A 15-year-old Petersfield student has released his first ever song on various music platforms.
Austen Cooke released a song called Demons (This isn’t me) after he began focusing more on music when he got into senior school at Churcher’s College. His music journey began when he started learning guitar in Year 4, followed by singing lessons the next year.
Austen said: “At the time, I didn’t think that I would want to go further with music in my life as football was what I wanted to do.
“When I got into Churcher’s College Senior School my perspective changed (mainly due to the legend himself - Mr James) and I began concentrating more on music.
“I began spending time writing songs on the weekends and as I started to get better at guitar I wrote better riffs, and therefore better lyrics. When we came out of lockdown I started seeing the impact that the Covid pandemic had had on people, the rise in mental health concerns, especially around my age group.”
Ultimately, the song’s message is that when someone is suffering from mental health issues it isn’t the real person. The individual is in a constant battle with their inner thoughts and emotions, but with the right help and support they can be rid of those demons.
Austen hopes his song reassures people that they are never alone and there is always someone there for them, they just have to reach out and never give up on hope.