Newcastle alt-rock artist Maple's Pet Dinosaur has roared onto the Australian music scene in recent months, establishing herself as a powerful young voice with a grunge-tinged aesthetic.
As the music industry seeks its next cookie-cutter pop star, Maple has her sights set on making herself heard above the noise.
Drawing on her love of rock and metal from the early '90s and 2000s, Maple's Pet Dinosaur's debut track 'Lego' hit the airwaves like an extinction-level event.
Recording the video for 'Lego' on her Ring door camera and releasing it on the internet, Maple was catapulted into the stratosphere, garnering attention from the likes of nu-metal bigwig Fred Durst and performing at Good Things Festival in December.
Maple's Pet Dinosaur is following up on that success with the release of her new track 'Chorus' (with her debut EP in the works) as well as joining the line-up for Groovin The Moo (GTM) in Lismore, which returns in 2026 for a one-off show on 9 May, presented by Great Southern Nights with the support of the NSW Government through Destination NSW and the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), marking an incredible comeback for one of Australia's favourite festivals.
After a brief hiatus, GTM has been revamped into a one-off, single-day, single-stage format that is more sustainable and allows the event to stay true to its regional foundations.
This year, Maple's Pet Dinosaur features on the GTM line-up alongside Denzel Curry, Baker Boy, Matt Corby, Dope Lemon, The Chats, Tones & I, and many more.
Introduce yourself and describe the type of music you produce?
My name is Maple's Pet Dinosaur, I'm a 15 year old alt-rock/ alt-metal artist from Newcastle, NSW.
Who are some of your key musical influences?
My main influences come from my CD collection (yes, I still listen to CDs) from between 1993-2003.
I love Faith No More for the combination of riffs and melodies. I love Beastie Boys because of their concepts and energy. I also love Melvins, Primus, Incubus, Deftones. I also take inspo from Fiona Apple, Paramore, L7 for the girl-up-front vibes.
How did you react to the success of your debut single 'Lego'?
It was completely unexpected when 'Lego' started pumping. I wrote that song when I was 13, made a free music video on a Ring camera and then the internet did its thing, and I found myself on Good Things Festival and emailing with Fred Durst. Kinda bonkers but I'm loving it.
Tell us about your latest single 'Chorus' – what inspired it, what is it about, and what went into creating it?
'Chorus' is about people who come into your life to teach you a lesson even though they aren't actually trying to help you.
With this project, I really want to bring big riffs and big hooks without repeating a lot of the formulas you hear in heaps of modern heavy music. My favourite thing about music of the late '90s was the freedom to just execute a song without trying to fit a certain genre.
My goal for 'Chorus' was to deliver a super melodic track with a big riffy outro; it was also a cool way to introduce my love of dinosaurs.
What about your creative process? How and where does a song start for you, and what is involved with developing an idea into a finished piece?
I usually start a song idea with a key lyric like 'block 'em like lego' or 'I knew from the moment that we met that you'll always be a verse and you'll never be a chorus'.
Then I hum a melody and try and write a riff on guitar or piano to support that melody, and I record it at home as best as I can.
I then work with my engineer Declan White (who makes stuff sound massive) and my studio drummer Dan Stivens (who is insanely good) to build it into a punchy full band production that we can rip live.
Recently I've also been recording my vocals properly in the studio with Adam Alexander and I've been loving that. He's really good at challenging me to try different things with my voice and it's a lot of fun working with him.
In May, you'll be part of the Groovin The Moo line-up in Lismore; although it's not your home town of Newcastle, what does it mean to play a regional festival and possibly inspire someone in the crowd to explore their own creative dreams/ pathway?
I actually had a ticket to the Maitland GTM in 2023 and was devastated that it didn't go ahead.
I know how much these festivals mean for young people in regional areas and so many people in Newcastle have amazing GTM stories. When my agent Edwin called with the news that GTM was coming back and wanted Maple's Pet Dinosaur to play I got pretty emotional.
The line-up is completely stacked and super diverse, and I'm just so pumped to deliver a killer performance and just vibe out to an incredible Australian line-up; and Denzel closing it out is going to be sick and I'm really obsessed with his music at the moment.
I'm so stoked that it's an all-ages festival and if someone sees Maple's Pet Dinosaur and that encourages them to start a band – that would honestly be the greatest compliment!
For those punters planning to road trip to Groovin, do you have any touristy suggestions for them to stop in and check out?
Well for the GTM road trip because I'm a massive animal lover you've gotta check the Koala Hospital in Port Macquarie, stop for a selfie at the Big Banana and experience the natural beauty of Lismore and the surrounding rainforests before the festival. It's a nice place to experience the calm before the storm!
Let's rewind to last December and you and the band appearing at Good Things Festival; how was that experience and did you get to fan-girl with any of the other acts on the line-up?
In preparation for Good Things, I was already making a fake ID to try and get in because the festival rules and the line-up was so awesome.
The whole team, including Chris the promoter, were so nice to us and we honestly had the best time. The highlight for me was standing side of stage watching TOOL in Brisbane as a storm rolled in and just losing my mind about how insanely tight they were. I cried when the festival was over because I loved it so much.
Let's talk dinosaurs, because I'm also a fan: do you have a favourite? (I've always been partial to the Stegosaurus and Triceratops, FYI).
My favourite dinosaur? Ok now we are really cooking. Stegosaurus and Triceraptops are both unreal and remind me of like the hippo and rhino of the dinosaur world.
My fave at the moment is a toss-up between the Brontosaurus, mainly because I use the emoji all the time, and the Ankylosaurus 'cause it's just a bad-arse tank with a wrecking ball at the end of its tail.
Given a Jurassic Park-style scenario where dinosaurs once more roam the planet, which one are you befriending and keeping as a pet?
I'd be pretty hyped to have a lil squad of raptors as pets. They are smart and fast, and I could fit them in the bus so they'd be good security at gigs too lol!
Pop quiz, hot shot: you're recording a new song, and a T-Rex suddenly rampages through the studio. What do you do?
If a T-Rex crashed a recording session, I'd sample that roar and land the world's most elusive feature artist!
As a young artist embarking on their career, do you have any concerns or reservations about entering an industry that has drastically transformed over the past few years?
For a 15-year-old girl entering the music industry I've heard lots of horror stories and particularly how in the past it hasn't necessarily been the safest place for some young female artists and fans which is heartbreaking.
I've surrounded myself with good people and have a crew of female artists like Emmy from RedHook, CHAII, Ladyhawke and Ixaras who are looking out for me and have been super lovely and encouraging. Claire Mooney, the new head of triple j [Ed's note: Music Director triple j Unearthed] is an absolute boss and has been super kind and supportive too, so I'm glad the industry is becoming more inclusive.
I actually wrote my next single about being a young woman in a male dominated scene – once it drops, pay attention to the lyrics and you can learn about a couple of challenges I've had with guys in black T-shirts, haha.
When/ where can we see you live onstage?
Current calendar is Groovin The Moo, then BASSINTHEGRASS in Darwin and then the Hellbound metal cruise [in 2027]. Aside from those, I'm working on some smaller shows and also our first international dates later in 2026.
We hear there are big things 'on the horizon' for you. What's next for Maple’s Pet Dinosaur?
By the time people read this, I will be VERY close to announcing my debut EP and the first single.
I'm super excited about dropping a complete collection of music with proper art direction and a theme. The three words I'm using to describe the EP is FUN, FRESH and FIERCE.
Groovin The Moo Lismore takes place at Oakes Oval (Northern Rivers - Widjabul/Wia-bal Country) on 9 May. BASSINTHEGRASS 2026 takes place at Mindil Beach (Darwin) 16 May.
Groovin The Moo 2026 Line-up
Baker Boy
Denzel Curry
Dope Lemon
Maple's Pet Dinosaur
Matt Corby
Ninajirachi
The Chats
The Terrys
Tones And I
Angel White
The Colliflowers
Kath Ebbs Presents Cowboy Country
The Homegrown Hero Winner (tba)
