Joel Phillips and his seven-year-old son Miles have lit up the interwebs with their viral hit song “Eastern Rosellas”. Miles penned the catchy tune after observing the colourful parrots on a family holiday to Raymond Island in Victoria. Working with his actor and filmmaker dad, they created and shared a full band version on YouTube a few weeks back — and the rest is history.

Eastern Rosellas

I first heard the Sydney-based father and son duo’s toe-tapping track last week and my daughters and I have been bopping along to it ever since. It’s fantastic, and even Bluey has jumped on the “Eastern Rosellas” band wagon. In the current algorithm-driven age of rage, it should warm our hearts to have a seven-year-old and his dad create something so full of joy.

Here are Miles’ lyrics:

(Verse 1)

And It Starts Like This
The Rosellas On The Twist
In The Morning Mist
And I Like It Like This

They’re Flying Over My Head Now
I’ll Tell You What This Species Is

(Chorus)

Hey, Eastern Rosellas, Eastern Rosellas
Look At The Beautiful Colours
Eastern Rosellas, Eastern Rosellas
Look At The Beautiful Colours

(Verse 2)

And I Feed Them Seed
That They Like To Eat
And They Use Their Beaks
And Fly Into The Trees

They’re Flying Over My Head Now
I’ll Tell You What This Species Is

(Chorus Repeats)

(Bridge)

Red, Yellow, Green, Blue
Colours So Bright They’ll Shine For You
Look At Them Fly So High In The Sky
As They’re Singing Their Song

(Verse 1 Breakdown & Key Change)

(Chorus To End)

Look at the Birds

The bird life where my family and I live in the picturesque Southern Highlands of NSW is spectacular. We regularly observe Crimson Rosellas, Australian king parrots, and Kookaburras, with their iconic cackles, in our backyard. We’re blessed to see Bowerbirds, Lyrebirds, and beautiful Black Cockatoos (yellow-tailed, red-tailed, and glossy) around our property too.

Now that I think about it, we don’t see too many vibrant Eastern Rosellas near Roberston, but they do appear from time to time. According to Google, the Eastern Rosella symbolises true love, lifelong commitment, and self-acceptance. That’s nice, but I prefer to think of the valuable verse found in the Bible in Matthew 6:26:

“Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?”

Birds, especially our gorgeous Australian species, are great like that. They’re God’s special way of bringing beauty and joy into the world, and reminding us of what really matters.

Speaking to The Guardian last week, as the “Eastern Rosellas” song was going viral, Joel Phillips explained that he and his wife have always fostered creativity in their four kids:

“[It’s] giving permission, it’s just normal to sing, it’s just normal to go and create something, it’s not normal to stay on a screen all day. It’s obviously a lot of fun to use your imagination.”

He continues:

“When we first shared Eastern Rosellas in June, the then-top-charting song was subject to debate about whether it was produced by AI. And this week we have my seven-year-old’s song about rosellas, which I think says something about, actually, our kids are going to be OK.”

I couldn’t agree with the Phillips family more, and here at Dads4Kids, we’re all for fostering creativity.

Lovework

Watch and share “Eastern Rosellas”, then put the screen away and see how many birds you can spot with your family. Walk with your kids to a local park or go on a drive to the countryside if you can. Be inspired by Joel’s example and invest some time in having fun with your family and using your imaginations.

Men, make sure you register for the Men’s Summit if you haven’t already. It’s coming up soon on the 28–30 August 2026 at The Tops Conference Centre, just south of Sydney in NSW. It’s going to be a powerful weekend of brotherhood, encouragement, inspiring speakers and exhilarating activities. You might even spot an Eastern Rosella! Don’t miss out – Register Today!

Yours for building men, growing fathers, and changing generations,

Nathaniel Marsh

P.S. Big thanks to Ps Andrew Baker, Ps Adam Ritchard, Jamie Van Heel, Adam Paull and all the team at Vision Church for the opportunity to speak at Vision Men’s Summit earlier this week. It was an honour to be amongst like-minded men, and many thanks also to PJ and the team at 1WayFM for the Dads4Kids chat on 1WAY Home. Good things are happening.

If you’re encouraged by the work of Dads4Kids and can support our vision to help dads be the best they can be for their children, please consider making a tax-deductible donation here.