Summer Bay is no stranger to high emotion, but next week Home and Away delivers one of its most harrowing turns yet. What should be the triumphant rebirth of

Kirby Aramoana’s music career spirals toward catastrophe when producer and friend Remi Carter vanishes — only to be discovered in terrifying circumstances as the red carpet rolls out.

The stage is set for celebration. After the disbandment of Lyrik, Kirby has poured every ounce of herself into launching a solo chapter, with Remi not only producing t

he album but financially backing the project. For Kirby, it’s a leap of faith built on trust, history, and love for the friend who has always believed in her talent.

But belief can become burden.

Pressure builds behind the scenes

The trouble begins when international pop star Avalon Bracken drifts into Remi and Kirby’s orbit. Glamorous, confident, and already established, Avalon represents everything Kirby once feared she could never compete with. Ironically, it isn’t Kirby Avalon wants — it’s Remi. She invites him to collaborate, dangling career-defining exposure that could transform his future overnight.

Remi says yes, convinced he can manage both artists.

He can’t.

Suddenly he’s splitting his time, racing between studios, surviving on caffeine and determination while promising each woman they are his priority. Kirby notices the cracks first: the lateness, the distraction, the sense that her dream is slipping through her fingers again.

Eventually, in an act of generosity that may haunt her, Kirby gives Remi permission to continue working with Avalon. Finish my album, she tells him. That’s all that matters.

Remi takes those words as a vow.

A dangerous solution

Sleep becomes optional. Deadlines loom. Then comes the temptation.

Avalon, seeing the producer crumbling, offers what she calls a “little helper” — a small sachet of white powder, the kind whispered about in green rooms and tour buses. Remi refuses at first, horrified that he’s even being asked.

But pressure is relentless. Justin books Kirby’s album launch. The clock starts ticking louder. And when Kirby and Avalon change their minds yet again, asking for an additional duet, Remi feels the walls closing in.

Exhausted and desperate, he finds the sachet still in his pocket.

This time, he opens it.

The personality shift

When Avalon and Kirby later return to thank him, they find a different man. Remi is wired, brittle, talking fast, producing miracles. Tracks are getting finished, but at what cost? Avalon quickly realises he’s used the stimulant. Remi admits he feels awful, yet he can’t deny the results.

Meanwhile, guilt begins to gnaw at Kirby. Watching her friend unravel, she rethinks everything and pulls the duet, hoping to ease the load.

Instead of relief, Remi explodes.

Can’t she make one decision and stick to it?

To Kirby, it’s confusing and hurtful. To viewers, it’s a blazing red flag.

Launch day chaos

By the morning of the launch, Remi has isolated himself in a hotel room to finish the final mix. But back at the share house, Bree makes a chilling discovery — his bed hasn’t been slept in. Calls go unanswered. Anxiety ripples outward.

At Salt, Justin is already orchestrating perfection. A red carpet. Media. Fans. Avalon has promoted the event online, and now industry heavyweights from Melbourne are rumored to be attending. The opportunity is enormous.

But there’s still no album.

Justin finally reaches Remi by phone. The producer sounds irritated, erratic. He claims he’s been working nonstop and casually announces he’ll shower before coming down. When Justin begs to know if the mix is finished, Remi hangs up.

It’s the last anyone hears from him.

Fame without the friend

Kirby arrives to screaming fans and flashing cameras. For a moment, she is radiant — the star she was always meant to be. Friends beam from balconies. Everything she fought for is finally here.

Then she asks the question.

Where’s Remi?

Smiles falter. Reassurances come too quickly. Sunny is dispatched to fetch him, while Bree’s dread deepens into certainty. Something is wrong.

A horrifying discovery

Sunny lets himself into the silent house, calling Remi’s name. No answer.

He reaches the bedroom, pushes the door open — and freezes.

Remi is sprawled across the bed, unmoving. An empty sachet lies nearby.

Panic detonates. Sunny rushes to him, shouting, shaking, begging for a response.

Nothing.

The cruellest contrast

Back at Salt, oblivious to the nightmare unfolding, Kirby steps toward the biggest performance of her life. The crowd chants her name. Cameras are ready. This is the moment that could define her future.

Yet the man who built that future with her may be fighting for his life.

The episode becomes a brutal cross-cut of triumph and terror: Kirby singing her heart out, Sunny battling to wake Remi. Celebration colliding with consequence.

What happens next?

Can Sunny revive him in time? Will Kirby learn the truth before or after she leaves the stage? And if Remi survives, how will their friendship recover from the secret that nearly destroyed everything?

In classic Home and Away fashion, joy and devastation arrive hand in hand. Kirby wanted success. Remi wanted to give it to her.

Neither expected the price.

If Summer Bay has learned anything, it’s that dreams built in silence can shatter the loudest.

And this time, the music might stop altogether.