“You gotta dream, better chase it.”
That’s a line from Elijah Yo’s unreleased track “True Dat,” which, unsurprisingly, represents more than just a lyric — it’s the ethos behind his entire career.
The Western Sydney hip-hop musician is known for his jazz-inspired beats and emotionally informed lyrics. Self-taught and self-made, Yo was “just a kid from West Sydney who was making beats and recording in [his] bedroom,” before he found his musical niche and ran with it at full speed.
Across a wide-ranging body of work, Yo has amassed some 17 million streams. Unsatisfied with just producing, he’s forged a unique path, directing music videos for up-and-coming artists alongside his own musical endeavours. He now sits as the final inductee in the Mentos Fresh Sounds Class of ‘26, curated by Rolling Stone AU/NZ.
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Wearing clothes his mum made for him — now taking centre stage in Rolling Stone AU/NZ’s In My Room session — Elijah Yo performed his unreleased song before stepping back in time to an old favourite, “3 Deep.” With both songs, Yo exemplified what put him at the forefront of Western Sydney’s music scene: not just talent, but vision.
Follow Elijah Yo’s journey through the Fresh Sounds Class of ‘26 and beyond here.
