Sunburnt Country Music

When I saw Melbourne band  Elly McK & The Unbelievers  play in Sydney last year, it was one of the most entertaining shows I’d ever attended. The band had this groove between them that meant they could fly free within the structures of their songs, and it was evident that they all really liked each other. That is such a great treat for a live music fan, to see the artists having fun,...

Central Coast, NSW artist  Chelsea Berman  released her debut EP,  Better Than Ever , in 2018 and since then she’s been steadily releasing catchy country-pop tunes and some heartbreakers too, since as ‘Your Call’ from 2020 (which has a standout vocal and lyric). Her second EP,  Can You Just Not , was released in 2021. Now her third,  Like Me Better , is out in the world an...

The night before I was due to interview  Liam Maihi , who was a Grand Finalist in  The Voice   Australia  before taking time away from music to raise his young family, I was was watching a TikTok Live hosted by Nathan Lamont. Every now and again Nathan will host these lives and bring in musicians to talk, mainly, about their craft and also play a few songs. This live also turne...

Coral Renee  is a 19-year-old singer-songwriter from New South Wales who is already a graduate of the  CMAA Junior Academy  and of the Talent Development Project. She was a Top 5 Finalist in 2TM Discovered 2025 and last year won the open section in the Australian National Busking Championship Heats at The Entrance. She has released several singles and the latest is 'The De...

The last time I spoke to  Eloise Rayner  – around the time she released the song  ‘Can You Still Feel Me Loving You’  – she was living in Sydney. Now she has a new song and a new home state: Queensland, where she has moved for her work as a speech pathologist.  Her new single is ‘There Goes My Heart’ and it is like a gentle counterpart to ‘Can You Still Feel Me Loving You’...

Ryan Mead  is a singer, songwriter, guitarist, and former marching band member from the Sutherland Shire in Sydney. He released his debut single, ‘Tangled Up in Wranglers’, last year and was playing a lot in his home town.  Then he moved to Boston, where he attends Berklee College of Music, and that has led to him playing festivals in the US, and playing a lot in general. Live music is M...

When I interview an artist for the first time I have no idea how it will go. I do my research, I prepare my questions, and then I hope for the best. Primarily I hope that they will have a good experience so, by extension, the listener or viewer does, and maybe that person will then want to seek out the artist’s music or go and see them play live*. Once the interview starts, I never follow my quest...

When  Sara Storer  released her single  ‘Under Darwin  Stars’ last year it was lyrically within the pantheon of her work – wonderful details that created a world and a story told from the heart – and musically moved things along, as did its successor,  ‘Layers’ . I spoke with Storer for both releases and in the ‘Layers’ interview she mentioned that some people thought she...

While they’re not currently releasing new music, McAlister Kemp remain one of the most popular acts in Australian country music, renowned for their blend of high-energy country rock with great vocals from both  Troy Kemp  and Drew McAlister, and songs that touch on a range of subjects that people can relate to, meaning they take those songs into their own lives.  So fans are abuzz w...

Every now and again - when I have time - I like to put together an episode with new tracks I'd like to bring to your attention, and embed those songs in this podcast episode. So I hope you enjoy listening to the following tracks: Roo Arcus – ‘Lonesome for the Lone Star State’ Loren Ryan – ‘BOUNTY’ Jay Santilli – ‘Rewind’ The Kunins – ‘One Way Flight’ Nathan May – ‘Darwin Son’ Brooke Schubert – ‘Wh...

Sweet Talk  are a six-piece band from Melbourne who combine passion for their craft with a phenomenal work ethic, mixed with camaraderie and curiosity, to create songs that aren’t definably one genre but which could be described, fundamentally, as highly entertaining. Their debut album,  Switch On , is a vibe – a cool, entrancing vibe that draws listeners in and keeps them there.  L...

Amber Lawrence  is one of the busiest Australian country music artists working today and the reason why could be summed up simply: she’s excellent at what she does. That would really simplify things, though, because the ‘excellent’ and ‘what she does’ parts have history and work and application and talent behind them. Since the start of her career, over twenty years ago, Lawrence has been a n...

Where do you start with an artist like  Jenny Mitchell ? That is, how does one start writing about her? If I were to listen to all the tips and tricks for SEO and engagement and whatnot, I’d run this piece through AI and ask it to incorporate keywords. For a little while I tried to make this Sunburnt Country Music content SEO-friendly because that’s what a person is supposed to do these days,...

When I spoke to northern New South Wales artist  Katie Brooke  about her single ‘Can’t Fake That’ she described it as being inspired by some people who fall into the ‘big hat, no cattle’ category. Country born and raised, and now living back on the land after a few years spent in Tamworth, Brooke was in a position to assess both the size of hat and the amount of cattle, and she did it wi...

Jacynta’lee  is a country-pop artist from Far North Queensland who released her debut single in 2021 and has released several songs since. In our recent interview, to chat about her latest single, ‘That’s Alright’, Jacynta’lee talked about working with in-demand Melbourne producing pair MSquared – Michael Delorenzis and Michael Paynter – on the track.  The song was inspired, says Jacynta...

Tanya Ransom  is an alt-country artist from the west coast of Australia, with over 15 years of experience on the Australian touring circuit, two independent albums and an EP. She has a third album,  The Significance of Time , due for release sometime soon – date tbc – and from it has the new single ‘Winter Song’. This interview was recorded in February, as Ransom was planning to release...

Amber Kenny is from the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, where she lives on a farm with her family, horses and cherished Maton guitar.  I first saw Kenny perform in Tamworth during the 2024 Country Music Festival, appearing at the album launch for her 3 Birds & the Truth bandmate  Jo Caseley  (the third Bird is Beth Lucas), and knew she had plans to release music, but noth...

‘You’ve just got to love what you do and really believe in what you’re doing for yourself, and if you do that, that’s where your fulfilment comes from.’ Sydney-based, Orange-raised country-rock artist  James Keith  says that at a certain point in our latest interview, and it was clear that it wasn’t just words to him, especially as we talked in detail about the changes he’s made in his l...

Bianca Joulianou  is an artist from Sydney who released her first single, ‘Fool’, in 2022. Since then she has been performing live, sharing stages with artists such as Dylan Wright and Shannon Noll. She has a new single, ‘Gambling Man’, which contains a story close to her life and heart. Joulianou began performing about five years ago, at a small pub in western Sydney, after teaching herself...

So here’s the truth about being an amateur music journo with a demanding full-time job: sometimes I just don’t have time to publish things when I should. With all the best will in the world, I don’t have time to make the assets, create the video file, create the audio file, write the accompanying text and do the clips, then publish across several platforms so that I can publish the interview close...

When Gold Coast country-pop artist Chloe Styler released her debut single, ‘When Your Light Burns’, in 2018, I was so taken with it that I  wrote a piece about it . That year Styler was a grand finalist in the 39th Annual Toyota Star Maker competition. She had already attended the Junior and Senior Academy of Country Music, so the trajectory to Star Maker was not surprising – the Academy...

I’m fairly sure that Brisbane-based country-rock-blues artist  Delilah Rose  is incapable of being uninteresting. We have spoken before – around the time of the release of her album Moxie – and she was clearly passionate about not only making art but connecting with others who are doing the same. And, indeed, about creating a community for that – which is what led her to start The Song C...

Savanah Solomon ’s first musical foray was as the frontwoman for country-rock band Savanah and the Strays; the band released an album which saw them become finalists in the West Australian Country Music Awards. After four years Solomon went solo, releasing the EP  Where the River Meets the Sea  in 2023.  Solomon then took a break from music and she has now returned in style, with th...

Tracks mentioned in this episode: Kirsty Lee Akers – ‘Marlboro Man’ Two-time Golden Guitar winner Kirsty Lee Akers returns with ‘Marlboro Man’, co-written in Nashville with Hall of Fame songwriter Byron Hill. The track explores the bittersweet nature of falling for someone who ultimately doesn't stay. Kirsty produced the song alongside Paul Bain, with background vocals by Melody Pool. Her previous...

Perth duo  Scarlet’s Way  – whose members are Katey Gabel (vocals) and Shayne Savic (guitar) – are one of the busiest acts in music, not just in their home town but, as I found out during our recent interview, on the high seas too! Not to mention at the Tamworth Country Music Festival, where they spent several days this year performing as well as cementing connections made at previous fe...