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THE COUNTY-LINE MISFIT GETS THE GIRL ON THE JACK WHARFF BAND’S “LOWLIFE”
 
Delivered a standout performance on the Platform Stage at Nissan Stadium during the final night of CMA Fest.
 
On the road this summer for a series of headline shows plus supporting dates with Max McNown and Flatland Calvary, before heading to Australia as support on Dylan Gosset’s The Headed Out Back Tour.
 
The Jack Wharff Band – the fast-rising Virginia-bred four-piece outfit putting a distinct stamp on country and Americana music with their self-described “thrashgrass” spin – turns a rough-around-the-edges reputation into a love story with their new song “ Lowlife,” out today (6.19) via Big Machine Records. Driven by the band’s “rustic, earthy” ( Billboard) vocals, Appalachian-fused acoustic sonics and rootsy fiddle, the song finds a roughneck outcast with someone who sees past the flaws. With a girl who loves him through the mess, even a county-line lowlife feels like he’s got the world figured out.
 
“The song is about a nobody, lowlife kid riding around with a run-down car, wearing zebra Crocs who doesn’t know how he ended up as lucky as he is,” says Jack Wharff. “It is a simple song about feeling so lucky to be as blessed as we are today. I can’t wait for this track to be yours. We worked so hard on it, and it’s something I’m so proud of.”
 
Written by Wharff, Evan Novoa, Joe Clemmons and Neil Medley, “Lowlife” feels like a laid back, unpolished and jangly Appalachian front porch jam as the song’s protagonist sings of a love that makes him feel rich despite his circumstances:
 
I’m barely getting by and that’s ok
She makes up for whatever I ain’t
I’m just a county line lowlife
She knows I’m a wreck, but she don’t mind
We got the whole town staring at us when we drive by
Might be a lowlife, but I’m on a high road tonight
 
Comprised of vocalist/frontman Jack Wharff, drummer Garrett Howell, bassist Ryan Atchison and guitarist Evan Novoa, The Jack Wharff Band continues to captivate audiences with their infectious energy, electric live performances and salt-of-the-earth sound that consistently defies the confines of country genre. “Lowlife” follows the band’s recently released EP, Strange (3.13), a 5-track snapshot of restless growth and self-discovery in your 20s.
 
The Jack Wharff Band recently made their CMA Fest debut with a set at the Dr Pepper Amp Stage on June 4th before taking the Platform Stage at Nissan Stadium, later earning a spot in PEOPLE’s roundup of the festival’s “biggest and brightest rising stars,” The band will hit the road for a series of headlining shows this summer, making appearances at festivals including Tailgate N’ Tallboys, Wild Trails Festival, Country Thunder Wisconsin, Boots and Hearts, Boots on the Bend and Born & Raised Music Festival. They’ll also support Max McNown, Ole 60, Dylan Gossett and The Avett Brothers on select dates this summer. For more information and tour dates, visit thejackwharffband.com
 
ABOUT THE JACK WHARFF BAND:
Hailing from Richmond, Virginia, The Jack Wharff Band play a strikingly unique blend of Bluegrass, Country and Rock. Known for their electric live performances, masterful instrumentation, and their ability to make music that consistently defies the confines of genre, the young band burst onto the scene in 2024 with snippets of jaw-dropping original songs posted to TikTok and Reels. Comprised of vocalist/frontman Jack Wharff, drummer Garrett Howell, bassist Ryan Atchison and guitarist Evan Novoa, the salt of the earth four-piece have quickly captivated audiences with their infectious energy and unrelenting passion for the craft. They released their debut EP Richmond’s Most Wanted: including their breakout track and streaming juggernaut “ Washed.” The up-and-coming band has opened for acts including Sam Barber, Ole 60, Max McNown, and more. The Jack Wharff Band recently wrapped its nationwide headlining From The Hills To The Holler Tour, and their new EP, Strange, is out now (March 13). For more information and tour dates, please visit thejackwharffband.com:  

Fresh off her biggest appearance yet at the iconic CMA Festival, where she performed on the Chevy Vibes Stage in Nashville for the third time, Melanie Dyer returns with ‘If She Only Knew’ – an uplifting and deeply personal pop-country anthem that reflects on resilience, self-belief, and the long road between childhood dreams and the person we grow into.
 
Following the momentum of previous single ‘Golden Girl’, which topped the TMFM Airplay Chart, reached #5 on the Country Songs Top 40 Australian Airplay Chart and earned major editorial playlist support across Spotify and Apple Music ( #1 on Australia’s Country), the new release continues a powerful chapter for the 3x Golden Guitar and 3x APRA Award ‘Most Performed Country Work’ nominee.
 
Driven by acoustic guitar, washed in ethereal pedal steel and anchored by Melanie’s smoky yet sweet vocal delivery, ‘If She Only Knew’ balances slick contemporary country production with heartfelt storytelling. 
 
“‘If She Only Knew’ is like sitting on the front porch beside my younger self and holding her hand,”  Melanie shares. “I started playing guitar and writing songs when I was 12 years old. 20 years on, this song is my way of reaching back to that little girl – the big dreamer and reassuring her that she has the strength she needs to follow her dreams and do great things, even when she doubts it most.” 
 
Written alongside longtime collaborators Karen Kosowski and Emma-Lee during a writing session in Nashville, the single reaches back through time with compassion and perspective. More than just co-writers, they were the trusted voices Melanie leaned on to share the weight of one of her most vulnerable songs.
 
“ Our history goes back to 2018 when we wrote ‘Memphis T-Shirt’ together. As Canadians living in Music City, they truly understand the weight of packing up your entire life to chase a wild dream in a new country. They’ve helped me unpack those heavy emotions, creating the most nurturing, understanding space to bring this song to life.” 
 
Produced by acclaimed Nashville producer Grady Saxman ( Austin Snell, Tyler Braden, Julia Cole) – the single begins with a stripped-back intimacy before building to uplifting and anthemic heights.
 
“Grady also produced my recent singles ‘Homemade,’ ‘Golden Girl,’ and ‘Mama Knows Best,’” Melanie explains . “We tracked all the instruments in one day, giving the music a cohesive flow and a natural sonic consistency.” 
 
The release artwork mirrors the song’s emotional core, overlaying a childhood photograph of Melanie holding her guitar on the family farm where she grew up with a present-day image of her performing on stage – a visual reminder of just how far that young dreamer has come.
 
Growing up in regional Australia, Melanie Dyer began performing and writing songs from a remarkably young age. Since then, her authentic blend of contemporary country hooks, dynamic live performance and heartfelt storytelling has amassed more than 12.6 million streams globally. She’s rocked stages at major festivals across Australia and the United States and recently played support for international country star Cooper Alan. 
 
Now based in Nashville, Melanie continues to cement herself as one of Australia’s most compelling contemporary country voices. With a highly anticipated third album on the horizon and an upcoming performance at The Listening Room in Nashville this July, ‘If She Only Knew’ arrives as both a personal milestone and a reassuring anthem for anyone still finding their way.

‘Jensen’s Swamp’ is the 4th single to be released from Justin’s highly acclaimed album, ‘Brave Face’. Produced by multi-Aria and Golden Guitar producer, Matt Fell, this song is a rockin’ good country track that has already proven extremely popular at all of Justin’s live performances. “People have bought the album just because they love this song” explains Justin.”I used to live a few kilometres up the road from Jensen’s Swamp in rural Queensland.  My brother, Larry, was born with severe physical and cognitive disabilities and I used to regularly take him there.  He loved it.  He was thoroughly convinced that all the animals would come out for a big shindig on the full moon… so I wrote this song for him.  Sadly, he passed away but every time I sing this song it feels like he’s right there with me having a boogie on stage.”

Victorian singer-songwriter Ally Paterson digs deep on her evocative new single ‘Dig’, out today.  The track follows her previous release ‘ Prairie Hotel Parachilna’, a John Williamson cover that struck a chord with country audiences around the nation. The single climbed to #2 on the Australian Country Radio chart and remained in the Top 10 for four consecutive weeks, introducing listeners to Ally’s distinctly Australian storytelling style – rustic, poetic and deeply grounded in place.
 
Yet long before she was writing songs in paddocks beneath the southern stars, she traded comfort for calling, bought sheep and dove headfirst into farming life with little more than determination and faith that she’d figure it out along the way.
 
That same spirit runs through Ally’s haunting new single. ‘Dig’ is an earthy, cinematic release inspired by the grit and independence of Australia’s gold-rush miners, and the restless courage required to build a life from the ground up.
 
“I was inspired by the gold-rush miners who travelled across the world to try and make a go of it, even when success wasn’t guaranteed” says the singer-songwriter. “The song came to me when I was at Sovereign Hill, a historical gold-fields site and replica of a gold-rush town – imagining what it would have been like to be a miner from the other side of the world, in a harsh landscape with growing unrest, big corporations and regulations moving in with increasing corruption…what it would have been like to keep on digging, being independent and free.” 
 
Produced by multi award-winning Matt Fell ( Troy Cassar-Daley, Shane Nicholson, Fanny Lumsden) the track leans into rich textures of Australian folk and alt-country, forming the perfect backdrop to Ally’s imagery of creek beds, hard earth, rain-soaked plains and men chasing fortune beneath harsh skies. It’s an epic tale, both haunting and hopeful.
 
“The song is about digging your heels down and not giving in to the comforts of indolence, that real wealth and value is in the strength of character that is required to go out on your adventure, come what may,”  Ally says. “It is a song for the adventurous.”
 
That philosophy is one Ally knows intimately. In 2020, she and her husband James began farming cattle before relocating their young family from Melbourne to a sheep property south of Ballarat. Neither came from generations of farming families but together they learned the trade from the ground up – often the hard way.
 
“People often find our journey into farming an interesting story,” Ally explains. “James was a carpenter and I was keeping books and having kids in Melbourne, and we decided to become farmers, bought a bunch of sheep and leased a sheep farm south of Ballarat. We dove in the deep end and learned on the job! Five years later, we bought some paddocks, then a house, James learned how to shear sheep, and we are WELL past the point of no return.”
 
The idea of contributing to Australia’s rich agricultural history fuels Ally’s drive to stay the course. “I feel extremely fortunate to be able to take part in something that has been such a big part of Australia’s history, and to glean from people who have been doing it for generations. It has been a remarkable adventure, incredibly difficult at times but the most rewarding and fulfilling thing we could have done.”
 
That quiet defiance is woven through ‘Dig’ – part bush ballad, part rallying cry. Driven by pounding rhythms, earthy instrumentation and Ally’s evocative vocal delivery, ‘ Dig’ paints a portrait of people willing to endure uncertainty in pursuit of something real. With it, Ally Paterson proves she’s an artist unafraid to dig beneath the surface in search of songs with substance, soul and hard-earned truth.

2026 Group / Duo of the Year CountryTown Award nominees Zac Cross Band are back with a vengeance on their blistering new single ‘Give Me a Break’. Following on from the success of their previous release ‘Promise’ which cracked the Top 10 on the AMRAP Airplay Charts and landed editorial playlist support across Apple Music’s New In Country, Aussie Country and Country Risers, the Queensland outfit continue to carve out their lane with a track that’s equal parts cathartic and chaotic.
 
A gritty, tongue-in-cheek anthem wrapped in crashing guitars and modern country swagger, ‘Give Me a Break’ captures the feeling of life kicking you while you’re already down – only instead of spiralling, Zac Cross Band throw their hands in the air and laugh through the madness. It’s angsty, empowered country rock with dirt under its nails and a grin on its face.
 
“‘Give Me A Break’ was never intended to be a serious song,” shares frontman Zac Cross. “It was written to kind of be sarcastic and make light of when things are just going wrong for you and you’re looking up at the sky like ‘c’mon!’. We all go through those periods when nothing seems to be going your way. Even the little things like someone snagging the last parking spot or you getting a flat tire in the middle of nowhere, and it’s raining, and your spare tire is flat too, and there’s no phone service or your jack is buggered and then your car battery dies! But, you’re not mad, you just have to laugh. It’s a ‘if you don’t laugh, you’ll cry’ kind of song. We’ve all been there.”
 
Recorded on the Gold Coast with acclaimed producer Jared Adlam ( Lee Kernaghan, James Johnston) at Machine Lab Recording, the single continues the long-running creative partnership that has helped shape the band’s signature collision of country storytelling and rock intensity. 
 
“Recording this song was probably the most excited we’ve been at the studio for a long time,” Zac explains. “I think now that the album has been out for a while and that collection of works is done, we don’t have to make whatever song we’re working on fit into a certain spot within the project or sound a certain way. This time it just felt like there were no expectations and we could just do whatever we like.“
 
The release arrives as Zac Cross Band continue an unstoppable rise through Australia’s country scene. Since launching onto the circuit, the four-piece have become festival favourites at events including Gympie Music Muster, Tamworth Country Music Festival, Baralaba Bash and Country Fest Queensland. They’ve shared stages with massive acts including The Wolfe Brothers, Jon Stevens and Dragon and kept the party going at the official Midland afterparty, following the US giant’s international tour.
 
This year the band garnered recognition as nominees for Group/Duo of the Year at the 2026 CountryTown Awards off the back of their debut album The Music Lives On. The band are now gearing up for a massive touring run across Queensland.
 
“We’ve had a little time off from touring as my wife and I have just got back from a big trip through the States but now we’re back and ready to rumble,” Zac says. “We’re kicking off ‘ZCB Live ROUND 2’ at the end of May and are looking forward to packing out the rest of the year with as many shows as we can. We live for playing live shows and can’t wait to party with everyone.”
 
Away from the stage, the band continue balancing full-time work with the relentless demands of life on the road, all while remaining heavily involved with the Our Rainbow House Foundation – a charity close to their hearts that supports orphaned children in Zambia. Alongside ambassador Kasey Chambers, Zac Cross Band have proudly performed at the organisation’s annual fundraiser for the past four years.
 
At its core, ‘Give Me a Break’ is exactly what Zac Cross Band do best – turning life’s messiest moments into something loud enough to scream along to with your mates. Equal parts pressure valve and pub-floor anthem, it’s a reminder that sometimes the only thing left to do is laugh, crack another beer and keep rolling.

‘Fall In Love With You’ is the new single from just released 5th Album, ‘The Story Continues’. ‘Fall In Love With You’ is when a guy meets girl and from the start the guy just knows he is going to fall in love. He just knows it and there’s nothing he can do about it. This song is part of Pete’s new Sound, recorded in Nashville last year. 

Critically acclaimed country artist Drake Milligan drops his new song, “Old Flames, Old Whiskey,” ahead of his Tumbleweed World Tour, which will see him return to Australia for his highly anticipated debut headline shows in Melbourne and Sydney. Milligan will also headline Lasso Country Music Festival in Eagleby, Queensland, on Saturday 11 July.Written by Brett and Jim Beavers, “Old Flames, Old Whiskey” leans into Milligan’s smooth baritone as he weaves a tale of memory, regret, and the trouble that comes when heartbreak meets a bottle. The new song captures the spirit of country’s golden era while firmly establishing Milligan’s place as one of the genre’s most compelling new voices. A student of classic Country music with the swagger of early Rock ‘n’ Roll, Drake Milligan is an electrifying entertainer who cites George Strait and Elvis Presley as his musical heroes. His unique twist on traditional Country has been embraced by fans, peers, and major media including Billboard, PEOPLE, American Songwriter, USA Today, Access Hollywood, and more.

“With a voice seasoned way beyond his 25 years, Drake Milligan is easily one of country music’s best modern traditionalists.” –

Fresh from signing a global publishing deal with Community Music and earning an APRA AMCOS 2026 Most Performed Country Work nomination for ‘TROUBLE’ (with Tori Darke), Australian country artist Jay Santilli is set to release her new EP HEART on June 12.Led by radio single ‘Meant For Me’, the six-track project explores themes of ambition, resilience, love and self-belief. Drawing from her own experiences chasing a music career, Santilli delivers her most personal collection of songs to date.”‘HEART’ is about holding onto your dreams, backing yourself through the setbacks, and appreciating the people who support you along the way,” says Santilli. “It’s a snapshot of where I’ve been and where I’m heading.”Produced predominantly by Nashville’s Noah Needleman (Brett Young, Colbie Caillat, Gavin DeGraw), the EP features songwriting collaborations with Jesse Dozzi, Ben Wagner, Morgan Johnston and Michael Mumford.The release marks the beginning of a major year for Santilli, with a second EP already planned for later in 2026. Following recent support across radio and streaming platforms, and performances alongside artists including Kaylee Bell, Taylor Moss, Wade Forster and Andrew Swift, HEART further cements her position as one of Australia’s rising country artists.HEART is available on all streaming platforms from June 12, with lead single ‘Meant For Me’ serviced to Australian country radio.

Western Australian country music artist Darren Gillis returns with his latest single,  “Hell of a Time,” a gritty country rock anthem that dives headfirst into the kind of night where troubles are drowned in music, whiskey, and good company.“Hell of a Time” tells the story of a woman who walks into a bar carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders. Instead of running from her struggles, she embraces a familiar remedy — a night filled with great country music, strong drinks, and the fleeting comfort of forgetting it all. Driven by raw storytelling and a powerful country rock edge, the track captures both vulnerability and resilience in true Gillis style.“As I build toward the release of my debut album “Rise and Fall” later this year, I’m thrilled to share “Hell of a Time” with the world. I hope you enjoy the energy of this track, packed with cleverly crafted lyrics that bring its message to life”.  Darren GillisAn award-winning Australian country music artist, Darren Gillis has built a reputation for crafting songs drawn from personal experience and the rich tapestry of everyday life. His music blends authentic storytelling with dynamic country influences, creating a sound that resonates with audiences across Australia.Following extensive touring throughout 2025 — spanning from Western Australia to Queensland — Darren has continued to gain momentum both on stage and within the industry. In February 2025, he attended the Western Australian Country Music Awards at the Boyup Brook Country Music Muster, where he took home the People’s Choice Award. Later that year, in May, he was named a top five finalist in the Western Australian Music (WAM) Song of the Year Awards (Outstanding Regional Category) for his original track,  “Cuss the Black Dog.”In January 2026, Darren’s rising profile was further cemented at the Tamworth Country Music Festival, where he was awarded  Best Independent Country Male Artist at the Independent Country Music Association Awards.Darren has released multiple original singles that have charted on country radio, with his standout track  “Drink” featured on CMT Australia. He also reached the semi-finals of the prestigious Nashville based International Songwriting Competition this year with Rise and Fall, a song from Darren’s upcoming debut album of the same name.   The album will feature ten original tracks, showcasing his signature storytelling and evolving sound.With “Hell of a Time”, Darren Gillis continues to solidify his place as one of Australia’s most compelling voices in country music.Darren Gillis’ new single “Hell of a Time” is out at radio on Monday 8th June and all streaming services on Friday 12th June.