Charlie Pittman: British-Australian singer and former The Voice star on new EP okay.again? and Perth show

Former The Voice Australia runner-up turned solo artist Charlie Pittman “did a Troy Bolton” growing up, juggling all kinds of sports and a passion for music.

Much like the famous character from the High School Musical movies who struggles to pick between basketball and a singing career, the British-Australian singer followed his heart and took his music more seriously, realising showbiz was his life calling.

Pittman was signed to Island Records last year following his success on the 2023 season of The Voice and has since released two EPs.

His latest EP called okay.again? dropped last Friday just in time for his Aussie tour which sees him perform in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Perth.

Pittman played in Perth as the opener for US rockers The Band Camino in August and is “really keen” to get back to WA and hopefully find time to check out Rottnest Island — a hotspot for tourists.

“I think a massive thing for me was trying to go back to Perth,” he said in an interview with PerthNow.

“You always see on artists’ (social media), when they announce their tours and they do Sydney and Melbourne, (but) they always miss Perth. So the fact that we can make that happen was really important to me.”

The indie-rock-alt-pop artist is set to light up the stage at Milk Bar in Inglewood on Saturday, where fans will get the chance to hear his new music live.

His most honest project to date consists of six songs and sees his passion for songwriting and vulnerability shine through.

Recorded in Nashville with producer Jonathan Class, Pittman hand-picked the songs that intentionally tell a story, detailing the intricacies of love and heartbreak and navigating the journey of a relationship cycle.

“The whole EP is a cyclical thing,” he said.

“There’s the same motif at the start and the end, so when it ends, you’ll hear it loop back to the first song. It’s like the cycle of relationships, so with the title, I wanted that double meaning. It’s like, you’re OK again, but also, OK, I’m really gonna go through this whole thing again?

“The whole EP is relationship-focused, which is different to what I’ve done before. A lot of my other songs I take from different parts of my life, but these are about the arc from one relationship ending to another one beginning.”

Born in Australia, Pittman moved to the UK as a baby, where he spent his childhood growing up in Holbrook, Suffolk, before moving to Sydney two years ago.

The rising star said he remembered having one guitar lesson and had a crack at the recorder, but admitted he wasn’t naturally gifted.

“I didn’t grow up in a musical family at all, I kind of found a passion for it on my own,” he said.

“Back when I was probably a teenager, I remember going into school early, and being able to use the music room and just teaching myself to play chords on the piano, teaching myself guitar.

“Growing up in the UK, I was super sporty as well. I grew up playing a lot of football, soccer, cricket, rugby, tennis, and swimming. So it was interesting navigating that, whilst trying to navigate music as well. Did a bit of a Troy Bolton, but took the music more seriously, and discovered that was really what I wanted to do for life.

“I feel like my music and my career have really grown since moving to Australia. I think I needed that change in my life.”

After his Aussie shows, Pittman will head back to the UK to support British indie-rock band The Manatees next month and Live At Leeds Festival on November 15.

“I’ve done a couple of support shows before, but I’ve never done a support tour. So to be able to do more than one day with a band is gonna be really cool,” he said.