Interview: South Summit

South Summit  has quickly emerged as a unique and powerful voice in the Australian music scene. Known for their blend of indie-rock, reggae, and hip-hop – since forming in 2020, the five-piece has rapidly earned a reputation for their high energy live shows, emotional depth, and impressive musicality.

With fresh music on the way, and a packed summer of touring, South Summit is poised to take their next big step on the world stage, cementing their status as one of the most exciting and export-ready acts to emerge in recent years.

Seven spoke to lead singer Zaya Reuben from his home in Perth about the band’s upcoming Bluesfest sets.

For those who don’t know your work, tell me about your band.

We’re a young band from Perth – we started during Covid in 2020. We’ve got one album out, we’ve toured Australia a couple of times. We’ve done Europe, and we’re going to Europe again for another tour just before Bluesfest.

Were you locked up together during Covid or did you work remotely?

We worked remotely. We actually just had nothing really to do. It was through mates of mates. There was nothing else to do but jam and try to keep ourselves busy.

Had you all independently worked in the music industry, like in other bands before that?

We are all massive musicians in our own. Nathan and Josh, our drummer and our bass player, went to school together. They were in their school band together, and then me and my brother went to the same school.

Are you all collaborating as far as writing lyrics and music, or do you have some people that do some bits and some people that do other bits?

We kind of work in our own respective areas, like melodies and lyrics. Me and my little brother are always jamming on the acoustic, and then the other boys would write their own parts, whether it’s the drums, bass, lead…

I think one thing we wanted to try and sort out early on was just compromising, because we’ve all come from different styles as well different upbringings. So yeah, we want to make sure we can get the most out of everyone’s abilities, and not try and have one person in their own lane.

Have you been to Byron before?

Yes, I’ve actually been twice. We played at the Stone & Wood Brewery, yes, that was massive. And Byron Bay is just crazy. It’s one of the best places I’ve ever been to.

Have you had a bit of a look at the Bluesfest lineup? Who do you want to see?

Oh yes! So my grandparents are from New Zealand, they are massive Split Enz fans. Earth, Wind and Fire, obviously, Erykah Badu – I’m really keen to see her.

What sort of things inspire you to get out of bed every day?

My family. I come from an awesome upbringing, that’s helped me through the music. And obviously, at the start, music doesn’t pay too well, and they’ve always supported me and just given me the ability to be able to do what I love and not have that stress on my back. So it’s definitely made it a lot easier, every time I’m struggling, to get that help from family. I just love my parents, and I’ve come from a massive family with five siblings, and a mixed family as well. So yep, I just want to be able to try to get to a stage where I can hopefully pay all them back. That’s the goal.

Do you feel, as an artist who has a profile, that you have some sort of responsibility to put your voice to the causes you believe in?

100%. Yeah! I think we’re blessed to be in the position, but that also comes with responsibility – like when I was growing up there, listening to artists, they’re the people that I get a lot of influence from. Yes, so I think the power that we have through our voice and our music definitely should, and I think if we didn’t care about that, we’d be not making the most out of what we have, in the gifts that we have.

Are you bringing new music to Bluesfest, or will you be bringing favourites?

We actually are bringing favourites, and a lot of new music as well. We’ve just recorded a lot of new stuff that we’re keen to try and I think that’s one of the goals as well, just to keep pushing it and see how the crowd reacts. One thing with Bluesfest is there’ll be a lot of our fanbase there, but there’s going to be a whole lot of people that do not know us. So yes, it’s going to be good to get a new audience, definitely.

What is your current earworm?

Oh, it would probably have to be ‘Zimbabwe’ by Bob Marley, nice. That’s a song I’m always humming – humming it in my head, and every time I’m driving that’s the first song I put on.

Zaya, are you having enough fun?

Yes, I’m definitely having a lot of fun, but learning now – I’ve been doing it for five years, and I think I had a bit too much fun at the start, and I’ve kind of learnt to separate the fun and also make sure I put in the hard work as well. So, yeah. I’m still learning though.

This is a great show to catch on either Friday or Sunday at Bluesfest 2026 bluesfest.com.au for more info and tickets.