Category: Uncategorized

Two of Australian Country Music’s most applauded performers, Darren Coggan & Genni Kane, unite in an uplifting celebration of love and life with a cracking new single release, ‘First Light’. The spirited song also featuring Australia’s finest Bluegrass pickers; Kym Warner on Mandolin, Ian Simpson on Banjo & Peter Denahy on Fiddle. At its core, ‘First Light’ is more than a song. It’s a reminder, deeply human and quietly profound, an exploration of gratitude, hope and resilience, finding peace in the balance between letting go of the past and embracing the present moment with love and grace.   Lending her beautiful voice to this song, is Australian music royalty, Genni Kane. Genni Kane first found her feet as a songwriter and lead vocalist with the legendary 80’s band Flying Emus.  

Australian-born, Nashville-based country artist Lucie Tiger delivers a cinematic collection of songs on her album Small Town Scandal on September 30th. The idea for the project was inspired by Tiger’s own experience of spending two years immersed in small-town Southern life. The album unfolds like a collection of stories passed between barstools, front porches and church pews. Some of the stories are light-hearted and fun. Some are dangerous. And some dark secrets were probably not meant to leave the room – all captured with wit and humour through Tiger’s city-girl lens.Across the album, Tiger builds a world populated by the characters she met, lovers and cowboys, preachers and troublemakers, dreamers, schemers, sweethearts, and sinners. There are late night shenanigans, risky decisions, rumours, fast cars, whiskey shots, whispered secrets plus her award-winning, popular murder ballad, “Harvest Moon”. “I became fascinated by the way stories travel in a small town,” says Tiger. “Everybody knows everybody, everybody has an opinion, and somehow a story can make it from one end of town to the other before you’ve finished your first whiskey. Small Town Scandal grew out of that world. Some of these songs are fun, some are messy and some get pretty dark, but they all feel like they could have happened somewhere just down the road or around the corner.”Musically, the record stretches across Tiger’s distinctive brand of cinematic country, pulling together honky-tonk swagger, Southern rock muscle, bluegrass textures and atmospheric storytelling without losing Tiger’s idiosyncratic thread connecting the songs. Recorded in Muscle Shoals, Small Town Scandal carries the musical fingerprints of the region that helped inspire it. Tiger worked alongside an accomplished studio lineup including Bob Wray on bass, Clayton Ivey on keys, Tommy Harden on drums, with Tiger performing vocals and guitar and sharing production duties with Charles Holloman.The album arrives during a period of growing momentum for Tiger. In 2025, she won Country Vocalist of the Year at the Josie Music Awards. In 2026, Tiger garnered her most wins and nominations yet for songwriting, and she continues to gather chart recognition on the MusicRow CountryBreakout Chart, CDX Nashville True Indie Chart and Australian charts.Of the album, Tiger is quick to note that the songs are not about judging the characters in her lyrics. “ Every town has its scandals,” Tiger says. “The names and details change. But there’s always somebody falling in love with the wrong person, somebody making a spectacularly bad decision, somebody talking about it — and somebody turning it into a song.”

· “Tequila Talking” is a high-energy track that is a finalist at the 4th Annual Hollywood Independent Music Awards and the Australian songwriting awards. The track reached #23 on the CDX Nashville True Indie Chart and #3 on the AMRAP Metro Chart (Australia). 
· “Hell In A Halter Top” is an unapologetic girls’-night-out track that keeps the energy going on the fun side of the album. It debuted on WAFF TV and the music video was filmed at the State Line Lounge on the Tennessee border with Alabama.
· Tiger’s racy “Cowboy Love Me” was a top 20 single in Australia, reached #8 on the CDX Nashville True Indie Chart, and #59 on the MusicRow Country Breakout Chart. This track garnered the most chart appearances and media attention.  
· “Last Call For Trouble” is a cinematic country track built on temptation, tension, and the kind of stories that don’t start with ‘once upon a time’.  It continues Tiger’s Music Row Chart momentum and is a Finalist in Australian songwriting awards.
· In the lead single for the album, Tiger turns car racing into a clever metaphor for dating in “Love Moves Fast In A Small Town” , offering an amusing take on the high-speed manoeuvres of small-town romance: “Who’s gonna be making up and who’s gonna be shaking up their love life on the home stretch tonight.” 
· “Devil’s Telephone” hit #1 on the Metro Sydney Chart and a Finalist at the Annual InterContinental Music Awards. “A searing country rock anthem against the destructive power of gossip…Lucie’s lyrics are sharp and incisive.” (Country Music News International). 
· Look out – she’s on the warpath with “Dixie Alley”. Ominous beats and siren-like guitars provide the menacing soundtrack for lyrics like “Did you really think I wouldn’t discover, you’ve been holing up with your late night lover”.
· Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned in “The Devil Works Hard.” It features a driving beat and sharp lyrics that make this song a masterful take on a woman’s justifiable anger, “The devil works hard but ain’t nobody gonna be working any harder than I”. 
· “Oh Preacher”- This satisfying slice of outlaw bluegrass country features banjo, fiddle, and honky-tonk piano accents. It’s driven by punchy, rhythmic production, without losing its contemporary commercial edge. It reached the top 40 in Australia.
· “Harvest Moon” won the Grand Prize at the 2026 Pensacola Songwriters Festival, is a Finalist at the 12th Annual Josie Independent Music Award Nominations and nominated at the 16th Annual InterContinental Music Awards and 4th Annual Hollywood Independent Music Awards, plus featured on the Music Row Country Breakout Chart. 
· “On My Way To Mississippi” is a cinematic outlaw-country revenge story. It has a beginning, escalation and climax — and importantly, the woman isn’t a bystander to the man’s story. She takes over the story. It’s Tiger’s lyrics at their best.
· “Love Me Like That” is the emotional payoff of Small Town Scandal — a clarion call for love. If the album is populated by cowboys, preachers, gamblers, troublemakers, liars, cheats, then this track is the woman underneath all that bravado.
· Get ready for the goosebumps version of “The Devil Works Hard (Heavy Version)”. When it was recorded, co-producer Charles Holloman noted the time and day of recording because he KNEW it would become memorable. 
· “Harvest Moon (Extended Version)” is a track that really cooks.  It’s a cinematic country track driven by an organic roots-rock groove and a storytelling vocal line that builds from conversational verses into a sweeping, emotionally resonant chorus. 

Twenty-five years ago, 16-year-old Melissa Bajric walked into the studio to record her debut album, Believe In Me, with multi-award-winning producer Lindsay Butler. ‘My Dad Was a Road Train Man’ became the album’s first radio single and the song that launched Melissa’s professional music career. Now, a quarter of a century later, that same 16-year-old voice has been brought into the present with a brand-new production that celebrates everything Melissa has learned, experienced and achieved along the way. Melissa has always held Lindsay Butler in the highest regard, and his influence on her early recording career was pivotal. It is both fitting and deeply nostalgic for Melissa that the track opens with Lindsay’s original track ID — a sound normally heard only on the working track in the studio — instantly transporting her back to those early optimistic days. The original recording also featured drums by Lindsay Waddington, the musician who has gone on to become Melissa’s on-stage Musical Director, her current producer and one of the most important musical collaborators of her career. He has once again played the drums for the new production, merging the past with the present. This release is about more than a song. It is a celebration of 25 years of music and the people who made the journey possible — the producers and musicians who helped shape her music, the industry people who opened doors, the friends and collaborators who stayed the course, and the fans who kept turning up to shows, buying the records and singing along to the songs. Every one of them is part of this recording. 

As Seen In USA TODAY’s High Impact AwardsTop 5 Artists & EntertainersTEXAS FIREBRAND PAYTON HOWIE SIGNS WITHWEST VILLAGE ENTERTAINMENT, KICKS OFF FALLWITH UPTEMPO “TRUCK BED”Rising Country Singer-Songwriter Joins Christy DiNapoli-Led West Village Entertainment as NewMusic Sets the Stage for a Breakout Fall
 
Blazing her own trail in country music, Payton Howie is one of the genre’s most exciting new female artists. With over 4 million career streams and more than 150,000 social media followers, she continues to captivate audiences with her country rockin’ soulful sound and amazing vocal delivery.
She has toured alongside Parker McCollum, Lainey Wilson, Ashley McBryde, Garth Brooks, Gretchen Wilson, Lukas Nelson, Corey Kent, Tracy Lawrence, Aaron Watson, Trisha Yearwood, and Warren Zeiders. Her single Ramblin’ Woman reached #5 on the Ireland Country iTunes Download Chart.Now, she returns with her latest release, “Truck Bed,” co-written with CMA Triple Play award winning songwriter Brady Seals. Payton has also earned Female Vocalist of the Year nominations from both the Texas Regional Radio and Texas Country Music Association, cementing her status as a rising force in country music. Currently joining forces with Christy DiNapoli and West Village Entertainment, Payton is someone to watch in 2027 as one of Country’s dominate new females.

BEST MATES SINCE SCHOOL, THE MODERN COUNTRY DUO RELEASE THEIR MOST CROSSOVER-READY SINGLE YET ALONGSIDE ATWELVE-TRACK DEBUT ABOUT FRIENDSHIP, GROWING UPANDTHE MOMENTS THAT MATTER
Some partnerships are built in the studio. Zac & George were built long before that. On  Friday, October 2, the best mates turned modern country hitmakers release ” One Sip Away “,  the lead focus track from their highly anticipated debut album “Call It A Day”, out the same day.” One Sip Away ” is Zac & George at their most immediate: a big-hooked, melody-first song built around the tight vocal harmonies that have become their signature. “ One Sip Away is about that moment when someone catches your eye in a social setting, and you’re trying to build up the nerve to say hello. You’ve already imagined how it could play out, yet you’re feeling you need one more sip of that liquid courage to make the first move. It’s the feeling that the whole night could change with one conversation,” say Zac & George. It’s a track that feels authentically Zac & George while reaching well beyond the core country audience, with the kind of crossover energy that sounds as at home on contemporary hit radio as it does on country playlists. The single lands as the release-day centrepiece of Call It A Day, the duo’s first full introduction to the world. Across twelve songs, Zac & George turn the life they’ve actually lived into modern country music: Friday knock-offs, long weekends, late nights, relationships, and the friendships that carry you through all of it.The campaign so far has traced that story. “Longneck Weekend” captured the feeling of clocking off and getting away. “Nights We Won’t Remember” celebrated the memories made with your mates. “2 For” took listeners straight into the honky-tonk, with the jukebox playing and another round on the way. “One Sip Away” now opens the door to the full record.But Call It A Day is more than a collection of good-time anthems. Beneath the energy is a genuine story of two mates navigating their twenties together. It captures friendship, nostalgia, love and that stage of life where you’re old enough to know these years matter, but young enough to still be right in the middle of living them.“ This album really feels like us and where we’re at in life,” say Zac & George. “ So much of what we’ve written comes from things we’ve actually lived: weekends, relationships, mistakes, good times and the little moments with your mates that don’t seem that important until you look back on them. We wanted Call It A Day to be an album you can put on with your friends and let play all the way through, but also one where you hear a song and think, ‘I’ve lived that.’”Musically, the record brings together the duo’s harmonies, contemporary country production, big hooks and the live energy that has become central to who they are as an act. It’s the sound that has already earned Zac & George millions of streams, multiple charting releases and sold-out headline shows, establishing them as one of country’s most exciting emerging acts.Twelve songs. Two best mates. One debut album about the nights, relationships, people and moments that make up the best years of your life.With a sound built for audiences well beyond their home country, Zac & George are introducing themselves to the world one song at a time, and ” One Sip Away ” is the next big step.“One Sip Away” and their debut album, “Call It A Day,” are out Friday, October 2.ABOUT ZAC & GEORGE:Best mates since school, Zac & George have spent years turning real life into songs that feel instantly familiar: stories about growing up, chasing freedom, falling in love, making mistakes and finding yourself somewhere between a Friday afternoon and Sunday morning. Blending strong vocal harmonies, sharp songwriting and an unmistakably feel-good energy, their music sits comfortably alongside today’s biggest names in modern country. Whether it’s a road-trip anthem, a heartbreak ballad or a song made for raising a cold beer with friends, Zac & George write music that feels honest, relatable and timeless.

One of Australia’s most popular and enduring country-rock acts,  The Viper Creek Band are back with their brand new single  “A Girl Changes Everything” , an upbeat and nostalgic track about the moment meeting the right person that completely changes the direction of your life.Blending the band’s trademark country-rock energy with a more mature and heartfelt lyric, “A Girl Changes Everything” captures that realisation that life is no longer about living from one weekend to the next, suddenly the future looks different.Written by Damien Baguley, Troy Kemp and Grayson Campbell, the song delivers feel-good Viper Creek energy while exploring a relatable story of love and growing up.“A Girl Changes Everything is about that point in your life when you meet someone who completely changes the way you see your future. You go from living weekend to weekend and not thinking too far ahead, to suddenly picturing a house, a family and growing old with someone. The track has that upbeat, feel-good Viper Creek energy, while the lyric has a bit more heart and maturity to it. I think it’s something a lot of people can relate to, sometimes it just takes one person to change everything.”

Formed in Newcastle in 2011,  The Viper Creek Band have built a loyal following across Australia and internationally through relentless touring, high-energy live performances and an ever-evolving country-rock sound.The band’s success has been reflected in a string of acclaimed releases and industry achievements. Their 2018 album  Just Press Play debuted in the  ARIA Country Albums Top 5 and produced four Top 10 radio singles. They followed that success with  Beautiful Destruction, which reached  #1 on the ARIA Country Albums Chart in 2019 and featured the chart-topping single “Green Light”, alongside fan favourite “Australian Girls”.Their career has also seen multiple  CMC Music Award nominations, including Group or Duo of the Year in 2015, 2017 and 2018, as well as a nomination for the fan-voted  Oz Artist of the Year award in 2018.In 2020, The Viper Creek Band further cemented their position within Australian country music when they were named finalists for  Group or Duo of the Year at the Golden Guitar Awards.With a reputation for memorable songs, powerful live shows and an undeniable connection with their audience, The Viper Creek Band continue to prove why they remain one of Australian country music’s most loved live acts.“A Girl Changes Everything” is the latest chapter in the band’s ongoing story, a feel-good country-rock celebration of the one person who can make you look at your whole life differently.

2026 Toyota Golden Guitar nominees Homegrown Trio return with “Never Really Over,” a heartfelt piano ballad out Friday 25 September 2026.Produced by Grammy and CMA Award-winner Nathan Chapman and co-written in Nashville with Chapman and legendary songwriter Liz Rose, the song captures the push and pull of a love you can never quite walk away from – breaking up, finding your way back, and wondering if it was ever really over.For siblings Katelyn, Liam and Kasey O’Donoghue, the writing session was a milestone. “We still remember walking into Nathan’s studio in Nashville and meeting Liz for the first time,” the trio recall. “Sitting in a room with two incredible songwriters who have written songs for so many artists we look up to felt pretty surreal, but they’re also two of the most genuine, humble people you could ever meet.”The song began with a chorus melody Kasey had been playing around with and a line saved in her phone. From there, it wrote itself. A simple piano and vocal demo was recorded that same day, and when it came time to record the final version, the band chose to preserve that rawness – allowing the ballad to build and grow without losing the emotion at its heart.“We’ve held onto ‘Never Really Over’ for a few years now, waiting for the right time to share it,” the trio say. “For whatever reason, now just feels like that time, and we’re so excited for people to finally hear it.”The timing is no accident. “Never Really Over” is the latest chapter in the lead-up to Part Two, the long-awaited follow-up to Homegrown Trio’s debut EP Part One. Where the singles released since have traced the trio’s growth from Far North Queensland to Nashville, this is the song that reveals its emotional centre – a glimpse of the depth and vulnerability that will define the collection. With Part Two taking shape, the story that began with Part One is about to reach its next instalment.

2026 Toyota Golden Guitar nominees Homegrown Trio return with “Never Really Over,” a heartfelt piano ballad out Friday 25 September 2026.Produced by Grammy and CMA Award-winner Nathan Chapman and co-written in Nashville with Chapman and legendary songwriter Liz Rose, the song captures the push and pull of a love you can never quite walk away from – breaking up, finding your way back, and wondering if it was ever really over.For siblings Katelyn, Liam and Kasey O’Donoghue, the writing session was a milestone. “We still remember walking into Nathan’s studio in Nashville and meeting Liz for the first time,” the trio recall. “Sitting in a room with two incredible songwriters who have written songs for so many artists we look up to felt pretty surreal, but they’re also two of the most genuine, humble people you could ever meet.”The song began with a chorus melody Kasey had been playing around with and a line saved in her phone. From there, it wrote itself. A simple piano and vocal demo was recorded that same day, and when it came time to record the final version, the band chose to preserve that rawness – allowing the ballad to build and grow without losing the emotion at its heart.“We’ve held onto ‘Never Really Over’ for a few years now, waiting for the right time to share it,” the trio say. “For whatever reason, now just feels like that time, and we’re so excited for people to finally hear it.”The timing is no accident. “Never Really Over” is the latest chapter in the lead-up to Part Two, the long-awaited follow-up to Homegrown Trio’s debut EP Part One. Where the singles released since have traced the trio’s growth from Far North Queensland to Nashville, this is the song that reveals its emotional centre – a glimpse of the depth and vulnerability that will define the collection. With Part Two taking shape, the story that began with Part One is about to reach its next instalment.

Australian country-pop artist Miss Kate Elizabeth returns with her new single, “Found My Way,” the follow-up to her 2026 release “Ready To Love Again.”Written from the perspective of rebuilding after the end of a relationship, “Found My Way” captures the point where fear and uncertainty begin to give way to the realisation that starting over might actually be leading somewhere better.Produced by Rhys Zacher, the track blends contemporary country-pop production with an intimate and personal lyric, marking the next chapter in Miss Kate Elizabeth’s solo music.A TSA/APRA New Songwriter of the Year winner, Miss Kate Elizabeth has also previously opened for artists including Shannon Noll and Eurogliders.Her previous single, “Ready To Love Again,” received Australian radio support including ABC Grass Roots, ABC Gippsland and Big John’s Big Country , with “Found My Way” continuing her return to Australian country music in 2026.

A dark, high voltage country track channelling the energy of Jolene’s villain origin story – ahead of its live debut at Strummingbird Festival.
 
TAMWORTH, NSW – Country artist,  Loren Ryan, unleashes her audacious track to date with  “WILD ONE” , released today – Friday September 25th, 2026.
 
Channelling the ultimate anthem for Jolene’s villain origin story, the track is a dark, explosive country single operating at pure  “level 10 FAFO energy”. Cue your language warning.
 
Flashing an unhinged edge and explicit drive,  “WILD ONE”, serves as a standout release off Ryan’s upcoming debut album. The song brings raw power through sharp storytelling, heavy-hitting production and vocal intensity.
 
“It feels like the ultimate anthem for Jolene’s villain origin story where she holds all the cards”, says Ryan. “ She’s untamed, hard to catch and in total control”.​Music directors and fans can catch the official live debut of  “WILD ONE” when she takes the stage  Strummingbird Festival in Newcastle on Saturday 17th October 2026 alongside  Tyler Childers, Stella Lefty and  James Johnston. 
Loren Ryan has also just been announced as part of the massive CMC Rocks QLD 2027 bill alongside Eric Church, Brooks & Dunn, Ashley McBryde and more over the weekend of Fri 19 to 21 March 2027.
 
​”WILD ONE” impacts radio now and hits DSP’s worldwide from  Friday 25th September 2026.
 
About Loren Ryan:
​Hailing from the Tamworth region of New South Wales, Loren Ryan is a boundary-pushing artist. Blending rich traditional roots with forward-thinking sonic landscapes, Ryan continues to captivate audiences and radio alike as she builds toward her much-anticipated 2026 album.