Emma Donovan is well known to Australian audiences from her bands Emma Donovan and The Putbacks (which I managed to call The Pushbacks in the introduction to this interview) as well as the Stiff Gins, and from the Black Arm Band. Her music ranges from soul to reggae to R&B and gospel, yet country music has been there from the start and she now has a new country album, Til My Song is Done. The album is broad in scope, and underscored by love and change. Donovan's voice is a wonder, piercing the heart of any listener. Donovan has been singing since childhood, influenced by country ..read more

Brisbane-based singer-songwriter Jacob Vincent has just released his new single 'What Would I Say', just in time for Anzac Day, and the first single from his upcoming debut album, produced by Shane Nicholson and due for release in 2025. The song had its genesis at the DAG Songwriting Retreat in Nundle, NSW, where Vincent met poet Colin Defries. It pays tribute to diggers and their service, with a new take on this subject.  Vincent grew up in a musical family in Tasmania - with his grandfather a member of The Singing Kettles - and developed a passion for songwriting and performing from a ..read more

Piper Rodrigues started 2024 as a Toyota Star Maker Grand Finalist, in the wake of releasing her popular 2023 single 'Exit Wound'. Originally from Newcastle, NSW, she now calls Brisbane home and her latest single is 'Watch Your Step', co-written with Hayley Marsten. Rodrigues was bitten by the music bug early on, taking singing lessons from age 7 and performing for her mother's hair salon clients as a child. She wrote her first song at age 13 and really hit her stride at 15 when she started teaching herself guitar and writing prolifically. Early influences included country legends like D ..read more

Bud Rokesky is a singer and songwriter from Queensland who released his wonderful debut album, Outsider, last year. Since then he’s been on the road quite a bit, playing support slots for C.W. Stoneking, Deacon Blue, Meg Washington, Tim Rogers and Matt Corby as well as appearing at Gympie Music Muster, Woodford, Dashville Skyline, Groundwater, Queenscliff Music Festival, Tamworth Country Music Festival, Port Fairy Folk Festival, and Out On The Weekend.  As powerful as Rokesky is on recordings, he is a live performer of rare impa ..read more

Chloe Swannell is a singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from Oberon in the central west of New South Wales who released her first single, ‘Strange Love’, last year. She has just released her second, ‘Unchained’. In our recent interview Swannell tells the story behind 'Unchained' and talks about working with producer Tarquin Halls-Corbett, her songwriting process, her musical background - she plays guitar, bass, drums and banjo - and teaching music for ten years. She also reveals which sort of tradie she is on the side ... and talks about her planned EP release.  For more about ..read more

Josie is a country music dynamo from Far North Queensland who kicked off the year with a busy Tamworth Country Music Festival. She has released the very popular singles ‘Down Here’ and ‘Freight Man’. Her latest single is ‘Our Place’. 'If anyone has been to a party at my parents' place, you’d know we don’t muck around when it comes to having a bit of fun, cooking up mean feeds, and letting your hair down no matter the occasion,' says Josie.  'Dad cookin’ up a storm is no word of a lie,' she says, referring to a line in the song, 'briskets and top notch bush snags galore. Mum is always cr ..read more

Jemma Beech lives in the Wollondilly Shire in New South Wales, and has released the album That’s Just Me along with several cracking singles, including ‘You Fool’ and ‘If I Can’t Wear Boots’. She was also a Grand Finalist in this year's Toyota Star Maker competition. Beech's latest single is ‘Four Leaf Clover’, which was inspired by a trip she made to her ancestral homeland, Ireland. Surrounded by music and stories, Beech was inspired to create a song that signals a shift in direction from her previous releases, and which has also led to her wanting to return. She is full of vigour and p ..read more

Olive Mae is a folk/country singer-songwriter from the south-west of Western Australia who released her debut single, ‘Give Me Something’, in 2022. Last year she released the single 'Hit the Road' and her latest single is ‘Wait & See’ - both of them will appear on her EP due for release later this year.  Mae has been a musician for most of her life, learning instruments from a young age and playing in a band in adulthood before taking a break to raise her children. She's now back writing and releasing music, and playing music - including up and down the east coast of Australia over t ..read more

Sara Storer has won 22 Golden Guitar awards, her most recent being this year for the song ‘Dust Kids’ released with her brother Greg as Storer, from their self-titled album. On her own Storer has released five studio albums, all of which have been fan and award favourites. Her brand new song is ‘Under Darwin Stars’ and Sara is working towards a new album. Storer is far too young to be called a legend yet there is something legendary about her songwriting and her success with it. The qualities that she brings to her music are also present when she is interviewed: she is present, real, open-hea ..read more

Robbie Mortimer grew up in the central west of New South Wales as one of five brothers in a sporting family. He would go on to be a professional sportsman before returning to his home area and becoming a teacher and mentor, all while creating music. His first album, the pop-leaning 200 Years Too Late, was released in 2021. He has a brand new song, ‘Blow the Speakers’, and it’s as hi-octane as it sounds. Mortimer and producer Jared Adlam captured the energy of Mortimer's live sound in the song, and if you'd like to see Mortimer live you can see the dates below. Mortimer and I had a chat r ..read more