Alt-pop Jazz Soul 02/03/2022

grentperez

grentperez arrives on the roof with a catalogue built from bedroom recordings into full-band moments, where Cherry Wine first put him on the map with its mix of nostalgia and candid romance, and Why I Love You continues that showing he has one of the best breakout arcs in Australian pop right now.

ARTIST | grentperez
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Grentperez, born Grant Perez, is a Western Sydney songwriter who went from long-running YouTube covers to one of the cleanest breakout arcs in Australian pop right now. He grew up in a Filipino household where music was part of the furniture, and he started uploading performances as a kid, building a catalogue of videos that doubled as practice, proof-of-work, and an early community.

That early internet foundation matters because his “overnight” moment was anything but. When “Cherry Wine” landed in September 2021, it had the ease of someone who’d already done the reps. The track moved fast on streaming, became his breakthrough single, and went ARIA Gold in Australia. rom there, the shift was less “viral novelty” and more a proper career taking shape: releases that kept pace, a label home with Fast Friends, and touring that quickly turned international.

“Why I Love You, released in early 2022, it sits in that pocket he does well: romantic without being theatrical, melodic without trying to prove anything, built for replay rather than hype. Press at the time framed it as a step forward in his run of heart-led songs, and it helped cement him as more than a one-song moment.

By 2024, the industry started catching up to what the audience already knew. He won APRA Emerging Songwriter of the Year, and the story around him was about momentum: consistent writing, heavy touring, and a fanbase that had grown with him from the early uploads.

In March 2025, he turned that run into a statement with his debut album Backflips in a Restaurant, which debuted at No. 3 on the ARIA Albums Chart. The album announcement and coverage positioned him as an artist who can stretch across pop, R&B, and softer songwriter territory without losing the thread, which is basically the point of his appeal.