Newcastle folk singer-songwriter Bree Rusev has released her fourth single following her success as a semi-finalist in a prestigious international music competition.
Produced by Garrett Kato in Byron Bay and released on August 13, Goodbye is the fourth original song written by the 18-year-old.
Bree’s latest song release comes soon after she made the semifinals of an international music competition, Unsigned Only.
The US-based competition is designed for solo artists and bands worldwide, who are looking for exposure, recognition and a chance to gain a record deal.
Bree, who first picked up the guitar at age 14, saw the competition online and thought she would give it a shot.
“Last year, I entered an international songwriting competition with one of my original songs and made it as a finalist, so I thought I would give this one a go as well,” the Hunter School of the Performing Arts Year 12 student said.
Bree’s debut single, Drift, was released last year and has since had more than 25,000 plays on Spotify. The song touches on mental health topics, following a person who gets lost in their own thoughts.
She entered Drift into the Folk category of Unsigned Only, and although she didn’t win, she was ecstatic to receive the recognition.
“I definitely didn’t expect to be chosen as a semi-finalist in this one, so I’m super stoked.”
Bree said she wrote her first song not long after she started learning guitar.
“When I was about 14, I started playing the ukulele. I eventually started teaching myself guitar and began playing a few gigs here and there,” Bree said.
“Playing live is strictly acoustic folk genre, but my recorded tracks are more pop-folk. I draw lots of inspiration from artists like Ziggy Alberts, Julia Stone, James Bay and Dean Lewis.”
All four of Bree’s original songs have received national radio airplay. Triple J defines her as an artist with “a very distinctive voice” who “displays a lyrical maturity well beyond her years”.
Bree said she was an emotive songwriter who drew from past experiences and used vivid imagery to tell a story through her lyrics.
“Sometimes I sit down and come up with some chords first, and then I’ll create the lyrics and melody,” she said.
“I do make up little stories for my songs, but a lot of the time, I find it easier to write about past experiences, although those songs are a lot more vulnerable and real.”
Bree already has 3055 monthly listeners on Spotify, which fuels her passion for music and inspires her to pursue a career in the industry.
“I’d love to be able to continue with songwriting,” she said.
“I will definitely keep writing and recording songs, and hopefully, when restrictions are eased, I can start playing live gigs again.”
To stay up to date with Bree’s music career and future song releases, follow her on Spotify and on socials @breerusevmusic.
Hayley McMahon