Fletcher Kent hits hard straight out of the gate.

It’s not every day you hear something that bowls you over with raw emotional power, let alone a debut track that is so powerful you need to stop what you’re doing and hear it out. But that was our reaction when Fletcher Kent’s ‘I’ll Be’ floated into the old inbox recently – one of those real everybody-needs-to-hear-this moments.

The 23-year-old has already racked up supports with the likes of The Dreggs, Kim Churchill, Vera Blue and Didirri, without even releasing a tune; all off the back of simply being an impressive busker. And now that we have a taste of what he can do in the studio, it feels like he’s about to explode out of his one-to-watch badge, and the live up to the lofty heights of the buzz that surrounds him.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nZn3nGWTLM

The masterstroke in ‘I’ll Be’ is Fletcher’s pinpoint understanding of tension and intrigue. The song is in a constant state of building as we’re hooked in by each line that he delivers with righteous passion, which is unusual until you hear that the song didn’t really begin life as a “song”.

“’I’ll Be’ seemed to just fall out… I didn’t even think it was a song at first: more of a poem, a personal manifesto. I feel there’s more of me in this song than maybe anything I’ve ever written,” Fletcher explains. “It’s about my life – all of it. Passion, purpose, family, love, grief, connection. It’s a look towards the future, a pledge to become the person I want to be, my intentions on how I want to live this life and exist in the world.”

Like what you’re hearing (yes, you definitely are!), then you can see Fletcher perform ‘I’ll Be’ along with other new material in January 2025, with a month-long residency at The Royal in Bondi. Follow him on IG here for more deets.

Artist of the Week presented by Boost Mobile.