A Quick Chat with Kurt Carrera

“New Friends” takes a fun, tongue-in-cheek approach to cutting ties with negative people and recognising who your real friends are. What inspired the song, and was it drawn from personal experiences?

Yeah, absolutely! I think we've all been in situations where we've had people in our lives who probably weren't the best for us. Whether that's friendships that have turned sour, unnecessary drama, or just realising that you've outgrown certain people.

I think as I've gotten older, I've become a lot more conscious of who I surround myself with and the energy I want around me.

But rather than writing something super serious or emotional about it, I wanted to have a bit of fun with the idea. There's definitely a bit of sarcasm and cheekiness throughout the song, which I love. I think it's really just about getting to a point where you realise not every friendship is worth holding onto, and sometimes you're better off just moving on.

The track blends R&B, Gospel and Hip-Hop, with influences ranging from PJ Morton and Samm Henshaw to Childish Gambino and Chance the Rapper. What drew you to combining these sounds, and how did you approach stepping outside your comfort zone with the rap elements?

I've always been a massive fan of R&B and Soul. Artists like PJ Morton and Samm Henshaw have been huge inspirations for me because there's so much musicality in what they do. The gospel-inspired chords, harmonies, grooves, all of it!

But I've also always loved the playful side of Hip-Hop, particularly artists like Childish Gambino and Chance the Rapper. There's something about the way they combine storytelling, humour and really interesting musical arrangements that I've always found inspiring.

With "New Friends", I wanted to bring all those worlds together and make something that felt a little different from what I've released previously.

And then somehow I ended up rapping on the song! HAHA.

I'm definitely not going to start calling myself a rapper anytime soon, but it was honestly so much fun stepping outside my comfort zone.

“New Friends” was nominated for the 2026 WAM Song of the Year in the R&B/Hip-Hop category before its official release. What did that recognition mean to you, and how has it influenced your confidence in the music you're creating?

Honestly, it was pretty surreal!

To have a song recognised before it's even officially released is such an amazing feeling, especially when it's something that you've put so much time and effort into.

I think as an independent artist, you spend so much time second-guessing yourself. You're constantly wondering whether the music you're making is good enough, whether people are going to connect with it, or whether you're heading in the right direction creatively. So to receive a WAM Song of the Year nomination for "New Friends" was definitely a really encouraging moment for me.It's also been a pretty exciting year in general. My previous single "VIBE!" received support from triple j PRISM and landed on Apple Music's "New in R&B" editorial playlist. I was also nominated for R&B/Funk/Soul Act of the Year at the 2026 WA Music Awards.

All of those little wins have really helped reassure me that I'm heading in the right direction.

More than anything, it's given me the confidence to keep experimenting, trusting my instincts and making music that genuinely excites me.

The music video for “New Friends” brings a whole new visual element to the song, with plenty of humour and personality throughout. How did you come up with the concept, and how important is the visual storytelling side of your music to you?

Honestly, I have to give a massive shoutout to Joel Baker from Betterbread TV and C4LEB400, who directed this one!

Joel actually came up with the idea of doing the entire music video as a one-shot, which I thought was such a cool concept. Especially for a song like "New Friends", where there's so much going on musically, I think having everything unfold in one continuous shot really adds to the chaos and humour of the track.

I've always loved music videos that have a bit of personality to them and don't take themselves too seriously.

Working with Joel and C4LEB400 was honestly so much fun. I love collaborating with people who aren't afraid to throw around crazy ideas and try something a little different.

And I think that's what I love most about this video. It's a little ridiculous, a little chaotic, but I feel like it captures the energy of the song perfectly! Keep your eye out for this one. The music video is out November 4th!

With “New Friends” marking your final release before relocating to Sydney, it feels like the closing of one chapter and the beginning of another. What does this song represent to you at this point in your life, and what can listeners expect from Kurt Carrera in 2027?

It's definitely a pretty exciting time for me at the moment! I've spent pretty much my entire musical career in Perth, so moving to Sydney is a massive change, but one that I've been wanting to make for a while now.

I think "New Friends" is a nice way to wrap up my time in Perth. It's a song that I had a lot of fun making with some of my closest mates, and I think it represents the kind of music I want to keep making moving forward.

I've been really fortunate to have had some amazing opportunities over the last few years, and I'm incredibly grateful for the people in Perth who've supported me along the way. But I also feel like I'm at a point in my career where I want to challenge myself a bit more and see what I can achieve outside of WA.

As for 2027, the plan is to keep releasing music, collaborate with new artists and musicians, and hopefully get stuck into the live music scene over on the East Coast.

I'm still figuring out exactly what that next chapter looks like, but I'm really looking forward to getting over there, meeting new people and seeing where things go!