Miles Phillips, a seven-year-old from Sydney, has become an unlikely rock star after his song about the eastern rosella went viral, amassing over 1.5 million views on Instagram and TikTok. The track, which he wrote with his father Joel Phillips, has been compared to artists like the Strokes, Taylor Swift, and the B-52s by Triple J Unearthed, and has been covered by Ben Lee and Ball Park Music.
How the song came to be
The inspiration struck Miles while feeding birds on the veranda at Raymond Island. 'There were pigeons, there were lorikeets, there were rosellas, but the one bird … the main bird that stood out to me was definitely the eastern rosella,' he said. The chorus came to him instantly: 'Eastern rosellas, eastern rosellas, look at the beautiful colours.'
Miles and his father then workshopped the idea into a full song at their family keyboard. A 'full band version' posted last week has drawn thousands of comments, many expressing addictive listening. The song is now on Spotify and has been played on several radio stations.
Songwriting process and future plans
Miles described his creative process: 'It starts off with a little idea that I just have, and then I think of bigger ones, and then I get bigger ones until I’m happy with it.' He is already working on a new song called 'The Rock of Doom' and has formed a band, the Spikeheads, with friends. Miles plays drums, an instrument he has been practicing for two years.
His father Joel Phillips emphasized the importance of fostering creativity in their four children. 'Giving permission, it’s just normal to sing, it’s just normal to go and create something, it’s not normal to stay on a screen all day,' he said. He noted that when the song first charted, some debated whether it was AI-generated, but the reality is a seven-year-old's genuine creation.
Impact and reception
Hearing his song on the radio and covered by famous artists feels 'really cool' and 'a little bit strange and weird,' Miles said. 'You’re like, wow, I’ve never really heard it like that. I felt really well loved because everybody was sending really nice comments and everybody wanted to hear it.'
The viral success highlights the power of simple, joyful creativity in an age of digital saturation. As Joel Phillips put it, 'This week we have my seven-year-old’s song about rosellas, which I think says something about, actually, our kids are going to be OK.'
