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ON THE RISE
Sienna-Rose Jerak has a voice well beyond her years, and is a name in the pop music industry you’ll want to watch out for.
The 14-year-old singer from Australia released a pair of singles called “You Got Me” and “To Fly,” which showcases her vast range and ability to fill the air with her powerful vocals.
“You Got Me” is a love song about liking someone so much, and not being sure if they like you back. She said it can be super confusing and drive you crazy with the hot and cold, and Jerak brings this out in the music.
“You feel like you’re wrapped up in their games and you don’t know how to get out,” Jerak said. “And you keep going back to them. It’s basically about not having that experience or insight to work out if you like them as much as they like you.”
In the song, “You Got Me,” Jerak said she feels lucky because the way the vocals were recorded gives a “very live feel.” She works with a song writing and production team that includes Grammy winners Jordan Omley and Michael Man, who have been mentors to her in the process.
“They’ve really inspired me to be my best self,” Jerak said. “They are really kind, so it’s great to work in that kind of environment.”
Jerak is a fan of music that came out even before she was born, saying that she listens to the likes of Brandy, Carrie Underwood, Jessica Simpson and Monica. This inspiration bleeds into “You Got Me,” as well.
“I love old ‘90s music,” she said. “It’s got a lot of soul to it compared to music now. I take from a lot of life experiences, as well, when I sing. I try to make my music relatable.”
While “You Got Me” shows off her skills as an Pop/R&B singer, “To Fly” is much more of a ballad. Releasing both ends of the spectrum was intentional, as listeners will be able to get some variety of where her talents lie.
“In a pop song, they can’t really hear too much of the runs,” she said. “For a ballad you can be free and express yourself.”
Jerak has been involved in acting, singing and dancing since she was six-years-old. She attended performing arts school three times a week, where she would work on musical theater, jazz singing and more.
From 2022 to 2024 she trained at Margie Haber Studio in Los Angeles, and has since been cast as a lead in TVCs for “Earth Choice” and “IGA Ritchie’s.” She has also played the role of Sophie in the Paul Hogan film, “The Very Excellent Mr. Dundee.”
Now Jerak mainly plays pop and R&B music, saying that this is something she truly loves. She has always wanted to perform, and when she is on stage she feels so free.
“I really want to continue to grow as an artist, and grow with my music as I get older,” she said.
Jerak’s focus with music is in the way it connects with people. She said she is just an ordinary girl from Melbourne who is trying to do something big with her life. It is all about creating art, which she called a beautiful process.
“I just want to inspire people to be who they want to be without the pressure to cover up their true selves,” she said.
Jerak is a huge fan of LA, saying that someday she wants to live there full time because it is so supportive of the arts. She’ll be back in the city this summer to record more songs, saying that she really enjoys being in the studio putting together a track.
“Just singing all day and working on a song is such a beautiful vibe,” she said. “It’s what I love to do.”
Jerak will be out promoting these two singles, but she plans to record plenty more music in the future. Her goal is to get signed onto a record label, so she can show the world what she’s got on a grand scale.
Be sure to check out Sienna-Rose Jerak’s music available all on all major platforms.
ON THE RISE
As they prepare to unveil their fourth album, ‘Joy In Short Moments’, The Snuts have spoken with NME about how stepping away from touring gave them the chance to reflect on some of life’s biggest challenges and bring greater attention to mental health.
Their first album since 2024’s upbeat ‘Millenials’ follows a rare break from the road over the past year. During that time, frontman Jack Cochrane also experienced a major change in his personal life as he welcomed his first child.
Along with getting used to fatherhood, the singer began thinking about deeper questions that the demanding touring lifestyle had previously left little room to consider. His reflections on growing up, dealing with loss and understanding what success really means gradually found their way into his writing, eventually shaping the direction of the band's more personal new album.
Fans were first introduced to the album earlier this year through ‘Summer Rain’, an emotional track exploring postnatal depression and the “fear of the future”. They later returned during the summer with the more hopeful ‘Defibrillator’, encouraging listeners to move beyond negative thoughts about themselves and find comfort in connecting with other people.
Speaking to NME about the creative shift behind their fourth record, Cochrane explained: “By taking a conscious break from life on the road and making records, my world opened up to let so much more of the real world in,” he said. “For the first time I was living then writing, not writing while trying to live.”
He also described how the change helped the band approach recording differently, adding: “It unlocked a new process that the band had been crying out for,” he continued. “The studio sessions were set up to allow us to be friends and not colleagues. Distraction and external pressures were completely eradicated from the recording environment, allowing us to trust our gut and have the conversations we needed to as humans.”
In the remainder of the interview, Cochrane also discusses his new role as an ambassador for mental health charity CALM and talks about starting a podcast designed to encourage more artists to speak honestly about their personal struggles.
NME: Hi Jack, congratulations on the new album. You’ve said that this record was about addressing the topics that you previously tried to hide from. What kinds of questions did you find yourself confronting?
Jack Cochrane: “I would say mainly, ‘What do I need to be happy?’… Eeek! It’s a big one I know, but having set out with the title ‘Joy In Short Moments’, I was able to spend my time searching for them and allow joy to do what joy does: compound and relieve the stresses of the modern world.”
That’s not the easiest question to find yourself confronting. Did you manage to find any answers along the way?
“Ultimately yes. With the completion of this record I was able to find a much happier healthier version of myself I had been so long yearning for.”
The album sees you deal with new themes, but musically we also see you return to the guitar-led sound from your early days. Did revisiting those roots make you notice how much has changed since you were starting out?
“For sure. We were able to remove any snobbery from the process. We’re no longer new kids on the block and with that came a new found ability to be really honest about the kind of noises we wanted to make and the type of artists that had originally inspired us.”
This album goes hand in hand with you becoming an ambassador for CALM and launching your own podcast dedicated to checking in with fellow artists. Why was it important for you to get involved in the conversation about mental health?
“I think conversations and role models are absolutely essential for young people. I wanted to have more and do my best to be one. Every song on this record was born out of unfiltered, open and honest conversation.”
From talking to people on your podcast, including Louis Tomlinson, and using your platform to open up this dialogue, is there anything interesting that you’ve noticed?
“I think that more often than not, young men are finding it difficult to combat the struggles they are facing in this modern world. To me it feels like there are less and less spaces and opportunities to have meaningful, healing conversations…”
Having had those conversations yourself and explored them on the album, it must be somewhat daunting to now put it out into the world. Is there something that you hope people take from it?
“I’d like people to feel less alone after hearing the record and the themes intertwined with it. I think music is more than just heartbreak and I hoped in the writing of this record I would be able to highlight some more universally relevant topics.”
You have your headline tour coming up next month. What can we expect from the shows?
“Big smiles and big sound all round! It will be the most self assured Snuts tour to date.”
‘Life In Short Moments’ is out now Happy Artist Records in partnership with Virgin Music Group. Their UK and Ireland tour kicks off next month with an opening night in Dundee. Visit here for tickets and check out a list of tour dates below.
NOVEMBER 2026
19 – Dundee, Livehouse
20 – Aberdeen, Beach Ballroom
21 – Edinburgh, Corn Exchange
23 – Dunfermline, Alhambra Theatre
24 – Newcastle, O2 City Hall
26 – Sheffield, Octagon Centre
27 – Nottingham, Rock City
29 – Norwich, UEA
30 – Hull, City Hall
DECEMBER 2026
1 – Bristol, Prospect Hall
3 – Leeds, O2 Academy
4 – Manchester, O2 Victoria Warehouse
8 – Birmingham, O2 Academy
9 – Portsmouth, Guildhall
10 – London, O2 Academy Brixton
JANUARY 2027
26 – Belfast, Limelight
27 – Galway, Róisín Dubh
28 – Dublin, Academy
