After releasing debut single Lily Brown in 2024, Turkish/Australian musician Kaya Byrne is now backing it up with yet another infectious slice of first-rate indie rock. Where Lily Brown introduced us to a songwriter already remarkably well-versed and confident in his craft, new single Stasis goes even further to solidify Kaya as a performer with a deft ability to create slick, well-crafted earworms that will stay with you for days. Written as an afront to lockdowns and a year spent creatively stagnating behind closed doors, the track is soulful and introspective, yet surprisingly light and fun, laden with groove and an air of self-assurance, almost in spite of itself. Punchy guitars are layered with thick drums and brought together with particularly lush production. And while the instrumentation draws you in, it’s Kaya’s vocal performance that stands front and centre. Expressive, impassioned and confessional, his voice guides the track and really takes the listener on a journey.
“This song was born out of lockdown, at the end of 2020. I wanted to write something that encapsulated my frustrations of letting an entire year slip by without feeling like I had progressed at all as an artist. Since writing it, I’ve still had many periods where the lyrics of this song resonate with me, as I constantly feel like I’m running out of time to achieve what I want and going through bouts of being completely uninspired” Kaya says.
Hailing from Canberra/Ngunnawal Country, Kaya has been a resident of Melbourne/Naarm since moving in 2014 to pursue his career in theatre. Although acting has been his day job for the past 8 years, travelling across Australia performing musical theatre with various shows, his solo output as a musician has always been an integral facet of his identity as an artist. And it’s these two worlds, that of acting and of music, that meld together to form a truly authentic and original performance.
With one foot each set firmly in the past and present, Kaya is influenced by contemporary acts such as Gang of Youths, Last Dinosaurs, Middle Kids and Janelle Monae as much as he is by old cinema and Broadway soundtracks; “I’ve always been a sucker for nostalgia and anything involving memory and a feeling of what could have been,” he reflects. “I think this is where the appeal of old movies/plays really plays a part for me, as I have always had a romantic fascination with the look and feel of old black and white films, and the image of that time that’s so stylised and romanticised.”
The track was recorded at 385 Studios (Perth), Crank Recording (Perth) & The Grove Studios (Gosford). It was produced by Cypress Bartlett, with mixing by Adrian Breakspear, and mastering by Ben Feggans.

With thanks to Wild Gift PR