Ellen and Chelsea. That is the starting point. Piano, violin, and a lot of years playing music together as close friends. Lead singer, Chelsea Turner describes how Cherry Daisies took shape.
“Ellen and I both grew up in Mount Gambier, and moved to Adelaide in our early 20’s to study, we both loved writing songs and started jamming and playing shows in various different projects together and separately. We both influenced each other’s sound early on, I’ll often write songs with Ellen’s voice or violin in mind, and know instinctively now what will sound perfect as a lead vocal or harmony part! Over time the band gradually found its current shape with Heath (who is her partner and an incredibly talented musician) Andrew (i’ve been a fan of his guitar playing for a decade now) and his best friend David (awesome drummer, but also, a fantastic plumber! It’s good to know a guy!)”
“It was less of a neat ‘we formed on this exact day’ story and more a group of friends continuing to make music and enjoying the process of workshopping songs together.”
The Cherry Daisies' sound pulls from all over the place, but there is a consistent feel to their music.
“Our influences are fairly broad, but artists like Fiona Apple, Radiohead, Hayley Williams, The Decembrists, Muse, Fleetwood Mac and Jeff Buckley have all shaped parts of our sound. We love incorporating piano-led songs with violin, storytelling and the ‘bigness’ of a full rock band when a song needs it.”
“The biggest change is probably that we trust our own sound more now. Earlier on, I think we were trying to work out where we fitted. These days we are more comfortable letting a song be long, change direction or sit between genres. We have stopped trying to sand off the unusual parts, because uncomfortable or unusual arrangement choices are why we love our favourite artists and bands the most, especially in our local Adelaide music scene!”
We asked Chelsea about the title track of their EP "Easy" which starts as a ballad and moves into the epic soaring vocal through the bridge.
“We love a big energy bridge, and I wrote Easy almost pre-emptivley before a major depression. Ive lived with self sabotage and destructive thought patterns for as long as I can remember, and it’s hard when you’re in that place. I wanted other people to feel seen through this song.”
“It’s more of a feeling I think from people when your in a depression, and suddenly everyone around seems to disappear for various reasons, maybe they need to protect themselves, or they have trouble seeing you in that place, I’m lucky to have so many people in my life that take the good with the bad but it’s a very real thought I’ve had many times over, and I know a lot of our audience feels the same, especially when we are all in this strange place that is 2026. Life demands so much of us and pulls us in so many directions, it’s too much for a lot of people! Ellen and Heath have this long running joke of “next week it will all calm down” and it never does really!”
"Easy" sticks close to the Cherry Daisies' trademark piano and violin backbone, but there are some surprises in the mix compared to what they present live.
“Ryan (our producer of Cactus Cactus) and I reworked the harmonies that Heath normally sings in the bridge and added more layers in and a major lift, it’s even more intentional but still subtle at the same time! Studio Magic moments like that are my favourite.”
Access 2 Arts is the peak body for arts and disability in South Australia and is part of the Cherry Daisies' story, that is too important not to mention.
“Similar to many other musicians and artists, neurodiversity has been a journey to navigate throughout my life, and Access 2 Arts does incredible work bridging the gaps in an industry that can be really overwhelming! I am lucky enough this year to be part of a mentorship with them, and learning more about working within Creative Industries while navigating ADHD symptoms, as well as anxiety and depression. One of their workshops teaches you about “Access Riders” which is a way of sharing with your employers how to work together while advocating for yourself. Often as artists we have short term relationships with employers, so having written into your contract what your access needs are has been incredibly empowering, and has helped me advocate for others I’ve worked with who may have less visible disabilities as well!”
“One show this year I was so unwell, I cried on stage and left as soon as the show was over. If I’d have been working with Access 2 Arts before that moment, I would have felt more confident to share with the other bands (and most importantly admit to myself) that I was not able to perform that night.”
Fan engagement is not just a slogan for Cherry Daisies, it means something real. It actually helped them choose the venue (Grace Emily Hotel, Adelaide) for their upcoming EP launch.
"Ellen and I went to our first show together there. It was the first small venue I watched an Adelaide band in. Andrew loves it and told me we had to. The sound is amazing. The engineers take care of you. It's great!
Two girls came to our show last year at the Grace Emily and sang along with Easy (having never heard it before), and they hugged each other and danced and cried and laughed and it was just the best. We only play intimate stages being a little indie band, so when you get to see how a song is helping someone feel their feelings, or have people who have been ‘following’ your music over the years reach out and share how it’s helped them, that feels communal.”
“I think it also happened in the studio a lot with Ryan, he would talk about letting a song belong to the audience (I wanted to stop playing Easy because it can be a little pathetic sounding at times I think! I don’t ever want a song to accidentally make someone feel WORSE) but he really helped me understand how it’s important to let a song go and take new life with other people, and you can perform it for them even when you don’t resonate with it in the same way anymore.
So what can fans expect at on the night of the Cherry Daisies' EP Launch on the 11th July?
“For our previous Falling Star single launch a lot of our friends family and fans had fun with a Cherry Daisies lucky dip box full of cute thank you gifts, so that will definitely be part of the night again! And also, our support acts are incredible. Haystacks Calhoon are so much fun to dance to and song with and Layla Indiana is a wonderful songwriter wkth a beautiful voice. It’s gonna be so much fun!”
Easy by the Cherry Daisies is out on the 11th July.
Learn more about the Cherry Daisies on Local Sounds - https://localsounds.com.au/artist/cherry-daisies
Listen to music by the Cherry Daisies on Spotify
Buy tickets for the upcoming EP Launch here - https://events.humanitix.com/kill-you-with-kindness-ep-launch-cherry-daisies
SoundVerge Editorial
Independent music journalism
