Pay Attention to Bousta
Bousta took his big beats to the stage at WOMAD 2025. Here, the Arrernte rapper waxes lyrical about the influence of community and culture in his thought-provoking tracks
Interview by Jack Paech | Photo by Evie Wonder
Arrernte rapper Bousta – AKA Myles Turner – is on the rise and he’s determined not to slow down in 2025. While his performing career only began at the turn of the decade, the artist’s passion for music has been burning for a long time. Even his stage name was coined in his childhood. “That’s my nickname from my family,” he says. “My big sister just randomly started calling me Bousta one day. Ever since it stuck.”
In those days, Bousta cut his teeth musically on a mishmash of genres, from country to American hip- hop, which – as he tells us – is a taste he inherited from his Mum. “She always listened to people like N.W.A and 2Pac, so I got into them young.”
While some of his initial influences came from continents far away, most of what makes Bousta tick is usually in his own backyard. “I grew up in Alice Springs and the music I’m doing comes from my brothers,” he explains. “I saw [them] perform for the first time when I was about seven.”
Bousta's artistic voice rings with shades of his family and friends in Alice Springs, but his education at The University of Adelaide's Centre for Aboriginal Studies in Music (CASM) has helped him realise his potential. “Man, that place really opened my eyes to more opportunities,” he says.
Will he take those opportunities in 2025? We’re left with zero doubts after our chat with him.
Hi Bousta! Tell us about how you got to where you are today. What inspires you musically?
I started playing guitar as a kid, and ever since, I’ve loved music. In 2021, I performed my first rap song with my brothers. The inspiration behind my music is my culture, my language and my people. I reckon I write my songs in a way that everyone can relate to.
You write rap in both English and in Arrernte. Why do you think it’s important to write in both languages?
It’s important to write in both languages because I’m killing two birds with one stone. I’ve got my Arrernte audience and the rest of Australia. Language is very important to me because it’s my identity. It’s who I am.
What kind of stories do you want to tell with your music?
I try to write music to inspire the youth of Alice Springs to follow their dreams and not be ashamed of themselves. There are kids who have talent but are too afraid to act on it because they’d get laughed at. I write for them. I also write for myself so I can listen back and push myself past my limits.
You’re playing at WOMAD for the second time this year. What would you like audiences to learn from your live show?
Yeah, round two at WOMAD! I want the audience to see that there is good that comes from Alice Springs. The news portrays Alice in a bad way sometimes and I want to be proof there’s good.
You're part of the Northern Sound System (NSS) x WOMADelaide academy. Tell us how that came about.
At WOMAD 2024, I opened up for DEM MOB. After that, NSS asked if I wanted to perform at WOMAD 2025, and I was also accepted into the WOMADelaide x NSS Academy ’24. The academy helped me with my artist page, my stage presence and meeting other artists.
How has family and community shaped the artist you’ve become today?
My big brother Nookie was one of the reasons why I started music. My love for it grew from there. My grandmother is also a huge inspiration – she taught me how to speak my own language and told me to always be proud of who I am.
What else is in store for Bousta?
I’ve got heaps of music that will be released within the year. We’re also in the process of creating a music video for a new song! I’m hoping to hit some big stages this year, too.
Keep up to date with Bousta online here.
Teen Spirit was produced in partnership between Carclew and The Note magazine, supported by the Government of South Australia via the Music Development Office (MDO), the Department for Education and Arts South Australia. Read the full magazine online here.
