This week on The Bridge, I was joined in the studio by Sydney electronic pop babe Kade Charlesworth - an emerging artist whose tracks live somewhere between bedroom confessionals, sharp electronic hooks, and what I very scientifically describe as “horny melancholy.”
We kicked the show off with Kade’s latest single “Backseat”, a track that manages to feel carefree and devastating at the same time. It’s a song about wanting, about movement, about dancing and crying simultaneously - and Kade confirmed my suspicion pretty quickly - yes, he is happy to be in the backseat, actually. It’s easy breezy. Don’t put her behind the wheel.
From there, we dug into Kade’s origin story - entirely self-taught, writing songs in middle school “as a joke,” and accidentally inventing an alter ego named Kade Modeling (with one L), a vegan activist pop star whose entire discography is, horrifyingly and beautifully, still available on Spotify. Kade insists he’s tried to bury that era, but it’s clear that Modeling’s fierce bluntness and pop maximalism never really left - they’ve just matured into something more honest and self-aware.
What struck me most throughout the conversation was Kade’s commitment to rawness. His music isn’t polished for polish’s sake - it’s porous, open, and emotionally unfiltered. He spoke about how even songs that aren’t autobiographical are still built around very real feelings he’s trying to capture, and how important authenticity is to his writing, particularly as a queer artist. There’s a sense that every track is an offering - an attempt to make space for someone else who might be feeling like an outsider.
Kade’s process is as DIY as it gets. She doesn’t play instruments, doesn’t have formal music training, and builds songs by “mashing buttons” until something clicks. Melodies and lyrics arrive together, driven by intention rather than theory, whether that intention is carefree pop joy or late-night melancholy. It’s instinctive, unguarded, and incredibly effective.
We talked community, too - how Kade came up singing weekly at open mics on Oxford Street at Ching-a-lings, how deeply embedded he feels in Sydney’s queer nightlife, and how vital those spaces have been to his growth. He shouted out fellow local artists, especially Dyan Tai, whose production and songwriting he described as “insane,” and whose EP launch at the Imperial he recalled as a genuinely special feat of collaborations.
The conversation naturally flowed into what’s next - and the answer is big. Kade confirmed he’s not just working toward another EP, but a debut album, entirely self-made. The project promises a more reflective, coming-of-age tone, with mellow moments, interludes, and an intentional sense of atmosphere. We were lucky enough to premiere two unreleased tracks on air - “Wake Up”, a spacey, synth-driven single built entirely from samples of Kade’s own voice, and “Damage”, a ballad with a twist - about getting drunk, getting into trouble, and sitting with the consequences.
As the interview wrapped up, we talked about ambition - dreaming big, one day collaborating with the likes of Charli XCX or PinkPantheress, and maybe even playing a show on the moon. But we also circled back to something more grounded - Sydney. Kade spoke candidly about how electronic and pop artists often struggle to find space in a scene dominated by bands and guitars, and how club nights and queer-led events have become essential homes for artists like him.
Before signing off, Kade shared a few more local recommendations - Julienne Harvey, whose track “Little Girl” feels heavenly and intimate, and Pillar Lane, a brand-new project whose song “Pilot” left him melting into his headphones.
By the end of the hour, what lingered most was Kade’s clarity - about who he is, what he wants, and why he keeps making music. It’s not about perfection or polish. It’s about connection, community, and letting our people feel seen.