On the Rise
Blusher

Formed in reaction to the isolation of pandemic, the camaraderie of the three members is the propelling force behind Blusher. Completed by Lauren Coutts and Jade Ingvarson-Favretto, they began writing in bedrooms as lockdown lifted, before signing with Atlantic off the back of their first ever show. Their ascent has been something of a whirlwind ever since, taking in international headlines, a wealth of new music, and a slot supporting homeland queen Kylie.

Although based in Melbourne, it’s only Ingvarson-Favretto, who is part-Swedish, that grew up in the city, playing in an ABBA tribute band with her family. “My parents are still in it and that's been their career for my whole childhood and life up to now. I perform in it with my siblings as well. I would play the part of Agnetha and we would do the accents and the outfits and everything,” she says. “I used to force my dad to play piano for hours and I would make up gibberish songs as a kid with him. That was kind of my first taste of music and writing.”

Ward grew up in a small town in the Australian bush. As a child she began playing classical violin, progressing through competitions and recitals, her dad driving her for hours to attend lessons and events. “I think on the drives when I started getting a little bit older, it started off with Britney Spears and then after a few years in my headphones, it was just blasting punk music as real rebellion to the rigidity of the classical world,” she says. “I think I was craving something so the opposite of that, and that's kind of what made me start writing songs and experimenting with other genres of music. I was in a punk band. I was in a jazz band. I was super into musical theatre for a bit, and then just fell in love with songwriting and production.”

From Brisbane, Coutts’ upbringing wasn’t as musical as her bandmates. Instead, she found her own path through the power of the internet. “I just found out about Grimes and Ableton through Tumblr and found a world of my own through music experiments,” she says. “I played a little bit of classical piano until I discovered Coldplay, and then I was like, ‘I just really want to write my own stuff.’ There was always Britney Spears and Rihanna in the background. I feel like there were maybe a few teen years where I thought I was a bit too cool for that, but I've definitely come back around.”

All three members of Blusher had their own solo projects before forming the band. Ward moved to Brisbane where she met Coutts, and they both made the move to Melbourne. “Something called us to Melbourne and I think it was Jade from the beyond,” she laughs.

Coutts was producing Ingvarson-Favretto’s solo record, and introduced her to Ward. “Lauren kind of arranged-married Jade and I because she was like, ‘You guys would get along so well, you both have the weirdest senses of humour,’ and she was right,” says Ward.

As soon as lockdown ended in Melbourne, they began writing together in Coutts’ bedroom, sharing production duties and combining their collective talents, initially as a side project to their own solo careers. “One would be sitting on the bed or on the floor in the corner, someone's reading out their journal, or someone is writing a riff on the synth,” says Ingvarson-Favretto. “It was a really fun, organic way to begin the project and write our first songs. It was really just those conversations that only happen in those rooms, like a bedroom or a bathroom or when you’re in those really intimate moments with your friends.”

“It was a bit of a reaction to the pandemic as well,” continues Ward. “I think we wanted to collaborate a lot and we just wanted to have a fun time and have a dance with our friends and also just be able to hang out together and not be alone.”

Instantly, their new project began to accelerate. In September 2022 they played their first ever show at BIGSOUND, Brisbane’s international showcase festival. In the crowd was an A&R from Atlantic who they’d been talking to. “We found out before the show that she had flown from LA to Brisbane for less than 24 hours to just see the show and then potentially sign us,” says Ward.

“Can't express the pressure that we felt. It was also our first show and our parents were there, so it was a whole occasion,” continues Coutts.

“It was a lot. No sound-check, setting up all our own stuff,” says Ward. “Also, it being our first show, we had had so much fun putting it together in the rehearsal space with the three of us, and then you step on stage and you're like, ‘Wow, we're about to do a whole lot of weird stuff, this could be received any number of ways by the Australian industry.’”

Thankfully, the show was received with pure adulation and Blusher signed with the major. Their ascent since has skyrocketed them into international showcases and a chest-punch of new music, culminating in a string of slick, instant and thrilling singles. “It was absolutely amazing and also the biggest life change in such a short amount of time that has ever happened to me,” says Coutts. “When we got signed, we were all working day jobs and trying to wrap our heads around this new pace of life. It was a dream come true. I remember thinking, ‘Oh my god, we might go to America.’ I think the idea that music could take us all over the world was just so exciting and something we’d worked towards for a really long time, even before the band. I think all of that experience as solo artists led to us being like a fresh band, but also really equipped for a quick take up.”

As they’ve progressed, their creative process has become more collaborative, working with outside songwriters and producers in sessions around the world, and collaborating fluidly in the studio. “We all do a little bit of everything. We all play multiple instruments a little bit, we all have a hand in the top lines,” says Ward. “We do fall into creative patterns sometimes, but a lot of the time we just see what happens. I guess we have the things that we gravitate towards; Jade's very melody-focused and Lauren’s really production and lyric-focused and I love a good bassline. But also we all do everything.”

Their recent releases are an explosive rush of slick production and instant songwriting, platforming their combined talents and sugar-rush delivery. Tracks like “24 Hours in Paris” tread a sophisticated line of feeling familiar yet idiosyncratic, while previous offering “Rave Angel” glows with sass, clever construction and inventive hooks.

Blusher also individually worked on their own versions of the singles, bringing different aspects of their own sonic identity to the music. “We got the stems for ‘Accelerator’ and I was like, ‘God these stems are good,’” laughs Coutts. “I think that was just a bit of a passion project for me, I didn't really think anything would necessarily come of it and then it became something quite special. We talked about releasing it and then I think it was also just a really good opportunity for us to showcase our production skills.”

With a sold out London headline behind them and headline dates in Australia awaiting their return, Blusher are ready to continue their breakneck progression, still developing and expanding while keeping that formative connection at their core. “We're working on a remix for another artist altogether at the moment, which is something we haven't done, but maybe the next step is a Blusher remix where we all collaborate on it,” says Ward. “We're just experimenting a lot at this point and writing in different ways and who knows what is gonna be the vibe for singles coming up. We are collaborating a lot but we're also just bringing it back to the three of us a lot as well. Just bringing it back to how the band started, in the room with the three of us.”