When Daniel Johns said her Silverchair cover was better than the original, Eliza didn’t believe it at first, but she thought it was wild to hear.
She’s been a fixture around Melbourne, but lately her voice is everywhere. Between Festival Hall shows and TV placements, she’s managed to carve out a place that’s both unmistakably her and wide open for whatever comes next. On reworking Silverchair’s “Tomorrow,” she told Local Sounds:
“Reimagining 'Silverchair’s' ‘Tomorrow’ felt really full-circle and a bit surreal. It’s such an iconic Australian song, and one that so many people grew up with, including me. It carries this huge emotional weight and nostalgia with it. For me, the idea wasn’t about trying to reinvent it for the sake of it, but to see what happens when you slow it right down and strip it back to its emotional core.
I was asked to cover it for TV show 'Playing Gracie Darling', I was interested in how its meaning might shift if you take away the big grunge energy and instead sit inside the vulnerability of the lyrics. Once I started working on it, I realised how much sadness and longing is actually already in the song, it’s just expressed differently in the original.
My connection to 'Silverchair' is really as someone who grew up in Australia in the 90s. Their music was everywhere, and ‘Tomorrow’ in particular felt like a song that defined a moment in Australian music history. Coming back to it now as an adult, and as someone who thinks a lot about emotion, and reinterpretation, it felt like a way to honour the song while also finding a different emotional doorway into it. It was very surreal to have Daniel Johns shout out to me on stage at the Palais Theatre, he said my version of the song was better than the original, which I definitely do not agree with ha ha!”
Eliza’s not shy about going deep. Her track “Running Underwater” doesn't pull any punches. That honesty hit a nerve in the best possible way.
“The response to ‘Running Underwater’ has been incredibly moving and, at times, overwhelming in the best possible way. Because it’s so rooted in my lived experience with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disorder, I wasn’t entirely sure how it would land publicly, it’s quite vulnerable and quite specific, and I think I felt a bit exposed putting it out into the world. I first actually performed in on ABC's Q&A even before the song was released out in the world! And I couldn't believe the reaction.
What’s so powerful is how many people have connected with it through their own experiences of disability, chronic illness, or simply feeling like they’re navigating a world that wasn’t built with them in mind. I’ve had a lot of messages from people saying they felt seen in a way they hadn’t before, which is always the hope with sharing something so personal.
The video in particular sparked a strong response, especially around visibility and representation. People have talked about what it meant to see disability portrayed in a way that feels honest and not sanitised or overly inspirational. That kind of love for the track stays with me, because it reinforces why storytelling matters, not just in music, but in who gets to be seen and heard. I was so proud when the clip was played on Rage!”
Live, she doesn’t forget the unusual and unguarded moments either. Her shows might be big, but what Eliza remembers isn’t always the obvious stuff.
Eliza tells it straight: “I think all my performances feel incredibly meaningful, but probably one of the performances that really stands out was my recent gig at Melbourne Recital Centre, just the audience reacting to my new songs was something I will never forget. I also loved supporting Sarah Blasko around regional Victoria, one of the gigs was a bit strange though at Her Majesty's theatre in Ballarat, I swear there are ghosts there because my earring dropped at the very moment my guitarist’s watch snapped off his wrist! Was so eerie!”
Onstage and off, Eliza’s become a name people look up to for pushing disability rights in music. Her OAM says a lot, but for her it’s personal.
She doesn’t mince words: “I think knowing how hard it was for me when I was first starting out in the music industry and being driven to change that for future generations of artists. We have come such a long way, but there is more to change!”
In her latest release "Hotel Room", Eliza asks "How do i find my way home to you?".
“I think for me coming home was about being honest with myself, having some hard moments but going deep inside myself to realise that I can find my way back if I just trust and push through the hard. I think hard moments need to happen, they are breakdowns that end in breakthroughs,” she says.
The next chapter keeps expanding. New tours mean new places, but it’s England that tugs at her lately.
“I am going back to England this year which is exciting, touring with Anna Smyrk and Ruth Lyon! I love England so much! It's always called my name.”
When asked what fans can expect for the rest of 2026, her answer was simple: “Lots more songs x”.
Catch Eliza Hull live on the following dates
Fri 28 Aug - Bridge Hotel, Dja Dja Wurrung Country, Castlemaine VIC
https://tickets.oztix.com.au/outlet/event/4a24f448-da19-481a-9c29-6baf7abe18a5
Sat 29 Aug - Shotkickers, Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country, Naarm/Melbourne VIC*
*afternoon show
https://tickets.oztix.com.au/outlet/event/045774f0-1ce0-4bf4-a5c5-cc7d5df7b192
Listen to Eliza Hull on Local Sounds
https://localsounds.com.au/song/eliza-hull/hotel-room
SoundVerge Editorial
Independent music journalism
