For a decade, Kira Puru was a fixture of the Australian music scene, a Māori singer-songwriter whose voice could pivot from soul-baring vulnerability to an irresistible pop hook with effortless precision. With a number-one hit on the triple j chart, a spot in the Hottest 100, and collaborations with legends like Paul Kelly, Puru seemed to have the trajectory of a rising star firmly locked in. Then, the music stopped.
Following the 2023 release of “All My Boyfriends”—a track steeped in 00s nostalgia that felt like a triumphant return after a year-long hiatus—Puru went dark again. For nearly three years, the recording booth was replaced by a quiet retreat into photography, graphic design, and creative direction. To the outside observer, it looked like a disappearance. In reality, it was a necessary survival tactic.
This year, Puru has returned to the public eye, but not through the airwaves. Instead, they have stepped onto the screen, appearing in two of Australia’s most talked-about comedy series: the dark crime mystery Deadloch and the biting arts-industry satire Bad Company. The pivot from musician to actor wasn’t a calculated career move or a planned rebranding; it was a byproduct of burnout and a desire to reclaim the joy of creation.
The Friction of the Industry
The transition began not with a desire to act, but with a need to breathe. Puru describes the period around the COVID-19 pandemic as a turning point where the machinery of the music industry began to grate. The lockdowns didn’t just stop the shows; they altered the landscape of visibility and accessibility.
“I left the label I was signed to, as well as my manager,” Puru explains. “COVID meant I couldn’t perform live in the way I was used to and coming back after all of the lockdowns, my career just wasn’t the same — it was much harder to fill rooms and sell tickets.”
The struggle to maintain momentum in a post-pandemic world led to a profound sense of exhaustion. For an artist whose identity was tied to “clout, money, and profile,” the pressure to perform became a barrier to the art itself. Puru spent several years pushing through the fatigue before realizing that the only way forward was to step away entirely. This hiatus allowed them to decouple their worth from chart positions and accolades, shifting their focus toward making art simply because it felt excellent.
| Period | Primary Focus | Key Milestone |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-Pandemic | Music Production & Touring | Triple j #1 hit; Paul Kelly collaborations |
| Pandemic/Hiatus | Visual Arts & Recovery | Photography, graphic design, and creative direction |
| 2023-2024 | Acting Debut | Roles in Deadloch and Bad Company |
| Current | Multi-disciplinary Art | Writing TV; returning to live music shows |
From Self-Tapes to Satire
Puru’s entry into acting was, by their own admission, largely accidental. It began with a digital “manifestation”—a tweet sent to the creators of Deadloch, Kate McLennan and Kate McCartney, asking to be put in one of their projects. When an audition request actually arrived, Puru found themselves facing a steep learning curve, starting with the daunting world of the “self-tape.”
“I was extremely nervous… I didn’t know what any of the lingo was,” Puru says. “I didn’t even know that you have to film the same scene 25 times… I just thought, ‘This is going to be easy. How hard could it be? Acting is so chill.’ I was humbled pretty immediately after arriving on set.”
Despite the initial shock, Puru’s musical background provided a hidden foundation. They note that music videos and stage performances are inherently theatrical, requiring a level of “being perceived” that translates well to the screen. This natural aptitude led them to Bad Company, a satire of the arts world that feels particularly poignant given Puru’s own recent struggles with industry burnout.
In Bad Company, Puru plays Kat, the front-of-house anchor at The Argyle Theatre, an institution spiraling toward financial ruin under the leadership of the nepotistic and spendthrift artistic director, Margie (played by creator Anne Edmonds). As the “normal” person in a room full of eccentrics, Kat serves as the audience’s proxy, navigating the chaos of Margie’s whims and the corporate rigidity of the new CEO, Julia (Kitty Flanagan).
Learning from the Masters of Comedy
Working alongside veterans like Edmonds and Flanagan provided Puru with a masterclass in contrasting performance styles. Puru describes Edmonds as “fearless and free,” with unbridled instincts that keep the set unpredictable. In contrast, Flanagan is characterized by a composed, intentional silence between takes, meticulously preparing her lines.
This duality—the chaotic and the collected—mirrors the dynamic of the show itself. Puru found value in seeing the “whole spectrum” of how to approach a role, an experience that has already begun to influence their own creative ambitions. Beyond acting, Puru has quietly begun writing a television show with a friend, a project that predates their on-screen appearances but now carries the weight of actual set experience.
The experience also included some of the quirks unique to comedy productions, including a scene that required an intimacy coordinator for the unconventional act of Anne Edmonds rubbing Puru’s fringe against their forehead for half an hour. While Puru initially found the level of precaution “wild,” they noted that it reflected a production culture that genuinely cared for its cast.
Redefining the ‘Multi-Hyphenate’
While the industry loves the term “multi-hyphenate,” Puru views it with a healthy dose of skepticism, calling it “annoying” even as they embody it. For them, the move into acting isn’t about expanding a brand, but about diversifying their emotional outlets. By spreading their creative energy across music, acting, and writing, they can avoid the singular pressure that led to their previous burnout.
As for the music, the silence is finally breaking. Puru has returned to performing live shows over the last six months, describing the experience as “amazing.” However, they are resisting the urge to rush a new studio release. New music is being written, and collaborations with friends are in the works, but Puru is waiting for a “sign from the universe.”
“I would love to feel wholly that it’s time and that it’s right before I do it,” Puru says. “The experience of doing it before was so hard and I just don’t think something that brought me so much joy in my life should feel so hard.”
For now, Kira Puru is content to exist in the space between genres, treating art as a source of joy rather than a metric of success. Whether they are navigating the fictional ruins of The Argyle Theatre or writing their own scripts, the goal remains the same: to create without the crushing weight of expectation.
Bad Company is currently available to stream on ABC iview and airs Sundays at 8:15 p.m. On ABC TV.
Do you think the “multi-hyphenate” trend helps artists avoid burnout or adds to the pressure? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
