Sharlee Jade "Shaylee" Curnow (born 2 April 1997), known professionally as Peach PRC, is an Australian pop singer, songwriter, and social media personality. Her major label debut single "Josh" was released in early 2021, which peaked at number 38 on the ARIA Singles Chart. Peach is a prominent figure on the social media platform TikTok, where she posts content about her life, living with borderline personality disorder, self-care advice, drug and alcohol abuse, and her music.
Early life
Peach[1][2] was born on 2 April 1997 in Australia.[3][4] Peach grew up in the southern suburbs of Adelaide, South Australia. She chose her stage name due to her love of the colour pink, as a homage to Princess Peach, using the title during her time performing as a stripper.
An abbreviation for porcelain, she began using the suffix PRC on TikTok, because to type out the full word would be too long.[5]
In an interview with Echo Magazine, Peach said: "I've been interested in music for as long as I could talk, really. I've always sang and wrote songs and even have songs written from when I was like 8 years old."[2]
Career
2019–2020: "Blondes" and TikTok popularity
On 19 June 2019, Peach independently released her debut single "Blondes".[6] She created a TikTok account in September 2019, subsequently attracting an audience after posting content about her life, self-care advice, and her music.[7] Her second single "Colourblind" was released on 2 May 2020.[8] She said that the inspiration for the song "came from [her] synaesthesia and mine happens to be with colours and music; so I wanted to write a song that involved the colours I saw when singing it."[2]
2021–present: "Josh", Republic Records signing and debut EP
On 21 February 2021, The Music Network confirmed Peach had signed with Island Records in Australia and Republic Records in the US. Her debut major label single "Josh" was released on 26 February 2021.[7] Discussing the song, she said: "It's very special to me, because it captured a real moment. I was a bit down when I was writing one day. My ex, Josh, kept calling me over and over again. He called all of the time, because he was trying to get back with me. I thought I had blocked him though. Since he didn't stop bothering me, I wrote the song about him. It's a true story, but it's meant to be fun and colourful."[7][9] The song debuted at number 38 on the ARIA Singles Chart.[10] On 25 June, Peach released the single "Symptomatic".[11] On 22 October, Peach released the two-track single "I've Been Bad, Santa" / "Christmas Kinda Sucks".[12] On 5 November, Curnow released the single "Heavy".[13] On 10 January 2022, Curnow leaked a song on her TikTok called "God Is a Freak," without telling her label. The snippet went viral and after fan demand, the song was released on 4 February 2022.[14][15]
Curnow came out as a lesbian on 13 January 2022.[18] She had previously identified as bisexual.[19] On 9 February 2021, she was featured on Abbie Chatfield's It's a Lot podcast, where she discussed coming to terms with her sexuality, stating; "every gay person I knew, or bi person, was like 'yeah I always knew. I've known it since I was little.' I don't remember knowing from a young age that I liked girls."[20]
In April 2022, Curnow revealed her birth name was Sharlee, as opposed to Shaylee, after her birth name was used on an APRA Music Awards poster shared on her Instagram. Commenters were quick to point on the typo on the poster, however, Curnow replied to clear up the confusion and revealed it was the name on her birth certificate. Despite this, she continues to go by Shaylee in her personal life and is also credited professionally as Shaylee Curnow.[21]
On 28 April 2021, Curnow made a post on social media, alleging abusive and predatory behaviour by her former boyfriend, Australian comedian Alex "Shooter" Williamson.[26] Williamson responded in a series of stories on Instagram, claiming the allegations were "horse shit" and accusing PRC of domestic violence, recounting an incident in which she allegedly tried to kick down a door while he was on the toilet.[27] Williamson was subsequently dropped by his management a day later,[28] and the lineup of the Perth and Sydney comedy festivals on 3 May.[29] Williamson has rebuked all claims.[30] Following the allegations against him, Instagram removed Williamson's profile.[31] Williamson claimed this was the second time Curnow had attempted to "deplatform" him, after which she removed the posts.[31]
Public image
Curnow has been credited as one of the most successful Australian creators on TikTok, with 2 million followers and more than 100 million likes on the social media platform.[32]
Discography
Peach PRC discography
EPs
2
Compilation albums
1
Singles
15
Compilation albums
List of compilations, with selected details and peak chart positions
"Heavy": "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 15 November 2021". The ARIA Report. No. 1654. Australian Recording Industry Association. 15 November 2021. p. 4.
"God Is a Freak": "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 14 February 2022". The ARIA Report. No. 1667. Australian Recording Industry Association. 14 February 2022. p. 4.
