It is said that the eyes are the window to the soul and that is certainly true for Australian rapper Matt Colwell, better known as 360.
Seven years ago he was struggling - with addiction, with his mental health, with life in general - and it showed. The ARIA award winner was thin and his face taut but it was the haunted, lost look in his eyes that gave it away.
A lot has changed since then. 360 might have had a quiet few years, career wise, but behind the scenes he's been working hard - on himself.
With professional help, a life coach and a commitment to health and physical fitness, 360 patiently worked through the various factors that were holding him back, and he has come out the other side a new man.
And again, it shows. His eyes are clear and radiate strength and a renewed sense of hope. He holds himself differently. Confidently. 360 has found a sense of inner peace and is on a mission.
"Oh wow, I appreciate what you've just said, it means a lot," he tells Weekender.
"I agree, the eyes say a lot, and there probably was a haunted look going on for a lot of my life. I've worked really hard to get where I'm at now."
360 has always worn his heart on his sleeve. He expresses his emotions through his lyrics, rapping about what he's going through.
"It's actually quite therapeutic. If I'm going through something I find that I can't tell anyone, like, I can't verbalise to someone that I'm struggling until I'm past it," he says.
"When I'm in the thick of it, for some reason I feel like I'm a burden and shouldn't share what I'm feeling. I've always been like that.
"The only way I can share it is by writing it in a rap and then recording it, even though I know the best thing to do is to talk to someone about it. For me the music has always been like therapy in that way."
360 says he was still making music but in "a horrible place"
"The lack of self-confidence and social anxiety had wreaked havoc on my frame of mind. I wanted to stay indoors and avoid the world, I lost the spark to live and be better," he explains.
"But last year I made a conscious choice to turn things around and take back control of my life.
"It started with a ton of therapy every week, understanding my issues inside and out. Then that evolved into working with a life coach. I had to figure out the exact man I wanted to be and stop living like a little boy, so that's what I'm in the process of doing right now.
"A lot of it is about doing the work I would usually avoid doing at all costs. I'm not a confrontational person and I let that get out of hand to the point I wouldn't stand up for myself or communicate honestly.
"So, learning to be more assertive, to have trust in myself and actually love myself again. Also, I can't stress the importance of the fitness side of things, smashing the gym regularly and eating healthy has done way more than any medication has ... so this has been the process to coming back to life."
He says he's been "working on a bunch of songs" with a view to releasing an album by the end of the year.
"We're gonna try to get some big collabs on it but we're still in talks. It's still very early days but it is shaping up to be quite good," he says.
"Everything that we've put down, I'm really loving it.
"I've put out a few songs over the past couple of years to sort of test what sound I want to go for, and now I feel that I'm in a place where the music is really starting to make sense and is shaping up to be an album.
"If you listen to the progression of my whole career, it sounds like the right fit."
360 immediately made a name for himself on the Australian hip-hop scene with his 2008 debut album What You See Is What You Get, but it was the game-changing 2011 release Falling Flying that catapulted him into a whole new stratosphere. Hailed for its emotive weight, authenticity and genre-fluid finesse, Falling Flying paved the way for 2014's Utopia and 2017's Vintage Modern.
He returned to the stage last year for the first time in six years for the first half of his Back To Life regional tour, joining forces with Support Act to raise money for the music industry charity. Part 2 of 360's regional tour with special guest drest kicks off in Tamworth on March 14 and stops off at Newcastle's King Street next Saturday, March 16.
"I've been just vibing with the music, having fun and feeling like I used to back in the day. It's taken a lot of work to get here, but it's so good to be back," he says, adding that he's looking forward to returning to the "rap battling" arena as well.
"I get so nervous beforehand and it can be so debilitating anxiety-wise that it's almost not worth it, but once I start, and get into it, it's such a good feeling," he says.
"I'm keen to conquer that demon.
"Public speaking, I just can't stand it. I get so nervous. If I have to do a talk for five people I'm absolutely sweating, losing it. But if I get up on stage and rap over a beat I don't feel that nervous at all, it's bizarre."
Keep an eye out for a 360 podcast, too. It's on the cards.
"I'll be doing a bunch of other shit, like sharing the steps I've taken to get myself better; I really want to show others who are stuck in a rut that if they need a way out, this is how I've done it, but you've gotta put in the hard work," he says.
"I 100 per cent plan to dive into that, and I'll be doing my own podcast as well which will go in-depth about a lot of it.
"It's taken a lot of work and a long time to get to where I am now, but it's been well worth it. I've changed so much as a person, and it's just so f - - king good to be back."
