How Babitha’s “Brighter Side of Blue” is getting international attention

“Actually, I was really nervous about putting it on the record because I didn’t know if it was too different from what I think Babitha is, but I love it when artists are able to mix and match a range of different sounds and bring ideas together,” Grist says.

As any independent musician would tell you, social media is now critical to breaking through, but Grist prefers to take a risk with her art and let it speak for itself.

“The problem with platforms like TikTok — as much as I love doom scrolls — is that they’re marketing a very sacred thing, the metrics outweigh the art,” says Grist. “I think people can get trapped in a belief system that more is more when you can just write a great song that can last forever.”

Musically, Grist and her local peers have little reason to be cynical. Lighter side of blue is at the forefront of a local country music renaissance, backed by ARIA nominee Andy Golledge and Sydney favorites Caitlin Harnett and The Pony Boys. Today, Australia’s next big thing might be playing to a youthful, packed audience in Sydney’s inner west, amid a sea of ​​Akubras and vintage snakeskin boots.

“I think it’s just about using traditional songwriting structures, it taps into a time-tested method of creating songs that evoke a sense of nostalgia and familiarity,” says Grist. “There’s something about the simplicity of hearing real instruments and vocals sung by real people in a serious way that has stood the test of time.”

Babitha plays Mary’s Underground in Sydney on Friday 17th March. Tickets available from Moschtix.