People often ask me why I chose to release instrumental music.

The truth is, I never set out with a grand plan to become an instrumental artist. I've simply always been drawn to melody.

In many ways, it goes right back to my childhood.

Growing up, I performed in a family band alongside my siblings and instrumental music was always part of what we did. While most of our shows featured vocals, we would regularly include instrumental pieces in our live sets and even release a couple of instrumentals on our albums.

My youngest sister Rachel was a talented fiddle player, so we'd often perform instrumental pieces that she had learnt. As I started delving deeper into lead guitar as a kid, I developed a genuine love and passion for instrumental music. Rachel and I would often perform guitar and violin harmonies during our shows and those moments became some of my favourite parts of every performance.

One of the biggest turning points came when I saw Phil Emmanuel perform for the first time. Not long afterwards, I heard his album Kakadu Sunrise, and it completely changed the way I thought about music and the guitar. It showed me just how much emotion, feeling and storytelling could be conveyed without a single lyric being sung.

Music was always playing in our house, and Mum was fantastic at encouraging us to explore different artists. Every Christmas she'd buy CDs for us kids, and sometimes she'd take a chance on something completely random just to see if we'd like it.

One year she bought me a Joe Satriani album.

That opened up a whole new world.

Before long I was diving into the music of Satch, Jeff Beck, The Hellecasters and The Shadows. Each artist had their own unique voice, but what they all shared was the ability to tell a story through melody and musicianship. Those records had a huge impact on me and helped shape the musician I've become.

As a guitarist, I've since been fortunate to spend many years performing alongside some incredible artists, both in Australia and overseas. Much of my career has been spent supporting other people's songs and helping bring their music to life on stage and in the studio.

But over time, I found myself wanting to tell my own stories.

The challenge was that many of the musical ideas I was hearing in my head didn't necessarily begin with words. They began with a guitar melody, a feeling, a place, or a moment in time.

When I wrote songs such as Chillagoe Breakdown and End Of A Journey, I wasn't thinking about chart positions or commercial expectations. I was simply trying to capture a feeling and take the listener somewhere for a few minutes.

That's what I love most about instrumental music. It allows every listener to bring their own experiences to the song. One person might hear a memory from their childhood. Another might picture a road trip, a landscape, or a significant moment in their life. There are no rules and no right answers.

While instrumental music will always be an important part of what I do, I'm also excited about the next chapter.

This year I'll be releasing new music that features my vocals, and I'm really looking forward to sharing those songs with you. Songwriting has become a major creative focus for me and I can't wait for listeners to hear what I've been working on.

Thanks for following the journey so far. Whether you've been listening from the beginning or have only recently discovered my music, your support means a great deal.

I look forward to sharing more music with you soon.

— Robbie Bostock