Silence speaks volumes.
Melbourne singer-songwriter Callum Padgham built his name behind the DJ booth, supporting icons like Flight Facilities and hosting his own celebrated talk show.
He arrived as a solo artist with the radiant, TikTok-conquering pop anthem ‘Everything is a Blessing’ last November. But today, he flips the script entirely.
Padgham unveils his beautiful sophomore single, ‘When I Was a Little Boy,’ a raw indie-folk confession born not in a studio, but during the suffocating silence of a 10-day Vipassana meditation retreat.
Forced to remain mute, he wrote the entire track in his head to “stay sane,” tracing his adult shame back to a self-conscious child.
Accompanied by a mesmerising music video featuring real projections from his mother’s photo albums, the result is an absolute tear-jerker.
Now, Padgham sits down with us to discuss forgiveness, that vulnerable wedding-day photo, and why digging deeper is his only option.
HAPPY: What’d you get up to today?
CALLUM PADGHAM: Morning! I’m just back from a cheeky 2km paddle at Brunswick Baths, my happy place – and the endorphins are absolutely flowing!
HAPPY: Tell us a little about where you’re from, and what you love about it!
PADGHAM: I’m a Melbourne local of 18 years but I grew up in Canberra. The best part about that combo is this wide-eyed little boy from Canberra still falls in love with Melbourne, every single day!
HAPPY: Your debut single ‘Everything is a Blessing’ was an uplifting pop anthem. This new track feels like its emotional opposite. Why release such a vulnerable song second?
PADGHAM: Whilst I’m establishing myself as a recording artist I felt it was important to showcase the full spectrum of who I am, rather than leaning solely on catchy pop jams.
This new track is the sonic and thematic opposite of my first single ‘Everything is a Blessing’ – the yin to it’s yang – but 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.
HAPPY: ‘When I Was a Little Boy’ came to you during a 10-day silent Vipassana retreat. What was harder: the silence, or what came up inside it?
PADGHAM: What came up for me was certainly confronting but SO therapeutic – I suppose the hardest part for me was that I couldn’t immediately share my revelations with whoever would listen!
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 chorus refrain “Come on up – don’t look away just feel it” refers to the core Vipassana teaching of observing sensations rise up in your body and resisting the urge to look away – an ancient Indian meditation technique helping people process their pain for 2500+ years.
HAPPY: The line “forgiving myself for the shame I’ve accumulated” is powerful. Was writing the song the forgiveness, or did that come later?
PADGHAM: Honestly, the forgiveness came instantly – upon tracing all of my behaviour in life back to an innocent little boy and suddenly understanding, with compassion, why I’d acted in certain ways throughout my life!
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.
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HAPPY: The music video uses real projections of your childhood photos. What was the most unexpectedly emotional image you found flipping through your mum’s albums?
PADGHAM: Funnily enough, the emotional dam burst for me when I dusted off the album from my parents’ wedding day – which I wasn’t even around for. Something about my Mum looking so happy absolutely sent me (I’m not crying, you are!)
HAPPY: What’s one thing that little boy in the photos desperately needed to hear, that you can tell him now?
PADGHAM: Hey beautiful boy, you don’t need to do more to be enough (but also, don’t stop doing more – cos you’re gonna make some pretty epic art along the way!
HAPPY: Your debut EP is OUT NOW on vinyl via Bandcamp. Why was vinyl the right format for these particular songs?
PADGHAM: Thanks for the plug! This labour of love took myself and 25+ passionate collaborators almost 3 years to create – pressing it to vinyl felt like the perfect way to honour our collective efforts!
You can pick-up your very own limited edition vinyl EP with a shiny holographic sticker here.
HAPPY: What’s next for you after sharing the most important artwork you’ve ever created, do you go lighter, or dig even deeper?
PADGHAM: Great question – I feel like we’re just scratching the surface:
Just this week I finished writing my second EP – musically we traverse from electro-pop to full-blown musical theatre and lyrically we explore everything from magic to the pride / shame dichotomy!
Digging deeper feels like the only option from here – guess I should invest in an excavator…
HAPPY: Lastly, what makes you happy?
PADGHAM: A cheeky 2km paddle at Brunswick baths, of course… thanks so much for having me!
Got some tracks you’re keen on? Send ’em our way!
