Jess Humphries is one of Australia's most exciting emerging musicians, known for her honest (and often devastating) lyricism, infectious pop hooks, incredible production (shout out Josh), and refreshingly hilarious, down-to-earth personality. With her latest single, Juliet, Jess turns heartbreak into an empowering anthem, as she does best, blending the perfect combination of humour and vulnerability. I caught up with Jess to chat about the story behind the track, navigating the pressures of social media, her creative journey, and what's next.

Neish has a reputation for writing some of the most gut-wrenchingly honest and vulnerable songs in the Australian music scene, and her latest single, want, is no exception. want revisits a deeply personal moment from her teenage years, capturing the complexities of first love, mental health, and growing into yourself. I caught up with Neish to chat all about the track, finding confidence as an independent artist, the challenges of the modern music industry, and where she's headed next.

FOCUS TRACK: GAZAL - ONION (stfu)

I’d tell people that if they’re tortured by their own reminiscence, they’d probably really like my music.

Anybody who’s deeply sentimental, deeply affected by nostalgia, their memories, and the concept of “what if”, I think they’d really like my music.

FOCUS TRACK: Jem Cassar-Daley - All I’m Thinking About

Gentleman, my debut album, is inspired by performing and up-tempo music. I went into the studio just thinking that I wanted everything on stage to be so high energy, kicking, fun and joyful. That’s how we ended up with all these up-tempo songs.

Walking out of the venue, I kept thinking about how much Peach has grown as a performer. Her vocals have improved so much, she's so much more confident on stage, and her connection with her fans is something really special. The little chats between songs were funny and genuine, and you can tell she genuinely loves the community she's built.

All of the songs have really potent and direct emotions for me. I’m excited to see how people interpret that themselves, which colours they gravitate towards, or whether a song represents a different colour for them.

I think social media virality has replaced radio and it’s also backing up the sync world. Movie and TV soundtrack discovery is happening a million times heavier now because we have virality on our side. Kids are constantly talking about things online while also finding all these shows on the internet. It’s so accessible now, whereas before it maybe wasn’t.

He was the dumbest man alive. He was unable to spell anything, including his apology note to me for being the most despicable human of all time. He wrote me this note saying it was the lowest point of his life, and he said, “You’re my dream girl”, except he spelled “your” wrong. So, I took a picture of it, and that’s now the cover of Hex.

Vivid came from healing from a lot of the stuff I’d experienced earlier in life and relationship-wise, and hoping that it wasn’t all just a dream.

The life I’d envisioned for myself had started to come to fruition a little bit, and Vivid is about coming to land in a fluffy, safe nest that’s really beautiful and warm. At the same time, it’s about the fear of that maybe being taken away, or maybe not being real.

There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that Freya Skye will be headlining arenas and stadiums in the future. And when that happens, I’ll be able to say I saw her at The Fortitude Music Hall first.

The project itself isn’t just one name, one person, or a band. Royal and the Serpent already confuses people, so really personifying it and understanding who was behind it all this time — and realising it wasn’t just me as Ryan — was how the story came together.

I don’t have regrets as such. There are things I question why I did that, but I don’t think I would call them regrets. The moments where I feel like I’ve come close to regretting something have been the moments where I haven’t followed that voice, and I’ve done things to please other people. So I think I would just go back and reiterate that one.

I wrote this song as a way of fully embracing who I am and who I’ve always been. I feel like, throughout my journey, not only in discovering love, but in understanding the essence of who I am, I’ve often been told I’m too much, or to be less of this and more of that. This song is me coming to a place where I’m embracing exactly who I am, how I love and always have, and how I want to continue. It’s kind of a manifestation of me calling in something that matches how I see love, how I hope others receive it as well, and finding people who match our hearts in the same way we give ours.

Get a better lawyer haha! That would’ve helped me in all different angles of my career.

Maybe being a little bit more savvy on the business side of music. In saying that, there’s so many things to keep up with as an artist. It’s like any young person stepping into a role in the social world. These are big positions, and you’ve got a lot to learn while starting off.

It’s just me and my guitar, and I want to evoke emotion. People are laughing and then crying at some point of the show.

Live music is so important and it’s just so different when it’s face-to-face because you can really connect that way. I love being able to talk to the audience during the show, crack some jokes, and then meet people afterwards at the merch table. People share their stories, sometimes they’re crying in my arms and it’s the most special experience.

This show was a genuine 10 out of 10.

If you ever get the chance to see Ethel Cain live, go.

Immediately.

It’s very much the gay crowd! They love turning up in their finest attire and meeting each other. They then message me after saying they’ve just met their wife or their husband, and I’m always like, “Wow tell me more, let me be the officiant at your wedding please”.

I just love the idea of those small growth moments we forget. Like, when was the last time I slept at a friend’s house or in my childhood bed? As you grow, things change.