 

What’s one moment from our time working together that would make the best behind-the-scenes blooper reel?

There’s way too many Bailey, and in all honesty ones that no one would find funny but us. Someone should have filmed the first time I went over to yours to make a track. For context, I grew up in the city and Bailey lives on a farm. So going to his was literally culture shock like my guy has cows in his backyard. Other than that, our experience at the APRA awards where we won for our song with ONEFOUR was pretty crazy. The anticipation the whole night made the win so worth it.

HUGO ASKS BAILEY:

Fix You is our fourth track together. Most people would expect some creative clashes by now. How do you think we’ve managed to stay so in sync on musical decisions?

First of all, I’m really excited about the music we’re creating — and I’ve always been excited about the way you play and the sound you create.

When we write together, we’re both so focused on what’s best for the song that it naturally keeps our egos out of the way. If I ever question an idea you’ve had, it’s never a personal thing — it’s just about whether it fits the song. That mindset helps us stay in sync and create better music together.

From our first track to Fix You, there’s been a huge jump in quality — yet we’ve used the same room, gear, and brains. What do you think has driven that improvement?

I love this question. I’m proud of every track we’ve released — and while the production improves each time, I’m just as proud of our first piece as I am of our latest.

Even though we’ve used almost exactly the same equipment for every song, doing a similar process over and over again has made us faster and more confident. We’ve learnt to make better decisions with each track, and you can really hear that growth.

Our writing process is chaotic but weirdly efficient — like we’ve got our own musical language. Why do you think it works so well?

I honestly think it’s because we’ve become so familiar with each other’s style. We know how the other person thinks musically, and that makes communication super smooth.

My favourite example is when you called me while I was out walking with an idea — and we ended up writing the whole piece over the phone in 20 minutes, with no instruments. I’m still laughing about it. Sometimes it just clicks.

We’ve both said writing music together is one of our favourite creative processes. What do you think makes it so fun?

That’s such a great question, and one I’ve heard answered in so many different ways by artists I admire. Personally, I think it’s a mix of both. We’ve realised that if a song carries one clear emotional feeling from start to finish, people connect with it more. If it changes emotions too much, listeners tend to disconnect. So while I’m definitely thinking about the listener, it’s always about what serves the song best. If we love it and we believe in it, people usually feel that too.

Fix You by Bailey Pickles and Hugo Hui (featuring Ben Swissa) is out now. Check it out below.