Month: August 2026

Fresh off the success of his fourth studio album Lucky Stars, which debuted at #1 on the ARIA Australian Country Albums Chart and #2 on the ARIA Country Albums Chart, Andrew Swift is laying the foundations for a new chapter with his new single, ‘Brick by Brick’ – out today.
 
‘Brick by Brick’ signals a sonic shift for the singer/songwriter, firmly planting itself in Bluegrass terrain. The usual suspects are on display – rolling banjo, fiddle and mandolin tangled together at breakneck speed – anchored by Swift’s unmistakable vocal. ‘Brick by Brick’ offers the first taste of a forthcoming bluegrass-inspired project that has quietly been brewing behind the scenes for years.
 
“I’ve been talking about recording a bluegrass album for a couple of years, so to finally have the first single from this album be here is a pretty special thing for me.”
 
Written alongside Melanie Dyer, Simone Sordello, Gretta Ziller and Jackson James, the session was unexpectedly cathartic.
 
“A few of us in that session had been burnt by someone we’d considered to be a good friend, we’d given them more chances than we should’ve, so there was a chunk of hurt and frustration in the room, as a result, writing Brick by Brick ended up being a rather therapeutic experience.”
 
Swift’s bluegrass debut features some of the finest players in the genre, including Tammy Rogers (The Steeldrivers) on fiddle, Rod McCormack on banjo, Mark Fain (Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder) on bass & Jen Mize on backing vocals, with mastering by Raelynn Janicke in Nashville, and produced by longtime collaborator and close friend Damian Cafarella at ZiggyTone Recording Studio in Melbourne.
 
“I was a little nervous to not only to be working with a new producer, but to also be trying something new with my sound. Fortunately, I chose my guitarist and one of my best friends to produce this thing.”
 
“Damian Cafarella and I have spent many, many hours on the road touring together and he’s heard me talk about making a bluegrass record for the last two or three years, we also spent a lot of that time listening to The Steeldrivers, Mustered Courage, Alison Krauss & Union Station, Dan Tyminski and Darrell Scott. So, when it came time to record, Damian knew exactly the type of sound I was going for.”
 
Accompanying the release is an official music video filmed inside Melbourne’s ZiggyTone Recording Studio, produced by Jeremy Minett of Eyes & Ears Creative, offering fans an intimate look at the recording process behind this fresh sonic direction.
 
The release follows Swift’s previous single ‘Kickin’ Tires’, which gained strong traction across Australian radio, reaching #3 on the Country Songs Top 40 Australian Airplay Chart, #9 on the AMRAP Community Radio Country / Blues / Roots Chart, #13 on the AMRAP Metro Airplay Chart, and #37 on the CountryTown Hot 50, while also landing editorial playlist support across both Spotify and Apple Music.
 
While ‘Brick by Brick’ might surprise listeners familiar with the refined country-rock sound of recent releases, the stylistic shift feels less like reinvention and more like an artist unwilling to stand still creatively. Having firmly established himself as one of Australian Country’s most recognisable voices – recently earning nominations for the 2026 CountryTown Awards Album of the Year and 2026 CMAA Golden Guitar Male Artist of the Year – Swift now enters a new chapter driven by artistic curiosity. 
 
Away from music, 2026 has marked a quieter but deeply significant chapter for Swift . Having recently stepped back from full-time touring, he’s embraced life at home as a stay-at-home dad to daughter Valentine, while also recently celebrating his engagement to partner and collaborator Simone Sordello.
 
But with new music arriving, the road is calling once again.
 
“ I have been missing the road, touring has been such a huge part of my life for the last 10 years, but the break I’ve taken from touring the past few months has been worth every minute. I am, however, very excited to get back on the road, I’m taking it back to basics, an acoustic guitar, a song and a story.”
 
‘Brick By Brick’ may be a detour from the familiar road – but it proves Andrew Swift remains exactly what he’s always been: an artist unafraid to follow instinct, push boundaries, and keep building something bigger.
 

Award-winning country hitmaker Tucker Wetmore turns up the heat with his six-song Sunburn Mixtape: , out now via Back Blocks Music/MCA/Mercury Records. Built for long hot days and late summer nights, the collection pairs three brand new tracks with a trio of fan favourites.
 
Produced by Chris LaCorte, the mixtape’s newly released tracks move from the after-midnight abandon of “Crazy To Yourself” to the playful chemistry of “98%” and the moonlit romance of “ Yours.” They join “Sunburn,” the hazy standout named Song of the Week by The New York Times’ Popcast, “Proving Me Right” and “Who Told You That.”
 
Earlier this month, Wetmore earned the No. 1 most-added song at Country radio with “Who Told You That,” landing 89 first-week stations. The milestone marks Wetmore’s largest add day of his career as the single debuted at No. 54 on the Country Aircheck/Mediabase chart. Riding a groovy, breezy country rhythm, “Who Told You That” finds Wetmore drawing a line in the sand between reputation and reality.
 
The new mixtape follows Wetmore’s third consecutive No. 1 with “Brunette” and a string of milestones, including being named Billboard’s Country Rising Star and winning New Male Artist of the Year at the 61st ACM Awards. After completing the sold-out first leg of The Brunette World Tour presented by NÜTRL Vodka Seltzerin London this spring, Wetmore joined HARDY’s Country! Country! Tour and will take the second leg of his headline tour into this summer and fall. Come September, he’ll join Brooks & Dunn for select dates, with a special stop at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on September 12.
 
Hailed as “one of country music’s biggest breakout successes over the past few years” by Billboard, Wetmore continues to build on the momentum of his debut album, What Not To, which became the biggest country album from a new artist last year. The album debuted at No. 15 on Billboard’s all-genre 200 Albums chart and helped propel Wetmore to more than 2.7 billion global career streams.
 
With three consecutive No. 1s, major award recognition and a rapidly growing fanbase, Wetmore is carrying one of country music’s hottest runs into the peak of summer. Fans can keep up with Wetmore on Instagram:  

ABOUT TUCKER WETMORE:
An ACM Award-winning singer-songwriter and headline performer who has already surpassed 2.7 billion career streams, chart-topper Tucker Wetmore has taken just a few years to leave a lasting mark. Raised in Kalama, Washington, the piano-playing student of country, rock, reggae and more wrote his first song after a college football injury, reaching Nashville in 2020. Kicking off his career with Platinum “Wine Into Whiskey” and 2x Platinum debut No. 1 “Wind Up Missin’ You,” Wetmore landed on Billboard’s all-genre Hot 100 in 2024 with both tracks, showcasing a serene, sawtoothed-country buzz. He released his debut album, What Not To, to wide acclaim in 2025, wrapping hard-won life lessons in laid-back singalongs and soul-scouring balladry. The project marked the year’s biggest country album debut from a new artist. Out now, his six-song Sunburn Mixtape turns up the heat with sun-dappled grooves, polished hooks and a sleek rhythmic pulse, expanding the sound of a hitmaker firmly in his stride. After earning his first two Mediabase Country No. 1s with “Wind Up Missin’ You” and “3,2,1,” Wetmore became just the 14th artist in chart history to take his first two singles to No. 1 in the same calendar year. He then went three-for-three with “Brunette” before sending his latest single, “Who Told You That,” to Country radio. Already a veteran of major tours alongside Luke Bryan, Thomas Rhett, Jason Aldean, Jordan Davis and more, Wetmore launched The Brunette World Tour in 2026 with dates across the U.S., U.K. and Europe. Named ACM New Male Artist of the Year, a Billboard Country Rising Star and CMA New Artist of the Year nominee, he continues to build on a breakout run defined by three consecutive No. 1s and sold-out headline dates.

MAX McNOWN ANNOUNCES THIRD STUDIO ALBUM  LEAVE ON A LIGHT  OUT SEPTEMBER 25 ON FUGITIVE RECORDINGSNEW 17-TRACK LP CHANNELS THE WHIRLWIND OF THE PAST FEW YEARS INTO SONGS ROOTED IN GRATITUDE FOR THE RELATIONSHIPS THAT ANCHOR HIS LIFE
RELEASES INFECTIOUS NEW SINGLE “FIRST BORN DAUGHTER”“A young artist who is taking the country music industry by storm”THE TODAY SHOW“[one of the] brightest newly minted stars to come out of Nashville in recent years”GRAMMY.com“Max McNown’s music is imbued with stories of grief and darkness, resilience and light—and ever-evolving perspectives.”FORBES
Nashville-based singer-songwriter Max McNown has announced his third studio album, Leave On A Light, arriving September 25 through Fugitive Recordings.The forthcoming 17-track collection channels the whirlwind of McNown’s recent rise into songs grounded in gratitude, love and the relationships that sustain him. Centred on his distinctive blend of indie folk and country soul, the album expands McNown’s sound while maintaining the emotionally direct, lyric-first songwriting that has driven his global breakthrough.Coinciding with the album announcement, McNown’s bright and infectious new single “ First Born Daughter: ” is being taken to Australian radio.  Pairing buoyant guitars with an instantly memorable melody, “ First Born Daughter” is an affectionate celebration of the qualities McNown admires most in his wife.

First Born Daughter’ is an easy-listening track inspired by the woman I bet my life on,” shares McNown. “ As a middle child, I know every position in the birth order can come with its own benefits and quirks. As the oldest child in her family, my wife has developed negative views of some of her personality traits—traits I ironically love the most. The song flips the script and shines a light on all the ways marrying her was the best decision I’ve ever made.”

 
The single reflects the wider emotional heart of Leave On A Light, which McNown describes as a tribute to the people who know and support him beyond his career.Centered on his exquisitely detailed form of indie folk and country soul, Leave On A Lightboth broadens McNown’s sound and further reinforces his lyric-first ethos, with even his most inventive musical choices serving the pure emotional truth of his storytelling. In bringing the new LP to life, McNown worked closely with longtime collaborator and producer Jamie Kenney at the famed Blackbird Studio, and widened his creative circle to include co-writers like Julian Bunetta (Gracie Abrams, Kelsea Ballerini) and A-list musicians like guitarist Charlie Worsham (Luke Combs, Lainey Wilson).Amid an explosive ascent that solidified his status as one of his generation’s most compelling singer/songwriters, the 25-year-old artist came to a deeper conviction in music’s power to honor what matters most, such as the people and values who anchor his life. Born from a year of extraordinary momentum, including completing his sold-out, continent-hopping headline tour, Leave On A Light essentially finds McNown more grounded than ever in his artistic vision, arriving as the fullest expression yet of his singular songwriting voice.

In a way, most of the songs on this album are love songs,”  says McNown. “They’re a tribute to my wife and my family, the people who care about who I am outside of music and give me a place of peace and unconditional love to come home to.”

 
Reaffirming the depth and character of his lyricism, the forthcoming album repeatedly pushes those love songs into unexpected terrain, forgoing surface-level sentiment for a far more nuanced inquiry into the human heart. On “Something to Someone,” for instance, McNown gives voice to a universal theme: the longing to be fully seen and loved.Also featuring “Done For,” an early-2026 release that landed on coveted playlists like Spotify’s Hot Country, Leave On A Light has already added to a fast-growing list of milestones that includes taking the stage at major festivals like Lollapalooza and Stagecoach, selling out a two-night stand at the historic Ryman Auditorium, and touring with superstars like Parker McCollum. For McNown, one of the most meaningful outcomes of his rapid rise is the chance to create songs that help listeners see their own lives with more clarity. “One of my favorite songwriters, Mags Duval, once told me that songs aren’t meant to tell people how they should feel—they’re meant to serve as mirrors,”  he exclusively shares with Billboard Country. “More than anything, I hope this album encourages people to look inward and brings them toward a greater appreciation for what they have right now. Life is so fragile—even waking up isn’t guaranteed—and I hope I can help people to feel a deeper gratitude for even the smallest things in their lives.”In Australia, McNown has already established a strong connection with Australian audiences.  On the Countrytown Hot 50, “Better Me for You (Brown Eyes)” climbed to No. 2, “Forever Ain’t Long Enough” reached No. 3 and “Done For” peaked at No. 8. ABOUT MAX McNOWNMax McNown’s rise has been meteoric – he has gone from teaching himself how to play the guitar within months and busking around SoCal just a few years ago, to auditioning (and gracefully turning down) a major TV talent show and gaining a legion of supporters on TikTok (currently has 2.6M followers). Since blazing his own path as a singer-songwriter, the Nashville-based artist’s breakout hit “A Lot More Free” has gone RIAA Certified Platinum in the U.S., amassed over 400M worldwide streams to date, and made its Billboard Hot 100 debut, which launched him to the top of Billboard’s Emerging Artists chart. Featured on his 2023 debut EP and his 2024 full-length Wandering  album, it also peaked in the Top 10 at Hot AC Radio, Top 20 at Pop, and Top 30 at Triple A, plus landed at #1 on TikTok’s Breakthrough USA chart, #2 on iTunes Country chart, hit the Spotify Viral 50 Global Playlist, and even got a nod from Kelly Clarkson when she performed the song on her Kellyoke series on The Kelly Clarkson Show.     The rising star’s follow-up track, “Better Me For You (Brown Eyes),” which is the lead single from his 2025 sophomore album Night Diving (The Cost of Growing Up), also went double Platinum in the U.S, and landed McNown his highest charting position on the Billboard Hot 100 (at #26). The song, which amassed 500M worldwide streams to date, spent 36 weeks on the Hot 100 chart. It also landed him his first entry onto the Spotify US Top 200 Chart (#120 peak), #6 at Country Radio, Top 30 at Pop, #8 at Hot AC, Top 20 AC, plus #1 on iTunes Country Songs Chart, and Top 5 on iTunes All Genres Chart. A consistent chart-climber across genres, McNown proves to be a true, multi-format artist. Ultimately, the forthcoming album, Leave On A Light, reveals a rare artist whose breakout success has brought him even closer to his truest instincts. 

GRAMMY, CMA and ACM Award-winning country star Carly Pearce today releases her new single, “You Can Have Him,” to Australian country radio.Taken from Pearce’s forthcoming fifth studio album, Honest Woman, arriving August 28 via BBR Music Group/BMG Nashville, “You Can Have Him” pairs classic country instrumentation with sharp, modern attitude.Built around steel guitar, fiddle, bass and dobro, the track finds Pearce delivering an assured and delightfully unbothered dismissal of a wandering man who is no longer worth the trouble. Moving on, she suggests, can sound every bit as satisfying as falling in love.Co-written by Pearce with Tofer Brown, Lauren Hungate and Carter Faith, “You Can Have Him” blends tongue-in-cheek humour with a knowing edge. The result is equal parts sass and substance, highlighting Pearce’s witty lyricism, distinctive storytelling and deep connection to traditional country music.“You Can Have Him” is available now on all streaming platforms and is being serviced to Australian radio today.“When I started making Honest Woman, I found myself rediscovering who I am and why I wanted to be a country music singer in the first place, this album takes me back to the beginning of my story, where the sounds of classic country and bluegrass music shaped who I am. I’m so proud of this body of work, and I truly feel like it’s my best yet.” says Pearce.Honest Woman also features Pearce’s duet with Riley Green, “ If I Don’t Leave I’m Gonna Stay,” alongside previously released tracks “ Dream Come True,” “ Church Girl” and “ She Don’t.”The album sees Pearce draw on the classic country and bluegrass influences that first shaped her artistry, while continuing the candid and emotionally direct songwriting that has defined her career.

ABOUT CARLY PEARCE
Carly Pearce has become one of country music’s most authentic and defining voices. Fiercely rooted in the classics, Pearce left her Kentucky home and high school at 16 to take a job performing at Dollywood. She has since developed into an artist who honours country music tradition while embracing the genre’s continued evolution.  The GRAMMY Award-winning singer-songwriter broke through with her debut album, Every Little Thing, and its PLATINUM-certified title track.  Pearce later released the critically acclaimed and commercially successful album 29: Written In Stone, featuring the Country Radio chart-topping duet “Never Wanted To Be That Girl” with Ashley McBryde and the 2x PLATINUM-certified hit “What He Didn’t Do.”  She was named CMA Female Vocalist of the Year in 2021 and ACM Female Artist of the Year in 2022. Pearce is also a member of the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame and the Grand Ole Opry, where she has performed more than 100 times.In 2024, Pearce released the critically acclaimed album hummingbird, featuring the PLATINUM-certified single “we don’t fight anymore” with Chris Stapleton. The track earned Pearce her second GRAMMY nomination for Best Country Duo/Group Performance and became her fifth Top 5 hit at Country Radio.Pearce continues to expand her international audience, having recently brought her Inside the Dream Tour to stages across Australia, Ireland and the United Kingdom, including a headline performance at London’s Royal Albert Hall.
With her fifth studio album, Honest Woman, arriving August 28, Pearce begins a new chapter grounded in honest songwriting, timeless country instrumentation and the musical influences that first inspired her.

Texas Country hitmaker Tristan Roberson returns with “Down For The Ride,” the title track and focus single from his highly anticipated sophomore album. At just 18 years old, Roberson continues to build momentum as one of country music’s fastest-rising independent artists, earning four consecutive #1 singles on the Texas Regional Radio Report, charting on the Mediabase Country Indie Chart, and surpassing 19.7 million streams across more than 182 countries.His recent accolades include induction into the Texas State Songwriters Association Hall of Fame, Emerging Artist of the Year at the Texas Country Music Awards, New Male Vocalist of the Year at the 2026 Texas Regional Radio Music Awards. Roberson continues touring throughout Texas and beyond with strong radio support.


Australian country-rock duo The Finley’s are set to warm hearts with the release of their brand-new single, “Shiver,” a deeply personal love song inspired by the moment their lives changed forever. Written from real-life experience, “Shiver” tells the story of the spark that ignited when Col and Nellie Finley first touched — at that moment, it was dismissed as inappropriate, as Nellie was married and Col, as wild as they say, still had a strong moral compass. More than two decades later, Col was getting his hair cut by Nellie, and bang, that same shiver, that same feeling remains just as strong. In a world where love stories often fade with time, “Shiver” celebrates a rare and enduring connection. The song captures the excitement of new love, the comfort of lifelong partnership, and the magic that still exists between two people who have shared life’s journey together. 

“As soon as I felt that shiver, I raced home and wrote the song. A song that was honest and real,” says Col Finley. “The truth is, after 20 years together, Nellie can still give me that same shiver I felt the very first time we touched. 
Blending The Finley’s’ signature country-rock sound with heartfelt storytelling, “Shiver” is both a romantic anthem and a celebration of lasting love. It’s a reminder that true connection doesn’t fade—it grows stronger with every passing year. For fans who have followed The Finley’s’ remarkable journey, “Shiver” offers a deeper look into the love story behind the music. For new listeners, it serves as a touching introduction to a couple whose relationship has become the foundation of their songs, performances, and lives. As The Finleys continue to share their Rockin’ Country Love Story with audiences across Australia, “Shiver” stands as one of their most personal releases to date—a song born from a single touch and a love that still sends chills down their spines.