Angus & Julia Stone Collaborate on New Songs with Velvet Bloom’s Maddy Herbert

In Partnership with Wild Turkey

It’s not every day a young artist gets to spend three days in a creative haven, writing songs with one of their favourite musicians. But earlier this year, that’s exactly where Maddy Herbert found herself. At Sugarcane Mountain Studios, the serene 1970s manor-turned-recording studio in Northern NSW, the lead vocalist and songwriter of Velvet Bloom experienced a career milestone, working with multi-platinum recording artists Angus & Julia Stone as part of the Wild Turkey 101 Mentorship program. 

The 2024 music mentorship program brings the spirit of community and collaboration to the next generation of Aussie artists, offering access to world-leading industry talent through multiple mentorship sessions and performances. Recalling how it all came to be, Maddy remembers, “I have been a big fan of Angus and Julia as artists since I was introduced to their music over 15 years ago. When I saw that they were mentoring the program, I thought it would be a great opportunity for me and I applied.

 The unexpected opportunity quickly led to a video call with Angus and Julia, marking the beginning of an experience that would come to inspire Velvet Bloom’s new era of music. 

The program began with a series of mentorship sessions at Studios 301, where Maddy connected with industry people, engineers and other mentees. “There were so many great memories from this program,” she says.

“Becoming mates with the other mentees was wonderful. The highlight was performing at the showcases and jumping on stage with Angus and Julia – what a dream!” 

But it was the three days spent at Sugarcane Mountain Studios that really transformed her creative perspective. “The studio is inside this beautifully retro and eclectic manor with guitars, keys, mics, and other music gear everywhere,” Maddy describes. “It was surreal!” Working closely with Angus and Julia during this time, she felt an immediate sense of ease. “They were both so warm and welcoming, and they made it really easy for me to feel comfortable in writing sessions with them.”

Over three days, they recorded three songs together – a quick pace that was a departure from Maddy’s usual process. “The first track was pretty much complete by the time I had arrived, we just worked on lyrics together,” she says. “This song was about a character who is quite elusive and difficult to figure out.” 

“The second track I had pretty much finished going into the session, we just needed a bridge which Angus and Julia helped with and it sounded gorgeous.”

Their third track was the most collaborative, beginning with a loop Angus and Julia had created. Maddy freestyled vocals over the loop, and they worked together to shape the lyrics. “It is a song about overthinking and feels like lucid dreaming.” 

With these tracks, Maddy takes her already established celestial, otherworldly sound to a new level. Beautiful lyricism and vocals stand alongside melodic guitar and keyboard in a perfectly balanced blend that makes sense when you think about the collaborative, hyper-creative environment the songs were dreamed up in. 

While tentative titles are still up in the air, Maddy is letting the songs settle before finalising them. “I usually take a while to name songs and marinate on releases before putting them out,” she says. 

This mentorship also brings new momentum for Velvet Bloom as the band preps for their debut album, set for release on March 28th, 2025. A new single and video, “Best in You”, dropped on November 14th closely followed with a launch gig on November 21st at Melbourne’s Shotkickers, with support from soulful singer-songwriter, Wild Gloriosa.

“This album is definitely our favourite music that we have written to date,” Maddy shares. “We’re so excited for everyone to hear it!”

Watch “Best in You” by Velvet Bloom now and read more about the Wild Turkey Music 101 Mentorship program here. 

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