Hello everyone, it’s your host Tehillah from DULAXI, and today I’m delighted to be joined by Sydney-based singer-songwriter and performance artist Cassy Judy. Before we begin our conversation with Cassy Judy, here’s what you need to know about today’s featured project.
About Cassy Judy
Sydney’s Cassy Judy is a fearless trans artist who refuses to be confined by genre boundaries, bringing authenticity, humour, and heart to everything she creates. Known for her electrifying live performances, including sold-out Sydney Comedy Festival shows, appearances at the Broken Heel Festival and National Folk Festival, and a show-stopping International Women’s Day set at The Moshpit in Erskineville, Cassy connects with audiences through songs that combine funny lyrics, crowd singalongs, and atmospheric props. Beyond the stage, Cassy advocates for the rights of trans and gender diverse people through community projects that foster inclusivity, such as trans photoshoots, calendars, beach days, and national news-making action surrounding the Coogee Women’s Pool. Combining serious musical credentials (Ad Dip Music Industry (Performance)) with a fun and cheeky personality, Cassy takes an irreverent approach to her own identity while remaining a steadfast fixture of the Sydney Queer Performance Scene.
Arriving on 30th July 2026, “I’ve Come So Far Symphonic” is an ambitious symphonic reimagining of Cassy’s Broken Heel Festival song. Produced by Derek Turner at Quarterpipe Studios in Gymea Bay, with additional production work completed at Komilkon Studios in Epping, this original single elevates the track into a cinematic experience. The song chronicles Cassy’s deeply personal journey of transition, the people lost, the amends sought, and the triumph of self-discovery, delivered with genuine emotion, searing guitar work, and intimate vocals. Inspired in part by icon Carlotta’s 2019 Broken Heel Festival performance of “I’m Still Here,” the track serves as an anthem for anyone who has ever aspired to be something more, reminding listeners to take stock and celebrate their progress. As she prepares for her upcoming Aussie bush band and folk album Southerly Buster, “I’ve Come So Far Symphonic” stands as a powerful statement from an artist who continues to fight ignorance with joy, inclusion, and unwavering authenticity.
Having this brief introduction to today’s featured project, I’m sure both new listeners and longtime fans are excited to hear directly from Cassy. So, without further ado, let’s begin today’s interview.
INTERVIEW SESSION
Tehillah:
Your work brings together music, comedy, performance, advocacy, and your experiences as a trans woman. How have all these different parts of your life come together to shape the artist you have become?
Cassy Judy:
I used to view all these parts of my life as separate boxes, but over time I realised they’re all just different tools in the same toolkit. Being a trans woman means constantly navigating visibility, resilience, and storytelling. Music gives me an emotional outlet, comedy acts as a bridge to break down barriers and connect with people, and advocacy gives the work purpose. Bringing them together allows me to be my complete, unapologetic self on stage—it turns lived experience into art that can hopefully make people feel less alone.
Tehillah:
Carlotta’s performance at the 2019 Broken Heel Festival clearly left a lasting impression on you. What did seeing her perform, particularly as a trans woman who had come through a very different era, awaken in you about the kind of artist you wanted to become?
Cassy Judy:
Seeing Carlotta on stage was a pivotal moment for me. Here was a pioneer who paved the way through sheer grit, grace, and undeniable talent long before trans visibility was where it is today. Watching her command the room showed me the power of longevity and presence—it awakened in me a desire to stand tall in my own truth, to embrace performance wholeheartedly, and to honour the generations of trans elders who made it possible for artists like me to take up space today.
Tehillah:
Your performances are known for turning audiences from casual observers into enthusiastic participants, such as your International Women’s Day performance at The Moshpit. What have you learned about creating that kind of immediate connection with an audience?
Cassy Judy:
I’ve learned that connection relies on radical vulnerability and joy. When you step onto a stage and immediately drop your guard—using warmth, humor, and singalongs—it gives the audience permission to let their guard down too. People don’t just want to be performed at; they want to be part of an experience. Once you invite them into the joke or the story, the room shifts from a group of strangers to a collective energy.
Tehillah:
Humour is such an important part of your artistic personality, especially in the way you approach your identity and personal experiences. How does humour help you communicate ideas that might otherwise be difficult or uncomfortable to discuss?
Cassy Judy:
Humour is a Trojan horse. When you’re dealing with heavy topics like discrimination, identity, or transition, people can sometimes put up emotional walls or feel defensive. A good joke or cheeky lyric lowers those defenses and makes people laugh first. Once they’re laughing, their hearts and minds are open, and you can land the deeper, more vulnerable message. It’s also my personal armor—if I can laugh about something, it takes away its power to hurt me.
Tehillah:
“I’ve Come So Far” looks honestly at transition, including people you have lost, amends you have tried to make, and the difficult process of becoming your authentic self. Which part of that journey was most important for you to preserve in this song?
Cassy Judy:
The honesty surrounding the grief and the losses. People often talk about transition purely as a story of celebration, which it certainly is, but it also comes with real sacrifice—relationships changing, losing connection with people, and grieving the past. Preserving those quiet, painful truths alongside the triumphs was essential, because real growth isn’t clean or linear. I wanted the song to reflect the full, raw spectrum of what it actually takes to rebuild your life.
Tehillah:
The song ultimately becomes a celebration of progress and an encouragement to anyone trying to become something more. What does “coming so far” mean to you personally at this stage of your life?
Cassy Judy:
To me, “coming so far” means stepping out of survival mode and into living fully. It’s about looking back at the younger version of myself who felt stuck or afraid, and realizing that I built a life where I am happy, authentic, and surrounded by community. It’s a quiet moment of self-compassion to recognize: I survived the hard stuff, I’m still here, and I’m thriving.
Tehillah:
This new version transforms a song originally performed at the Broken Heel Festival into a symphonic production. What made you feel that this particular song was ready to be reimagined on a much larger musical scale?
Cassy Judy:
The core message of the track felt bigger than just an acoustic guitar or a simple arrangement—it carries an epic, emotional narrative. Over time, as I performed it live, the emotional weight of the song grew, and I began hearing sweeps of strings and dramatic climaxes in my head. A symphonic production felt like the only way to match the scale of the emotion behind the journey it describes.
Tehillah:
Derek Turner handled the production at Quarterpipe Studios, with additional work at Komilkon Studios, while the track features searing guitar alongside your intimate vocals. How did you and Derek shape the balance between the song’s emotional intimacy and its larger symphonic ambition?
Cassy Judy:
Derek was fantastic to work with because he really understood the heart of the track. We made sure to keep the vocal delivery close, warm, and intimate—almost like I’m whispering a story directly into the listener’s ear. Then, we let the instrumental arrangements grow around that vocal. The grand strings and searing guitars build the drama and swell up around the voice without ever drowning out the raw honesty of the story.
Tehillah:
You recorded the track on the same day you completed a four-kilometre swim, which sounds like a rather unusual day in the studio. What do you remember most about the energy and atmosphere surrounding that recording session?
Cassy Judy:
Swimming four kilometers puts your mind into a deeply meditative, relaxed, and present state—your physical body is exhausted, so your usual mental chatter and overthinking completely shut off. Walking into the studio right after that was incredible; I was completely grounded and grounded in my body. There was no anxiety or over-analysing—just pure, calm focus and presence, which really filtered into the vocal performance.
Tehillah:
Your songwriting often combines cheekiness with genuine emotional honesty. When you are writing about something as personal as identity, loss, or discrimination, how do you decide when a moment needs humour and when it needs to be allowed to remain vulnerable?
Cassy Judy:
It’s an intuitive feel. I listen to where the song naturally wants to go. If a verse is building up high emotional tension, a cheeky line can act as a release valve so the audience can catch their breath. But when I hit the core truth of a story—the pain of a loss or a deep realization—I intentionally step back and leave it bare. You have to give those heavy moments space to breathe without hiding behind a punchline.
Tehillah:
You have experienced discrimination firsthand, including the hurtful incident involving your car in Deniliquin. How have experiences like that influenced your determination to use music and visibility to challenge ignorance?
Cassy Judy:
Incidents like that are designed to intimidate you, shrink you down, and push you into silence. Early on, I realized my options were to hide or to be even louder and prouder. Choosing to be visible through my music turns painful experiences into a catalyst for change. Ignorance thrives in darkness and distance; when I stand up on stage with love, humour, and pride, it humanizes trans experiences and proves that hate won’t stop us from living joyful lives.
Tehillah:
You have described the song as being for anyone who has ever aspired to become something. Beyond its connection to your own transition, what do you hope listeners recognise about their own journeys when they hear it?
Cassy Judy:
I hope listeners realize that transformation is a universal human experience. Whether you’re reinventing your career, leaving a relationship, overcoming illness, or simply trying to break out of an old pattern, changing your life takes immense courage. I want anyone listening to pause, reflect on where they started versus where they are now, and give themselves credit for the ground they’ve covered.
Tehillah:
Your music has taken you through festivals, comedy stages, singalongs, and now a more expansive orchestral sound. How has moving between these different performance worlds changed your confidence and understanding of yourself as an artist?
Cassy Judy:
It’s taught me adaptability and trust in my craft. Playing a rowdy pub crowd requires a totally different energy than delivering a delicate orchestral piece or doing a comedy set, but the common thread is always me. Moving across these genres showed me that I don’t need to fit neatly into one box or genre to be valid as an artist—my authenticity is what binds it all together.
Tehillah:
You are now preparing Southerly Buster, which will explore an Aussie bush band and folk direction. What are you discovering about your musical identity as you continue moving into styles that are different from one another?
Cassy Judy:
I’m discovering how much I love Aussie storytelling traditions. Folk and bush band music are all about community, narrative, and acoustic storytelling—which pairs naturally with my love for cheekiness and social commentary. Exploring these different sounds keeps things fresh for me and reminds me that my music is an evolving canvas, not a fixed point.
Tehillah:
You have continued creating despite encountering bigotry and the challenges that can come with being visibly authentic. What has helped you protect your joy and keep creating when circumstances could have made silence feel easier?
Cassy Judy:
Community and purpose keep me grounded. Surrounding myself with loving friends, fellow artists, and supportive audiences reminds me why I do this. Also, knowing that being visibly authentic might give a young or isolated trans person the hope they need to keep going keeps me grounded. Joy is an act of resistance—choosing to create, sing, and celebrate life despite the noise is the ultimate victory.
Tehillah:
As I’ve Come So Far Symphonic marks another chapter in your journey and Southerly Buster approaches, what kind of artist do you hope Cassy Judy continues becoming, and what do you want your music to leave with people long after the laughter and singalongs are over?
Cassy Judy:
I hope to continue becoming an artist who is fearless, compassionate, and constantly evolving. Long after the music stops and the laughter fades, I want my listeners to feel a sense of warmth, hope, and courage—to feel empowered to step into their own truth, celebrate their progress, and treat themselves and others with a little more kindness.
Cassy Judy shows us in “I’ve Come So Far Symphonic” that true artistic resilience is transforming the weight of lived experience into expansive sound, proving that radical joy and vulnerability remain our most powerful forms of expression.
~ Tehillah (DULAXI Team)
EDITORIAL PERSPECTIVE
“I’ve Come So Far Symphonic” stands out as a remarkable testament to Cassy Judy’s artistic evolution. By wrapping her raw, conversational vocals in lush orchestral swells and piercing guitar work, the track elevates a personal story of transition into an inspiring universal reflection. The production balances grand cinematic scope with intimate vulnerability, creating a soundscape that feels both grounded and triumphant. It is a deeply moving piece that captures the courage of self-discovery while reaffirming Cassy’s place as one of Australia’s most vital and authentic voices.
~ Tehillah (DULAXI Team)
CLOSING
Thank you so much to Cassy Judy for taking the time to speak with us at DULAXI and for sharing such generous, deeply personal insights into her creative process and personal journey.
We encourage all of our readers to dive into the rich, cinematic experience of “I’ve Come So Far Symphonic,” available on all streaming platforms. Be sure to follow Cassy Judy on social media and stay tuned for her upcoming album, Southerly Buster.
Thank you to our readers for spending time with us today. Stay tuned to DULAXI for more exclusive artist interviews and insightful musical features coming your way soon.