Sunni Holden: The Young Handpan Prodigy from Australia

Have you seen a video of a young man named Sunni Holden playing the handpan flawlessly? Are you wondering who this talented musician is? How did he become so skilled with this steel instrument in his hands? And what has he released so far?

I first discovered Sunni Holden over four years ago, in 2022, through his YouTube channel, and I’ve been following his progress with great interest ever since. So I’m able to share everything I’ve managed to learn about him.

By reading this short article, you’ll learn:

• How Sunni Holden discovered the handpan
• His meteoric rise
• The albums and singles he has released

This will bring you closer to an artist who will, without a doubt, play an important role in the handpan community in the years to come. You’ll get a better sense of how he writes his songs and the message he tries to share through his melodies.

Now, let’s dive into Sunni Holden’s career together.

Who is Sunni Holden, the handpan’s young star?

Sunni Holden is an Australian musician born in 2012 who lives in Queensland, specifically in the city of Gold Coast. Before his first encounter with the handpan, he played piano, guitar, and drums. According to an interview he did with his mother, Amanda, he discovered the handpan during a family walk along the beach in 2022. Sunni, then 9 years old, spotted this curious instrument—one he had only seen once before, after his father showed him a video of it—in a music store. He immediately wanted to try it and, according to his mother, seemed to understand it instinctively, which deeply moved his parents. They often mention how quickly he took to the instrument and how naturally he started shaping melodies right away. 

His parents then asked the store manager if there were any instructors offering handpan lessons so their son could start practicing right away. As luck would have it, the manager replied that a teacher was actually scheduled to come by that very evening. The teacher and Sunni got in touch, and that’s how he took his first handpan lesson. A little later, on his tenth birthday, Sunni Holden received his first handpan as a gift, and that’s how his adventure with this flying-saucer-shaped instrument began. Just a few weeks after picking it up, he was already winning music competitions and performing on stage.

In August 2022, he launched his YouTube channel to share several of his compositions. With over 40,000 subscribers at the time of this writing, he posts regularly, and his most popular video has racked up several million views. It’s an original melody he titled “Delusion,” posted on September 1, 2022, just a few months after discovering the instrument. You can listen to it right here: 

Beyond his compositions, you can also find hour-long (or longer) relaxation and meditation videos in which Sunni Holden improvises on his handpan. His YouTube channel also includes tutorials designed to share what he’s learned. 

But Sunni Holden doesn’t limit himself to online content. You can regularly see him performing live. For example, he appeared at the Maleny Music Festival, in the orbit of the Sydney Handpan Festival, and in content related to Woodford 2024. He’s also open about his goal: to travel and play on every continent once he’s able to, much like Sam Maher, another globetrotting Australian handpan player. Notably, Sunni appears in Primitive Planet’s documentary series Trust Your WILD Side, which highlights young international talents. He also features in a dedicated video presentation where the project promises to follow his creative process, from idea to composition.

Today, Sunni Holden keeps climbing by refining his technique and wearing multiple hats: young composer, live performer, content creator, streaming artist, and, more and more, an educator through his tutorials. He’s clearly an artist to watch and is on track to become one of the handpan community’s leading references, much like Malte Marten.

What is this Australian percussionist’s discography?

Although he’s only a little over 10 years old, Sunni Holden’s discography is already substantial and includes several albums. Here are the most important ones:

• Germination: Released on September 14, 2023, this album brings together the handpan compositions that performed especially well on his social media. Naturally, “Delusion” is included, along with Oceans, Germination, Galaxy, Pandanus, Tunnel, Uprise, and Melodious, for a total of 8 tracks. It was produced by the Australian studio Jordan Power. Hugely popular, it reached #2 on the iTunes chart in the World Music category and surpassed one million streams in its first year.
• Oceans Rise: another album released in November 2023
• Little Seed: released in June 2024, this album has already surpassed 55 million listens across social platforms to date, reflecting the buzz around this artist online.
• Breath Handpan Guided Cold Exposure: a handpan-focused album released in September 2024.
• Journey Beyond: Released in June 2025, the album’s presentation describes it as a clear step forward in maturity and artistic ambition. It features ten tracks, including Little Seed, Skipping Stones, Nectar, Deep Blue, Future, Honey Bee, Journey Beyond, My Passion, In The Meadow, and Sunny Days.

Alongside that, singles like “Pygmy” have also been released. One thing’s for sure: Sunni Holden stays incredibly productive.

Unleash your talent on the handpan with a quality instrument

Sunni Holden embodies a new generation of handpan musicians—artists born into an ecosystem where live performance, video, streaming platforms, and social media all fuel each other. Through this article retracing his journey, you now have a clear picture of who Sunni Holden is and what he’s accomplished in his short, yet remarkably dense, career as a percussionist.

That said, it’s important to note that Sunni Holden’s first encounter with the handpan happened thanks to a lucky coincidence. Without that serendipitous moment, it’s impossible to know whether this handpan genius’s talent would have ever been revealed. That’s why I also recommend getting a handpan yourself—to unlock your own inner musical potential. For that, the Instruments du Monde store is an excellent choice, offering dozens of handpans in a wide variety of scales, like this fabulous 9-note model in Hijaz.

Treat yourself to this handpan right now by clicking on the image below:

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As you begin to discover the wonderful sounds of the handpan, I also recommend reading my article on Seraphim Zlatev, a young player based in London who is rapidly establishing himself as one of the world’s top handpan musicians.