You might not yet have heard of Australian singer-songwriter Kian Maxwell Bytyci Brownfield – known professionally just as Kian – unless your Down Under, where the teenager has already built a loyal following after dropping a string of alt-pop sensations over the last couple of years. Chief among them was Waiting, a delightfully low key and spacey indie-pop song that has amassed well over sixty million streams in Spotify, bagged an ARIA Awards nomination for Song of the Year and secured twentieth place in Triple J Hottest 100 for 2018.

Earlier this year Kian dropped Every Hour, a sweet love song that, as he explains on his official website, is “all about love and the complexities that come with it but also happiness, growth and creating new memories together.” With each release it feels like he is expanding his repertoire, pushing his boundaries and embracing new sounds and feels. And that’s a progression that continues with new single Sunbeam.

It’s a relentlessly optimistic and feelgood track, with a breezy melody and bright and cheery vocals layered over a slightly-disco accented beat. Lyrically it’s a strong offering too, as Kian sings: “As soon as I shared my perception you played cool, played cool / You ask me what I could do in return? / I know I could give you the world / If you take my hand / I just wanna test out my vision / With you girl / Under your spell”.

It is remarkable to think that Kian wrote Waiting when he was only fourteen. Four years later and Sunbeam shows how his writing is developing and evolving, and it’s exciting to witness. “Music has always helped me, so I hope that my music can help anyone else who’s going through stuff of their own,” he says on his website. “If I can help one person out there with my music, then that’s all I want.” It’s a noble goal, and with his new track, he’s further built the anticipation for his debut full-length release.

Listen to the official audio for Sunbeam here.

Author: Joe Sharratt

Joe Sharratt is a writer and journalist based in the UK covering music, literature, sport, and travel.