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Interview with
ROHAN

(6th May, 2025)

Interview with Dave Bruce

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Photo credit: Keny Bastiany

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Have you always wanted to be an artist? When did you get the song writing bug?
I was 5 years old and my sister showed me Green Day’s American Idiot. Specifically the live version – Bullet In A Bible. Billie Joe became like the coolest guy on the planet to me. I was already playing piano at the time but that album led me to picking up the guitar, fronting bands, and writing songs. It gave me the music itch for sure.

Briefly describe your journey to date and how the move from Australia to the USA changed your music outcomes.
I grew up in Melbourne watching Australian Idol and obsessing over both local legends and American bands. My sister had an iPod shuffle and I stole it from her all the time not just to listen to music but because I thought it was the coolest little toy ever. That early fascination sparked a lifelong passion for music and technology—and a curiosity about the broader creative world beyond home. I eventually moved to the U.S. to study at Stanford, where I found myself immersed in indie scenes and contemporary American sounds I’d before only admired from afar. After settling in San Francisco, I built a home studio from scratch and began fusing my Aussie rock roots with the modern textures of bedroom pop, R&B, and alternative genres. I taught myself how to produce over the years working with computers, and I make all the beats myself on my laptop, overlaying it with that often punk-ish guitar style. That blend—raw and global, digital and organic, but deeply personal—is the foundation of everything I create.

How would you describe your sound? Why do you think fans resonate with your music?
It’s confessional pop music with a twist. That twist is the seamless blend of somewhat contradictory genres and vibes: Aussie indie rock, punk, R&B, electronic, folk, etc. Digital loops but organic guitar playing. I think people resonate with it because it’s honest; musically and lyrically. That honesty can come out in different ways, sometimes sincere and vulnerable, sometimes blunt and harsh, sometimes sarcastic and cheeky — but they’re real things that happened to me, and I’m usually speaking — in song — to real people in my life or past.

Which artist’s music and/or performance, past or present, inspires you today?
I think Dominic Fike has always moved me. It’s because of him that I’m not just a fan of music but someone who wanted to create. Hearing “Westcoast Collective” for the first time and that blend of punk and hip hop into pop music was pretty mind blowing. That’s when I really felt like I could bring something unique of my own to the table.

Your latest single ‘I Wish I Could Tell You’ has just been released! What’s it all about? Describe its origin and evolution.
“I Wish I Could Tell You” is probably the most personal song I’ve ever released. It started as a folk song written alone in my San Francisco apartment the night of a breakup—Halloween, after a four-year relationship ended suddenly and painfully. We haven’t spoken since. This track became my way of saying everything I didn’t get to say. It’s guitar-driven and gritty but with a hip-hop groove behind it. After the breakup, I left SF and recorded it in my home studio in Melbourne, pulling influence from the lo-fi indie rock I love— bands like Skegss and Hockey Dad—but blending it with my usual pop and R&B sensibilities. I wanted it to sound like the emotional mess I was in—stuck but still moving forward. It actually started getting traction on TikTok as a demo, and when Beabadoobee liked the clip, I knew I had to release it. The full-circle moment came when I debuted it live opening for Devon Again—an artist my ex and I both loved—at her sold-out show in San Francisco. There was a strange kind of closure in that.

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Is there an EP or Album on the drawing board?
Loooots in the works.

What tours and events are coming up? What are you looking forward to, and what can the fans expect?
There’s a few really cool California shows in the works with some other artists I’m super into.

If you could perform with any music artist, Alive or Dead, who would you choose? And why?
I feel like it’d be awesome to play with Omar Apollo. I’ve loved watching his shows he looks like he’s absolutely vibing up there and his songs are super funky. He’d dwarf me though, I think he’s 6’5 or something.

What are your long-term aspirations as a music artist and how are you progressing towards them?
I want to create a world of art I’m proud of. Like, lore in a sense. All of my favourite artists have that; it feels like there’s a catalog of visuals, backstory, narratives between bodies of work etc. that transcend from just “they make music” or “they have cool songs”. I’ve been really focused on carving my own lane in terms of sound and visual style, sometimes at the compromise of putting out the obvious hit. I’d love to play continue playing live, but for thousands and thousands. That’s always been the north star of this — channeling that inner kid in me watching my favourite bands take the stage on YouTube growing up.

With that in mind, what piece of advice would you give to an artist starting out?
Keep making, keep playing, keep releasing, keep sharing, keep doing, keep going :)

What is the best thing about performing to a live audience? What’s been the career highlight so far?
The best part is just tapping into that 10 year old version of me that rocked out to the mirror and playing with my friends in front of hundreds. It feels like teamwork, haha. The highlight has definitely been opening for Devon Again. That show came after a tough breakup and Devon Again was an artist my ex and I loved, so it was almost like the universe giving me a sign, and redemption, in a way.

Here are three general questions your fans will find interesting about you:
1. What is the craziest thing you’ve ever done? Opened for my ex’s favourite artist and debuting our breakup song
2. What is the one topic you can talk about for hours? U.S. Immigration lol
3. What is the thing you like most about yourself? My restlessness

Finally, just a few questions for some quick answers –
FAVOURITE:
Album – The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
Artist – Green Day
Movie – The Big Short
Place to visit – Back home: Melbourne
Venue to play – Rickshaw Stop
Food – Perfectly seared medium rare ribeye steak, with wasabi
Drink – Vodka soda
Person in History – Lip from Shameless
Tattoo – (If you don’t have one, what would you get?) My Paramore “Brand New Eyes” butterfly ink

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Follow ROHAN
Instagram – YouTube – TikTok
Soundcloud – Bandcamp

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Photo credit: Kayla De Guzman

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AMNPLIFY – DB