After years spent as one of the country’s best-kept musical secrets, the Australian music scene has become all the more vibrant as Balinese-Australian singer, songwriter, and guitarist Astari launches a soon-to-be iconic solo career.
It was in Sydney that lovers of local music would have first come across Astari. That’s where she could be found as a songwriter and founding member of indie-rock band Coconut Cream.
The group were a modest sensation, with their upward trajectory seeing them routinely pack out venues like The Lansdowne, Oxford Art Factory, and The Vanguard. Soon, they became the first act signed to Broth Records – founded by Joji from Gang of Youths – while Tim from Middle Kids produced their debut EP.
After the band called it a day, however, Astari found it hard to make music once again. Previously, it had been a collaborative effort, and as someone who had long been part of a musical collective, a journey of rediscovery was the key to moving forward.
“A beautiful soundscape that’s got me feeling wistful.” – Alison Zhuang, triple j
Astari – ‘Pool’
Following a significant breakup and time spent travelling the world, Astari credited a combination of change, distance, and starting over unexpectedly as to what led her back to songwriting. By now, she’d relocated to Melbourne, and without any external expectations and pressures, the music began to flow. A new chapter was being written, and the world needed to know all about it.
That new chapter was the official launch of her solo work. Issuing her debut single in 2024, and sharing a taster of what was to come the following year, 2026 saw Astari armed with her four-track debut EP, Pool.
Astari has prepared an impressive body of work featuring intimate, reflective songs which are penned with a keen sense of observation and emotional honesty that arrive through life’s contradictions.
Recorded and produced with Soren Maryasin (Stella Bridie, Wishlist, The Teskey Brothers) in Melbourne, with mixing by Alex O’Gorman (Angie McMahon, Stella Mozgawa, Julia Jacklin) and mastering by Johnsen Cummings (Clover), Pool is a collection of songs which sees Astari exploring isolation, loneliness and uncertainty, alongside the vulnerability of falling in love and surrendering to the unknown.
With tracks drenched in reverb, emotion, and an innate sense of humanity, Astari has positioned herself for greatness. Some artists work their whole lives without once coming close to a body of work as impressive and accomplished as Pool.
For Astari, it’s only her debut effort, and that bodes well for future holds for this stellar artist.
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