Royston Noell is dreaming big. The Thanakwith and Wagadagam man from Mapoon, North Queensland was inspired by the fear he had to push through to leave his hone town to pursue his dreams of being an artist. Produced by Chris Chiadic, the song is brilliantly anthemic in its empowering message and sound. We spoke to Royston about creating the song and believing in himself:

We love the new song! Congratulations. Tell us about your intention with this song and what the catalyst for it was?

‍Thank you so much - I co-wrote ‘Dreaming’ with Chris Chidiac. The song is about the journey of leaving your home, whether that is remote, regional, or just moving to a different city. But at the core, it’s about getting out of your comfort zone to pursue your dreams. The song also explores how I was feeling at that time with my mum being sick and how I was trying to navigate two worlds – which was really scary. I want ‘Dreaming’ to spread awareness to give people confidence to go out there and achieve their dreams.

How was it working with Chris Chidiac?

[He] is an awesome producer and is so talented. I loved working with him.

You’ve been through so much, moving away from your hometown and the musical journey you’ve been on… What have you learnt about yourself so far?

‍I’ve learnt that I’m a risk taker and that I am extremely career focused. If I see an opportunity, I will take it and move my whole life if I need to. When I moved, I was studying so I was financially unstable and I would see all my friends getting awesome jobs, but I knew I had to make that sacrifice and get through the hard yards to get where I am right now and I’m really glad I did that.

How does your hometown and your upbringing influence your sound?

‍During my upbringing I listened to a lot of early 2000s RnB which heavily influenced my sound, I love listening to pop music as well. I haven’t really explored how my hometown has influenced my sound but I’m excited to go on that journey in the future.

What do you hope people take away from this song?

‍What I hope people take away from the song is that they can leave their hometown to pursue their dreams and that if I can do it, they can too. I hope the song will inspire them to pursue their dreams.

Which artists inspire you? Who do you love to listen to?

‍Jessica Mauboy has been a massive inspiration for me ever since I was a teenager. I love listening to Beyonce, Tori Kelly, and Ariana Grande.

Ultimate collaboration? (artists, producers etc)

‍I would love to collaborate with Jessica Mauboy and Guy Sebastian. I love their voices and I think both would be cool. And obviously Beyonce would be a dream - haha!

How important is the visual aspect of what you do? How do you dream up this world?

‍The visual aspect is super important to me. As the song is about leaving home, I knew I wanted to film the music video in my hometown Mapoon and I’m so happy we could do this. Having community in the video was important to me and then showcasing my new home, Sydney, was important to me too.

What’s something you’re passionate about, aside from music? I’m passionate about community work. I know I talk a bit about leaving home for my career, but I am so excited to go back to my hometown one day and help the next generation achieve their dreams.

Listen to Dreaming HERE.

@roystonnoell