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
Blossoms caught up with NME to discuss competing with The Beatles and Johnny Marr for this week’s Number One album. With ‘Songs From The Wedding Cake’ in the running, the band also explained why making things themselves remains such an important part of their work as AI becomes more common.
The Stockport group put out their sixth album last Friday, October 2. By the midweek update, it was sitting at Number Two, between The Beatles’ expanded edition of ‘Rubber Soul’ and Johnny Marr’s latest solo album, ‘The Age Of Everything’.
“It’s mad, to be honest,” singer Tom Ogden said to NME about the chart race. “Liverpool on one side, Manchester on the other and Stockport in the middle. If you’d told us this 10 years ago, when we were releasing our debut, I wouldn’t have believed you. But I mean, we’re in good company aren’t we?”
Discussing the stories behind the album, Ogden described ‘Songs From The Wedding Cake’ as “about being married and all the everyday stuff that comes with it”. He married Katie Donovan, the sister of Blossoms drummer Joe, in 2021. Married life has since given him a new appreciation for what he describes as “the extraordinary ordinary”.
“Saying the wrong thing in an argument, losing your wife’s no claims bonus, crying at the Kardashians, it’s all in there,” he explained. “The album is named after Stockport Town Hall, which everyone round where we live calls the Wedding Cake, and it’s where I got married, so it couldn’t be much closer to home.
“The last album [‘Gary’, 2024] had a song about a stolen fibreglass gorilla, which everyone loved, and that gave us the confidence to bring the same playfulness to this one, just with more personal subject matter this time.”
Alongside tracks that came out of writing sessions with Declan McKenna in a hot tub, the album reflects the band’s desire to stay involved in every part of the creative process.
“It started with the recording,” Ogden explained. “We made the album with Shawn Lee, playing live straight to tape, and once you’ve done it that way you can’t really go and fake everything else. We sat down as a band and picked the colour palette, and everything visual followed from that. We had body scans taken of ourselves and cake toppers of the five of us 3D printed, put them on a real cake and photographed it. I’ve directed and edited the videos, and the sets are all built by hand, no green screen. For the pop-up shop on launch weekend, a local artist hand-painted the album cover for the sign outside.
“It’s more work, but you end up with a world that’s yours, and I think people can tell when a band’s had its hands on everything.”
With AI tools and digital effects becoming increasingly widespread, that approach feels particularly relevant. For Blossoms, though, the motivation is simple: “the fun is in the making”.
“Tape doesn’t let you cheat and neither does a real cake,” Ogden said. “If a set’s a bit wonky, it’s because one of us or our mates built it. I think the more stuff gets generated, the more people want to know a human being actually did it. We’ve been in this band together for over 10 years, five lads from Stockport, and that isn’t something you can ‘prompt’.”
Maya Jama also appeared in the video for the album’s first single, ‘Meet Me In Love’. Her appearance came shortly before the UK launch of Celebrity Traitors, where she took on the role of a traitor alongside a cast that included Richard E Grant and James Acaster.
“She was brilliant,” Ogden recalled of working with Jama. “We’d met her at the MTV EMAs in Manchester a couple of years ago, so we took a chance and sent her a DM …and she said yes. Next thing she’s in a theatre in Cheadle miming my vocals while a load of people dressed as me serenade her. She got the idea straight away and was a proper laugh about it.”
The conversation then turned to whether he thought Jama could take home the win on Celebrity Traitors.
Ogden joked: “As for Traitors, she spent a whole day pretending to sing my song and I almost believed her, so I’d say she’s got every chance.”
Fans can listen to ‘Songs From The Wedding Cake’ now. In November, Blossoms head out on a UK arena tour with The Royston Club. Tickets and further details are available here.
Before the tour begins, the group is also scheduled to appear on SNL UK on Saturday, October 24.
