Newcastle’s Green Voice of Spring: Bree Rusev
Young Novocastrian musician, Bree Rusev, has recently released her second single for the year. Phoebe Metcalfe caught up with Bree over Zoom to chat about the details.
A couple of weeks ago young local talent Bree Rusev released her second-ever single; Drift.
Following on from her debut single, Coastline, which has amassed over seven and a half thousand streams on Spotify, Drift has already managed to reach over three thousand streams!
Listening to the four-minute song with your eyes closed, you wouldn’t think a 17-year-old is behind it. Her incredibly mature vocals and harmonies matched with lyrical themes of positive mental health, and awareness of living in the present, literally makes you feel as though you’re drifting.
Bree’s dreamy voice and indie-folk style has been influenced by the likes of Julia Stone, Ben Howards, and Ziggy Alberts, and she has the amazing skill for storytelling to match.
Bree was able to work with mixing master Gareth Hudson (Ben and the Sea, Hilltop Hoods & Briggs) and mastering expert Joe Carra (King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, Courtney Barnett), raising the quality tune and placing her in amazing artistic company.
I had the opportunity, over Zoom, to get a little insight into how Bree’s release has gone so far:
So, you have just released your second single of the year, is it your second single ever as well?
Yeah, it’s the second single I’ve ever recorded.
That’s awesome! So that one was Drift, and your first one was Coastline. Coastline currently has over seven and a half thousand streams on Spotify and Drift, I think, at the moment, is just over -, or just under, sorry, three-point-five-thousand streams on Spotify, as well. Does this release feel different to the first one, and what’s the overall reception been like of Drift?
Yeah, um, I think Drift -, it definitely picked up a lot faster than Coastline did, I think it took about a week, or so, to get to, like, 1k listens on Coastline, and Drift got there in, like, two days this time.
Wow, that’s amazing!
It’s pretty cool!
And do you know if all of your audience on Spotify are Australian, or are you hitting other audiences around the world, too?
Um, most of them are from Australia, but there’s, like, quite a few from, like, everywhere.
Because it’s not like-, um, I know, people like Courtney Barnette have quite an Australian accent and it’s a little bit more recognizable-
Mmm, yeah.
Whereas your voice, I feel like it’s a little bit more, kind of, in the middle of all the accents when you sing, so it can be relatable to a lot of different audiences. Which is cool.
Thank you.
So, I’m sure you’ve been told that your voice is very mature for your age, and, um-, and the subjects behind your are, kind of, like, philosophical epiphanies that not, maybe not, many people at your age has had. Was there a particular life experience that shaped Drift?
Not a particular experience of my own, but I, kind of, just -, for, like, some songs I, kind of, create a storyline in my head. Drift was, kind of, just, like-, [I] imagined it about a made-up individual, I guess. Kind of, just, like, sort of, about mental health topics and getting lost in your own thoughts, and, like, sometimes it’s hard to, like, realise the world around you, and, you’re kind of, like, stuck on things that, you know, you think about too much.
Yeah, which I’m sure everyone is relating to right now, with, um, being stuck at home and everything.
Yeah, it’s pretty bad.
And so, you’ve only been playing guitar for about three years now, is that right?
Yeah, about that.
Yeah cool, but you’ve been a dancer for most of your life. So, as a dancer, do you find a particular rhythm easier for your storytelling?
Um, yeah, I danced before I started playing music, like, forever, I guess. Um, I don’t know, yeah, I guess sort of a little bit. I don’t dance anymore, so I’ve kind of forgotten.
So you don’t find that there’s, like, um, a particular beat that you’re drawn to for you to project and of your stories or feelings or anything like that?
Um, I haven’t really thought of it that way before. I guess all the, sort of, style of music that I write is a bit more, like, you know, slower, you know, like, less upbeat and more, like, flowy.
Yeah, I could definitely see a lot of those, like, Julia Stone influences, as well. Who else inspired you and your genre of music?
I’ve always listened to a lot of, like, Ziggy Alberts and, like, Ben Howard and, like, Jack Box [?] and, like, Angus and Julia Stone and things like that. I kind of, like, sort of, created a mixture between the different styles that they all have.
Is there anything else that we can look forward to hearing from you this year, or is three too many for 2020? [laughs]
[laughs] Um, I haven’t thought about it too much, yet. But I think, definitely in the next couple of months I’ll try and get more music out there, hopefully.
Yeah, awesome! And what platforms would we be able to find Drift on?
Drift is on all streaming platforms, I believe. So, Spotify, Apple Music, it’s just been uploaded to Triple J Unearthed, as well, so yeah.
Watch the interview with extras here:
You can find Drift, and keep up to date with Bree Rusev, on her socials: Instagram, Facebook, Spotify, and Triple J Unearthed.
Feature Image: Single Artwork courtesy of Bree Rusev, no changes made.
