LIKE many Newcastle year 12 students, Bree Rusev has this week began the daunting task of preparing for her HSC exams online from home.
"It's alright, but a bit hard to get motivated," the Hunter School of Performing Arts student said.
However, unlike most students she's been buoyed by having her latest single, Goodbye, unveiled on triple j and debuting at No.54 on the Unearthed charts.
In fact, Rusev was so busy with school commitments it wasn't until fellow students told her, that she realised her latest single Goodbye had been played on triple j.
"Last week I didn't know it was getting played, but I got messages from a couple of people from school who were like, 'hey, I just heard you on the radio'," she said.
Goodbye is the fourth single Rusev has released, following on from the ethereal indie-folk of Drift, Coastline and Fade Away.
Goodbye, which was produced by Canadian-born Byron Bay-based musician and producer Garrett Kato (Ziggy Alberts, Jack Botts, Pete Murray, Kyle Lionheart), is a confident step forward for Rusev.
The 18-year-old's haunting voice sits front and centre, but Goodbye sees Rusev expand her story-telling to new emotive heights.
"It centres around themes of simplistic love and separation," Rusev said. "I wrote it about having to say goodbye to someone close to you.
"One of my friends moved away, so it was sort of about that and also about having independence and a sense of contentment in being alone."
Rusev plans to record and release another single in 2021, before shifting her focus post-high school towards producing a debut EP.
"Eventually that's the end goal to get an EP out there," she said. "I might do a few more singles leading up to it."
Rusev said she hopes to study nutrition at university next year, as well as concentrating on the development of her songwriting and live performances.
GILL A PAPER STAR
ANOTHER year 12 student dominating the triple j Unearthed charts is Belmont High's Chloe Gill.
The 17-year-old's contemporary folk songs Paper Stars and 30 Year Old Me have received rave reviews on triple j. Paper Stars even reached as high as No.5 on the Unearthed chart.
Gill grew up in a musical family with both her parents music teachers. She recently graduated from the Sydney-based Talent Development Program 2021 and has been mentored by Melbourne indie-pop singer-songwriter Gretta Ray, a former triple j Unearthed winner.
JETS DELAYED
THE release of The Screaming Jets' 30th anniversary re-issue of their classic album All For One has been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Initially the album, which features newly-recorded versions of Better, C'mon and FRC, was due for release on Friday to coincide with the launch of their national tour beginning in Fremantle. The tour included a Belmont 16s show on September 17.
However, due to the worsening Delta strain situation the All For One reissue has been shafted to October 15 and the tour won't be happening until 2022.
AKERS ON OLD BLOCK
DUE to her appearance on reality TV show The Block, alongside her husband Jesse Anderson, Wangi Wangi's Kirsty Lee Akers is expected have plenty of new admirers when she returns for her 31st Tamworth Country Music Festival in January.
Akers has famously been making the trek to the north-west country mecca since she was a toddler growing up in Kurri Kurri.
This week Akers announced she'll be performing her one and only show in Tamworth at Blazes on January 22.
LEGGE UP FOR PIPER
NEWCASTLE teenager Piper Butcher has scored a support slot on South Coast artist Corey Legge's Cemetery Kids tour around NSW.
The tour, which is obviously in grave doubt due to COVID-19, is scheduled to begin on September 3 at Cooma's Alpine Hotel, before visiting Cobargo, Tomakin, Newcastle, Port Kembla and and Tumut. Mayfield's Stag and Hunter Hotel hosts Legge and Butcher on September 10.
HISS & CRACKLE TUBE
GOD knows when live music will return, but thankfully Wallsend's Hiss & Crackle Records are making sure emerging Newcastle musicians aren't completely silenced.
Six mini concerts filmed recently at Hiss & Crackle have been released on the record store's YouTube channel.
The content features folk artist James Bennett launching his fourth album Life and Life Only, Americana teen songstress Piper Butcher, producer Banjo Ulysses, Noah and Romy Church's The Original Left Bank Orchestra, post-punk band Doris and folk singer-songwriters Boots Porter.
