Four songwriters will receive an opportunity to have a co-writing session with producer Jono Steer and other songwriter(s) to write a song (in one day) from scratch or finish a pre-existing idea in the APRA AMCOS songwriting room in Naarm/Melbourne.

The Little Bridge programs are committed to diversity in the songwriting community. In the application form, there are questions that will help us understand who we are reaching to ensure the programs are inclusive. Your responses are kept private. If you prefer not to answer, please click ‘Prefer not to say.’

We are so excited to have a handful of incredible local talent participating in this initiative, spanning across genres and skillsets.

The co-writing sessions will take place on the following dates:

Merpire + Jono Steer
Wednesday 15 October 2025

Julia Wallace + Jono Steer
Thursday 16 October 2025

Ainslie Wills + Jono Steer
Wednesday 22 October 2025

Wakers + Jono Steer
Thursday 23 October 2025

We are all about the music and we love songs, so we try to make the application process as easy as possible for you!

Applications will close on Tuesday 30 September 2025 at 5:00PM AEST.

Little Bridge is an annual partnership with APRA AMCOS that creates opportunities for songwriters, musicians and music workers.

This year the focus is on co-writing.

Jono will be involved in all four sessions.
Jono Steer (he/him) is a music producer, multi-instrumentalist and mixing engineer based in Naarm/Melbourne. Jono is the co-creator of Little Bridge, an initiative that creates opportunities for music workers. He has a calm, considered and thoughtful approach to songwriting and production and loves mentoring. Jono is a quiet achiever who has had a certified ARIA gold record for his work co-producing Gretta Ray’s ‘Radio Silence’, engineered samples on songs with Fred Again (Angie McMahon) and Jay-Z/Beyoncé (Hiatus Kaiyote) and a long list of collaborations with local artists both in the studio and on the road.

Full discography at www.jonosteer.com
Photo credit: Al Parkinson

MERPIRE -

Session 1: Wednesday 15 October 2025
Rhiannon Atkinson-Howatt (she/her) based in Naarm/Melbourne is an award-winning independent artist, releasing music as Merpire. Rhiannon has been endorsed by Rolling Stone, Line of Best Fit, Clash Magazine, triple j, double j and BBC6 (the list goes on). Her recent album ‘MILK POOL’ landed itself a spot on the ARIA Charts, as well as double j feature album. She is a disability advocate, she is personable, introspective, funny and an incredible lyricist. Rhi has co-written with Susan O’Neill (IRE), Quivers, RAT!Hammock, Chitra and many more. While she has a knack for writing indie rock songs, Rhi loves writing in all genres of music.

Read more at merpire.komi.io
Photo credit: RC Stills

JULIA WALLACE -

Session 2: Thursday 16 October 2025
Julia Wallace (she/they) is a musician, producer and composer/arranger based between Naarm/Melbourne and Boorloo/Perth. They have a Bachelor of Music from WAAPA and deep experience of playing in bands and touring, as well as being a producer/engineer. Julia has a wide range of knowledge spanning across genres, from singer-songwriter and pop to electronic, choirs and orchestral ensembles. Julia plays synth, keys, BVs and flugelhorn in Methyl Ethel, Stella Donnelly, Banjo Lucia. Julia recently engineered Stella Donnelly’s upcoming record. They are intrinsically musical and gentle in their approach to collaborating.

Full discography at www.juliawallacemusic.com 
Photo credit: Emma Daisy

AINSLIE WILLS -

Session 3: Wednesday 22 October 2025
Ainslie Wills (she/her) is a regionally based musician, composer, arranger, songwriter and mother. She is a 4x APRA AMCOS ‘Song of the Year’ nominee, 2x Australian Music Prize nominee and the runner up of the Vanda & Young Songwriting Competition. Ainslie has supported Lianne La Havas, Michael Kiwanuka, Leon Bridges, Vance Joy and many more. As an independent musician, she has amassed over 50 million streams. Ainslie is a curious soul, who loves writing about the human condition, using song as a way of accessing emotions and connecting to fellow humans. She is curious, analytical, contemplative and innately musical; both technically and emotionally.

Read more at www.ainsliewills.com
Photo credit: WILK

WAKERS -

Session 4: Thursday 23 October 2025
Max (Maxon - she/her) and Nay (Like Bear - she/her) have joined forces as the pop-rock duo ‘Wakers’. The Mornington Peninsula based writing duo bring powerhouse vocals, visual storytelling, and award-winning songwriting into one project. Wakers is an exploration of love, loss, and the wonder of being alive. The duo have recently returned from a writing trip to Hawaii where they co-wrote with David Ryan Harris (John Mayer), Adam Zelkind (Jason Mraz, Kenny Loggins), Grammy Award winning songwriter Charles Brotman and Richard Harris (#1 Billboard Producer/Writer). The pair head to Nashville for more songwriting sessions in October. Together they are warm, kind, openminded, accepting and inclusive.

Read more at www.sandhillrecords.com
Photo credit: Arch&Co

  • Yes! The APRA AMCOS writing room is fully accessible.

  • You can apply if you are an APRA AMCOS member over the age of 18.

  • We want to make the application as easy as possible for everyone. You need to enter your personal details and submit one song that gives the listener a taste of your music.

  • Tue 9 September - Applications open

    Tue 30 September - Applications close

    Fri 3 October - Recipients announced

    Wed 15 October - Session 1 (Jono Steer + Merpire)

    Thu 16 October - Session 2 (Jono Steer + Julia Wallace)

    Wed 22 October - Session 3 (Jono Steer + Ainslie Wills)

    Thu 23 October - Session 4 (Jono Steer + Wakers)

  • While each artist has their own specific flavour or style, we encourage people from all genres to apply.

  • The sessions all start at 10am and finish at 4pm.

  • The sessions will take place in the APRA AMCOS writing room in Melbourne. More details will be shared closer to the date.

  • No experience co-writing is needed.

  • The idea is that you enter the room with experienced songwriters to either:

    • Write a song from scratch

    • Finish a song you are already working on

  • Writing a new song:

    If you are writing a brand new song, the publishing royalties will be split equally between everyone in the room.

    Working on a pre-existing song:

    If you are working on a song that already exists, the publishing royalties will be mutually agreed between everyone.

  • That’s the aim! We never really know how a co-writing session will go, sometimes people end up with finished songs and sometimes people create the bones of something special.

    Because there is a producer in the room (Jono Steer), the idea is that you will aim to have a high quality demo by the end of the day.

  • The idea is that you will co-write a song for your own artist project, but in saying that you might end up deciding the song is better for someone else. We like to leave this open for creative freedom.