Newcastle’s Maple’s Pet Dinosaur has released her new single Chorus, marking the next step in one of the most rapid rises for a young Australian artist in recent memory. At just 15 years old, Maple has moved from backyard DIY experimentation to major-festival stages in the space of months, fuelled almost entirely by a homemade video that took the global internet by storm.
It is a trajectory few could have predicted. Fourteen weeks ago Maple was a Newcastle high-schooler with a debut single, Lego, recorded and released independently, hoping only to convince local promoters to take a chance on her band. The video, filmed on a neighbour’s Ring camera, became an overnight phenomenon. Within days it was circulating globally; within weeks it was the most-viewed Instagram Reel in history by an Australian-born artist, now sitting at more than 55 million views on Instagram alone.
Momentum spread quickly across platforms. TikTok views surged past six million, YouTube crossed the one-million mark, and similar doorbell-camera performances from emerging artists began flooding feeds worldwide. The internet had found its next unlikely hero in a teenager from Newcastle armed with a distorted guitar, a stack of riffs, and a tooth-rattling scream.
As Maple turned 15, the online wave transitioned into real-world demand. Good Things Festival promoter Chris O’Brien broke precedent by lifting the festival’s 16+ age policy to add Maple’s Pet Dinosaur to a 2025 line-up featuring Tool, Weezer, and Garbage. O’Brien’s endorsement – “Maple is going to be an absolute force” – became a rallying cry for the young artist’s expanding fanbase. Days later, Maple received a last-minute invitation to SXSW Sydney, delivering two explosive showcases that instantly became festival talking points.
The media was close behind. Maple’s Pet Dinosaur has since been profiled by Rolling Stone, picked up by outlets as far afield as Brazil, and secured support across Australian radio, including triple j, triple j Unearthed and the Triple M network. In the United States, Lego continues to pick up college-radio rotation, feeding a steadily increasing international following.
What is perhaps most startling is the calibre of new admirers. Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst publicly commented “let’s get the tour convo going” on Maple’s Instagram debut, adding a surreal celebrity endorsement to the mounting buzz. In September, Maple formalised her next chapter by signing with New World Artists for exclusive live representation in Australia and New Zealand – a development that positions her budding career for long-term, sustainable growth.
With the question “Where’s the next song?” spamming her socials daily, Maple now delivers the follow-up: Chorus, available globally from 27 November. Designed as a melodic yet heavier progression from Lego, the new single showcases Maple’s widening songwriting range. “Chorus is a little more dimensional than Lego,” Maple says. “While Lego is a two-minute blast of rage, Chorus is more melodic – but also heavier at the same time. The outro gives a good taste of our live energy, and I finally got to rattle off some of my favourite dinosaurs.”
Mixed by Declan White (Thornhill, Ocean Grove), Chorus fires off with a blistering guitar line before erupting into a hook engineered for festival crowds. Its breakdown – or “extinction-level event”, as insiders have described it – firmly reinforces the band’s status as one of the most exciting heavy-leaning prospects of the next two years.
A teaser clip for Chorus surpassed 1.3 million Instagram views within four days, signalling that another viral surge is already in motion. The full video arrives Friday 28 November.
Fans will be able to experience Maple’s Pet Dinosaur live in December when she joins the Good Things Festival 2025 run, with a 2026 appearance already locked for BASSINTHEGRASS, the Northern Territory’s largest music festival.
MAPLE’S PET DINOSAUR – UPCOMING LIVE SHOWS
GOOD THINGS FESTIVAL 2025
Friday 5 December – Flemington Racecourse, Melbourne (16+)
Saturday 6 December – Sydney Showgrounds, Sydney (16+)
Sunday 7 December – Brisbane Showgrounds, Brisbane (16+)
Tickets: oztix.com.au
BASSINTHEGRASS 2026
Saturday 16 May – The Gardens, Northern Territory (Lic AA)
Tickets: bassinthegrass.com.au
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