Entertainment
27 August, 2026
Artist to release debut EP
A WELL known local singer-songwriter will have Tablelands Music Lovers rocking when she officially launches her debut EP this week.
Aurelle Brunjes is absolutely pumped to be launching her first EP, The City, with a special launch event set for TML this Friday night.
“It’s been a massive build up for me and I just feel like it’s the right time. So I’m absolutely ready for it to be released,” she said.
Originally from Innisfail, Aurelle has been gigging locally for many years, and singing and playing instruments for even longer.
“It’s something that I’ve done my whole life,” the 43-year-old said.
For her, The City is about stepping into a bold, new era of artistry, moving away from the mainstream “country” label to one much more authentic.
“When I started writing these songs, because some of them are a few years old now, I feel like it was my pull away from always being pigeonholed as country, essentially,” Aurelle said.
“I started to experiment more with indie/pop sort of stuff. A lot of my fan base and listeners will say I still sound country, which I’m happy for, I didn’t necessarily make a conscious effort to pull away from country music, it was more for me to express myself and not feel like I had to make just country music.
“I wanted to write my own music and not plan to write anything genre-specific – to just let it come out how it comes out.
“So that’s why I chose to call it The City, because it was the first song I wrote that wasn’t necessarily country… even though it’s about leaving the city and getting back to the country, ironically.
“It was also probably the first song I wrote that I was proud of. I thought people would enjoy listening to it and that I could probably get it recorded one day – it was kind of a turning point for me as a songwriter.”
Aurelle said the songs ranged from country/rock to indie, pop, and easy listening.
“And because the songs were written over a period of time, it kind of reflects a sample of different times and different stories from my life.”
Although music had literally been part of her for her whole life, she only started writing original songs around 10 years ago.
“One of the turning points for me was being down at the Gympie (Music) Muster in 2017 with my friend Becci Nethery, who’s also a local (Chillagoe) but lives down in Sydney now,” she said.
“She’s been a big influence and a massive motivator for me and my music. She invited me on stage to sing some songs with her and I was just hooked, I was like ‘I can do this, I can write songs, I can perform’.
“I love the festival atmosphere. It was really a hook, line, and sinker thing for me – it’s addictive.”
The recordings were done in Cairns with Nigel Pegrum at Pegasus Studios and in Brisbane with Michael Muchow (Moko Productions). They also “wouldn’t have been possible” without funds she received through a Regional Arts Development Fund grant.
“A lot of the members of my actual band were featured on this EP, and to me that’s pretty special,” Aurelle said.
The City will be launched at TML (Grainger Lane, Atherton) this Friday from 7.30pm. Entry is $10 for members and $15 for non-members.
“Our support act for the night is going to be Locker Jam. They’re a little band of students from St Stephen’s, so I’m pretty excited about that. They’re absolutely brilliant.”
The songs will also be available on all streaming platforms from Friday.
