For Siala (her/him/they), the process of music stems from an imperfect place. Growing up on the North Coast of New South Wales, her mother was a victim of domestic violence - until one day, 15-year-old Siala fought back against her abuser. "After knocking him out, I wrote a song about it. I found this rhythm of writing my emotions out constantly into music," she says. "I felt so much lighter mentally. It helped me register and reflect on my feelings, and then I’d look back on situations and feel closure."

Siala found solace in gloomy, guitar-heavy artists like Smashing Pumpkins and PJ Harvey, later diving headfirst into hip-hop, R&B and jazz. Writing lyrics became a way to digest pain and isolation, melding her diverse range of influences into a cathartic sound that sits confidently in its own lane. "I started taking it more seriously when I was getting great feedback from mates. Any time I thought about performing or sharing sounds, it would give me butterflies," she says. "I would vision it so clearly!" After watching The Weeknd perform live in Brisbane, Siala knew that music would be her future, and that she was destined for those same stages.

Siala has since grown into a multi-pronged vocalist, delivering her lyrics through hypnotic melodies, bullish bars and all the spaces in between. Instrumentals are trippy, atmospheric and take listeners into a different dimension. From the rapid, head-nodding flows of 'Blackout' to the slow-motion falsettos of 'Blood On Your Lips', Siala's catalogue has already defied sonic boundaries with confidence. 'Focus' also samples her mother's voice, honouring the importance of familial experiences to Siala's craft.

But despite their eclectic nature, Siala's songs are also united by their emotive, overcast nature. "My music is an experience, a journey and a sound I’ve felt which resonates with me on the rawest level," she says. "The energy comes from a true part of myself."

Touching on themes of toxic love, the distortion of self-image, and finding beauty through suffering; Siala's stream-of-consciousness style of song writing shows maturity well beyond her years. "I never write my lyrics upon a certain topic," she says. "I just vent unconsciously, because that’s more realistic for me." 

Despite being a relative newcomer, her songs have already resonated deeply with a buzzing fan base. "I hope people will listen to my music and seek truth within themselves and others," she says. "To know that they are worthy of feeling. And that what they are feeling, are real feelings." Ultimately, Siala's music is about resurrection: Not only seeking closure and healing from the past, but forging new paths into the future. Siala will be releasing a larger body of work in the coming months, beginning her journey to becoming one of the country's most powerful voices and storytellers.