Melbourne’s own Callum Padgham is pivoting from the dancefloor to the soul with his evocative sophomore single, ‘When I Was a Little Boy’. After making waves with his vibrant debut ‘Everything is a Blessing’—which racked up half a million TikTok views and became a radio staple—the artist formerly known as DJ Be Kind to Other People has traded synth-pop hooks for the raw, stripped-back honesty of indie-folk.
The track isn't just a change in genre; it’s a profound emotional excavation. Callum describes the release as “a story that traces all of my behaviour in life back to that of a self-conscious little boy, thereby forgiving myself for the shame I’ve accumulated along the way.”
While his first single was a sun-drenched anthem of gratitude, this follow-up serves as its shadow-work counterpart. For Callum, the two are inextricably linked: “I couldn’t write a song so optimistic without first understanding pain - and I’m grateful for all of life’s experiences in shaping my perspective.”
The inspiration for this vulnerable shift struck in the most intense of environments: a 10-day silent Vipassana meditation retreat. Surrounded by nothing but his own thoughts, the song began to assemble itself in the quiet.
“By the 5th day of uncomfortable silence I saw my whole life flash before my eyes - suddenly understanding, with compassion, why I’d previously acted in certain ways that I wasn’t proud of. It was a true breakthrough moment for me and a feeling of profound relief: ‘Oh! I’m just a wounded little boy, that’s all!’ - Cue waterworks… We weren’t allowed to talk, read or write so I wrote “When I Was a Little Boy” in my head to capture the experience and literally stay sane.”
The accompanying music video is just as intimate, featuring a choreographed sequence of real childhood projections. Callum, who took the reins on production, wanted the visuals to feel like a private invitation into his past.
“I’ll never forget flipping through every single one of Mum’s old photo albums and digitising each relevant photograph to create the montage of me growing older,” he recalls. “What started as a purely technical endeavour quickly morphed into the most accidentally nostalgic night of my life… who knew revisiting core memories from your family trip to Queensland in 1997 would awaken such raw emotion?!”
From the main stages of Burning Man to the heartfelt storytelling of his solo work, Padgham continues to prove he is one of Melbourne’s most versatile and brave creatives. Stream ‘When I Was a Little Boy’ on all platforms now and follow Callum Padgham for more updates on TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook.
