These Three Year 12 Girls Are Making Waves in the Darwin Music Scene

Stepping on the stage with their hearts beating fast, the three girls fronted the crowd of over a hundred people. From small clubs to now the Darwin Festival stage, Amy Nguyen and her friends Samara Modra and Kiera O’Brien had come a long way in starting the Snippets.

“I’ve always been a very audacious child,” said Amy, “And when I was in middle school, Samara and I were put into a band through NT Music School…. And that’s when we started to gain connections.”

From an Inside-Joke to A Shared Passion

Started as an in-joke with their teacher Mr Parsons, the band was originally known as the Parsnips. But now with three out of five of the band members graduating from high school, the three year 12 girls said they wanted to keep the performances going – though with a slight rebrand.

“We were brainstorming names, and I was like ‘you know what? The Snippets.’ – we’re a snippet of the Parsnips,” said Samara.

From playing covers to now writing dozens of original songs, the group said their daily life had influenced their creative process the most. Taking inspiration from their classmates to the overwhelming pressure at school, no topics are out of bounds for the three young artists.

“Most of our songs are inspired by youth emotions and feelings,” said Kiera.

“[Inspiration] comes everywhere. Sometimes I write from my own experience, but sometimes, we just wanted to be random,” said Amy.

Onto the Big Stage and Beyond

A few months earlier, the Snippets had partnered with LAUNCH Darwin as part of a program designed to propel young local musicians onto the big stage at the Darwin Festival. Looking up to local music giants and the many talented Territorian artists, the trio were inspired to make their own music.

“Here’s a lot of big music people in Darwin who love supporting the young people,” said Samara, “These are the people we love watching as well.”

While the Darwin Festival had concluded by the end of August, it is far from over for the three young musicians, as they hope to gain more experience to overcome their stage fright, while also refining their music to reflect the experiences shared by many teenagers.

“This is the biggest gig for the Snippets, and I’d argue the biggest gig for any of us,” said Samara, “It’s been quite a journey to get some of our members to loosen up on stage, and I definitely feel like we’ve progressed a lot.”

“Once you start getting into the groove of it and the lights start to dim a little bit… you see faces that you recognise, it just helps you get comfortable.”