TALENTED teenager Adam Ludewig turned heads and the judges’ chairs when he debuted on The Voice Australia, but it is a tribute song for a close friend who tragically died in an accident at Mount Gambier’s Cave Gardens that has captured the hearts of the nation.
The talented 16-year-old song affectionately known as Mr Mullet or Mullet Man – wrote We All Miss You just days after his best mate Bradley Streeter, 20, fell to his death while visiting the inner-city landmark.
Just after midnight on February 9, Mr Streeter fell from the lower viewing platform at the sinkhole with friends watching on helplessly as the tragedy unfolded.
Growing up with Mr Streeter while living in Lewiston, South Australia, Mr Ludewig said he was completely shocked when he found out the day after the incident that one of his most prominent childhood pals had just passed away.
“We have been family friends ever since we were very little,” he said.
“My mum was friends with his grandma and I remember all the camping trips we went on together at Port Broughton.
“We grew apart, but became very close just months before the accident.”
Mr Ludewig said he was at another friend’s house the day after the accident and awoke to see tribute posts for Streeter across social media.
“I just immediately thought it was not real so I messaged my friend and asked him what was going on,” he said.
“I was just like ‘no way’, what do you mean he is gone?’.
“It is of course very sad for all of us but I hope he is looking down on us, not just me. I know he is up there running a muck with his dad.”
While practising music at school on February 15, Mr Ludewig said he started thinking about all the fond memories he shared with Mr Streeter.
“I was just putting some chords together and was thinking in my head repeatedly about how much we all missed him,” he said.
“That was when I developed the beginning of the song, ‘I want ya to come home, we miss you, we need you, we love you’.
“In 40 minutes, boom, I had a song.”
With over 60,000 views on Facebook and almost 500 comments, Mr Ludewig said he felt the song was special for its sentimental value not only to himself, but also to others who had lost their loved ones.
“Some people who I do not even know have listened to the song and have been blown away,” he said.
“I have had people messaging me telling me they did not even know Bradley, but my song made them feel as though they did.
“It is amazing to know that so many people can be attached to a song when they did not even really know somebody.”
When auditioning for this year’s season of The Voice Australia, Mr Ludewig said Mr Streeter was overwhelmingly excited and wanted to come and watch him perform.
“Bradley had a lot of faith in my music,” he said.
“He was just so excited and so happy for me.
“My journey is an honour for not only Bradley, but also my nan who passed and my mum and dad especially as I would not be here if it was not for them.”
Mr Ludewig said his journey on the popular Channel 9 series had been breathtaking and was a oncein-a-lifetime opportunity.
On Monday night, Mr Ludewig battled it out against Elyse SeneLefao singing Wrecking Ball by Miley Cyrus advancing to the PlayOffs airing Sunday and Monday night.
Beginning his musical journey when he was six, the young musician said he hoped to have We All Miss You recorded professionally for the world to hear and remember Mr Streeter.
