At just nineteen years old, Western Sydney-based music artist Chris Vincent is already a triple j Unearthed finalist. He recently opened for two Aussie pop artists: Melbourne-based singer Sharny and Western Sydney musician grentperez. Chris has built a community of over 5000 followers on Instagram, posting laidback bedroom performances and cinematic videos promoting his music. By filming himself alone in nature and crying out to the world through his lyrics, he has created a mysterious, impassioned artist persona. Calling him a ‘yearner’ is spot on. I had the pleasure of sitting down to chat with Chris on the making of his second EP, Stars & discontent* (2026). Having listened to him speak candidly about his experiences and career goals, I walked away from the conversation understanding how personal his music creation process is. I was also happy to realise Chris is just like any Westie who loves casual banter and good eats — we hit a cheeky Fried Brothers run together!
Chris Vincent writes and produces his own flair of indie pop rock in his self-made studio, located in his family home in Ropes Crossing. The studio is small but tidy, with no dusty instruments in sight. Upon walking in, you’ll admire his Tyler, the Creator, Daniel Caesar, and Steve Lacy posters before noticing the electric, acoustic, and bass guitars staring at you from across the room. A drumkit sits next to those, and a keyboard sits at a desk on your right, with monitors for producing in Logic Pro. Every instrument heard in Chris’ records is performed and recorded by him alone — it’s a lot of work for one person. “Finding a balance between the things I like, the things I’m proud of, and the things I can keep up with alongside life. That’s 100% the biggest challenge,” he shared with us. “It always feels like I’m on a time crunch in a good way. I love doing it, I love the process, but that’s the challenge.”
Although Chris grew up singing in church “like most Filos,” he initially wanted to be an NBA player. However, his dreams changed after meeting grentperez, another Filipino music artist in Western Sydney. The two crossed paths at a cousin’s birthday party before the COVID lockdowns in 2020. “He was, like, singing while he was drunk,” he recalls to The Western. “I was like… this guy is so frickin’ cool. I need to be like this guy. If we didn’t cross paths that night, I genuinely don’t think we’d be sitting here doing this interview.” It was grentperez’s confidence and love for singing that changed the trajectory of Chris’ life. He began to pursue a more creative path instead of sports, developing his own adoration for music.
With grentperez as a main source of inspiration, it would be easy for Chris to follow suit with similar smooth ballads and vocal prowess. After all, he shares similarities — a Filipino musician who also graduated from St Marys Senior High School. However, any comparisons fall flat with the release of Chris Vincent’s latest EP, Stars & discontent*. What makes Chris come across as earnest is his ability to come into and expand his own sound. Pair this with his unique detailed artistic direction, and it is hard to deny his passion for art across several mediums.
Chris’ EP cover with hues of blue and purple match both the melancholy and wonder of music in Stars & discontent*. He sees the eyes as central to processing emotion, featuring a drawing of an eye in his singles and EP cover arts. This intertwines with Chris’ music, with ‘My eyes*’ exploring discontent in its description of tears and “tired eyes.” These details are important for a Gen Z audience who first encounter artists via social media and streaming platforms, as a visually cohesive aesthetic is immersive and characterises a music artist. Chris also committed to making a DIY spacesuit for his live shows. “I think, naturally, I kind of just relate everything to space,” he says. “Because space is so big and mysterious, and we don’t really know much about it. We’re still learning about it. If I have shows, I want people to dress up as, like, astronauts and planets and whatnot.”
Chris opened for grentperez’s show in Enmore Theatre back in 2025. He launched his set with the intro track from his EP and paired it with a countdown that mimicked a spaceship blasting off. As the clock hits one, he revealed himself in full astronaut suit attire. A galaxy of purples and blues light the stage. Thousands of people watched and cheered for the young Filo artist — whom many barely knew — yelling “JUMP! JUMP! JUMP!” as he dives straight into his first number for the night, ‘Porch light*.’
“Some of the songs, I was literally like ‘oh, how is this gonna look?’” Chris says. “What can I do to make this an experience? That’s something I focused on with this EP — what memories can people attach to it?”
Chris’ intention was to capture the energy of a rave with Porch light*, achieved through a moshpit-worthy BPM, a killer electric guitar solo, and a surprising beat switch. It’s the song that, in his own words, he’s “always wanted to make” sonically. The upbeat tempo delivers the vigour needed to expel any negativity — it feels like venting in music form. This physical reaction can only be manifested from a song with real meaning and memories attached to it. “I always dread the ride home,” Chris sings. “Baby don’t leave me alone / With my thoughts.” He associates turning the ‘Porch light*’ on with loneliness after dropping his friends home. Chris conveys this with a tone of desperation, the energetic instrumentation driving us through his chaotic state of mind in electrifying fashion.
“I want them to feel involved, like they’re peering into my mind,” he reflects. “I really want every piece of my creative output to be like leakage from my mind — people stepping into my world.”
With every song title off Stars & discontent*, you will notice an asterisk* at the end. Whilst representing a star, this small detail reminds listeners that they are entering Chris’ world. This is Chris Vincent carving his own path, musically and thematically. Like our favourite artists, his music explores personal experiences with love, heartbreak, and the relatable highs and lows of any human being. But there’s a brashness in the production and mix of ‘Porch light*,’ and a bittersweet pain in the raw vocal performance of ‘What’s happening at emily’s house?*’ that draw us into Chris’ world. These bedroom-produced qualities are ‘rough edges’ in the best way possible, resulting in an authentic art form.
“Stars & discontent* — that’s about feeling like you’re on top of everything,” Chris comments. “You’re that guy, but there will always be moments of weakness and fear and humanity.”
Chris challenges himself with vocal contrast throughout this EP, dramatising both the textures of his life in the last couple years. Rather than sustaining a soft lover boy image, Chris isn’t afraid to scream, shout, cuss and let his emotions through the guitar. But even when Chris gets romantic — and he absolutely does — there’s a little something in his self-made production that adds a kick to the sugary flavour. One instance is the eeriness of the analog-sounding synthesisers on ‘Cafe girl*,’ reminiscent of Stevie Wonder’s instrumentation on the stripped back track ‘You & I.’ This production choice instantly fills us with warmth and nostalgia; two feelings that combine to create that ‘longing’ sensation. However, the shakiness of the synths produces an unstable environment for Chris’ steady vocal performance. It is this duality that fascinates me throughout Stars & discontent*.
Chris takes a moment to reflect on his lyrics: “‘I strut like a star, then give myself scars, to feel something real…’ I feel like that sums up the EP, because you start on like a dopamine high. You’re getting geed up … and then as time goes on, you kind of become more self-aware of your discontent.”
Artist or otherwise, we all work hard to achieve our personal goals. We can feel proud of ourselves — but sometimes, we can also feel unworthy of that same pride. This is where one might encounter imposter syndrome: the feeling of not belonging in a space and identifying as a fraud, despite having worked very hard to be where you are. For Chris, he struggles with imposter syndrome because of how far he’s come “in such a short amount of time.” But Chris’ vulnerability is to be applauded. Even though he “would bet on himself 100% of the time” as a growing artist, he is open about this fear. “I’ve been given all these opportunities, and obviously I’ve worked for them, and I’m proud of myself for that,” he says. “But I just sometimes fear that, one, it could all go away and, like … do I deserve it?”
Chris combats doubts by reminding himself of the importance of art. “If people can appreciate it and at least one or two people come up to me and say, ‘hey, your EP is dope, I started creating because of you,’ that’s success to me. Oh, and outputting something I’m proud of too. Because I feel like when we die, we don’t leave anything but our creation, whether it’s kids or art.”
It is beyond inspiring to see Chris hailing from the West and killing it! To see authentic talent and refreshing music pouring out of a place we call home is amazing. Stars & discontent* is now available to stream via Apple Music and Spotify. Go check it out!
Watch Elijah Seto’s interview documentary on Chris Vincent below.
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Elijah Seto is a third-year media and marketing student at the University of Sydney based in Oakhurst. At 21 years old, Elijah is passionate about how music and film affect everyday life, and writes to understand his discoveries. Some of his proudest creative achievements include directing a short documentary, editing a podcast, and his social media collaborations. You can find Elijah at the cinemas for his next Letterboxd review, singing at live university gigs, and more recently, having fun at some of Sydney’s inspiring creative events.