Descended from the Gugu Yalanji and Birrigubba people, as well as the Matabele of Zimbabwe, Dean Brady was born into a musical household — his parents were members of the legendary “outback Motown” group Banawurun, and he grew up with band rehearsals in the living room and his mother singing soul songs while cooking dinner.

As a child, Brady would perform Michael Jackson songs for friends and family; even then, he was tracing the lineage of great soul and R&B artists — from Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye and Frank Sinatra to Usher — all of whom would later influence the distinct voice and style he brings to his own music.

Dean’s Home — Brady’s forthcoming Mixtape out 31 October — is a warm, groove-soaked reflection on love, memory and identity, stitched together by the rising star’s unmistakable voice and soulful instincts. Across twelve tracks, Brady traces a coming-of-age journey — from falling in love for the first time to recognising when something no longer serves you — with a sound that nods to the Motown greats he grew up idolising while carving out a fresh, future-facing space in Austrlian R&B.