Rising Australian country artist Tom Mac delivers his most personal release yet with ‘Brave’ – a soaring country rock anthem that celebrates the complexities of blended families.
The new single follows the success of his previous release ‘Larrakia Sunset’, which was added to Spotify’s ‘Heaps Country’ editorial playlist, reached #38 on the Country Songs Top 40 Australian Airplay Chart and earned placement on Apple Music’s ‘New in Country’ editorial playlist.
‘Brave’ continues Tom’s remarkable artistic evolution. With more than one million global artist streams to date, the new release further cements his reputation as one of Australia’s most authentic storytellers.
Inspired by the early days of his relationship with his partner Erin, ‘Brave’ offers a rare perspective. Written before Tom had even met his partner’s children, the song captures the uncertainty, hope and vulnerability of stepping into a blended family, while giving voice to the emotional realities experienced by children navigating family separation.
“I only knew them as the little voices in the background of our phone calls,” he recalls. “I quietly wondered whether there’d ever be room for me in their lives.”
Tom draws from conversations his future stepchildren shared with their mother, contrasted against his own hopes for acceptance – creating a deeply human narrative that resonates far beyond traditional love songs. “Loving the most beautiful woman I’d ever met meant accepting I’d never be her number one – and learning that real love doesn’t ask to be. Brave is for anyone who’s chosen love despite the uncertainty, and for every family finding a new way forward.”
Recorded in Kyneton, Victoria alongside longtime collaborator Luke Batterbury ( Taxiride, Pete Murray, Hanson), the sessions carried added significance as they marked the final recordings inside the producer’s home studio before it was dismantled.
“It was actually the final week he was living in the house. So, the studio was the only thing left in the house. I helped him rip the studio down essentially in the days after we’d finished.”
When Tom received the final master, he realised just how much the song meant to him and his family. “In the week or so after the master came back Luke would often comment that this song was the best one I’d done yet. I agree. Given its rawness and the meaning it holds within my family now that we’ve grown to fully accept and now embrace and advocate our unique family dynamic, ‘Brave’ is sure to act as an anthem for us.”
Growing up in the sheep farming region of western Victoria before his family were forced to leave their property and relocate interstate, Tom’s music has always been shaped by themes of belonging, resilience and finding home. Now settled in Southern Queensland after years of travelling Australia, his latest body of work fuses contemporary coastal country with the unmistakable sound of the didgeridoo, creating a style that is uniquely his own.
To celebrate the release of ‘Brave’, Tom will embark on a run of east coast performances throughout Queensland and Victoria.
“I’m incredibly proud to finally share ‘Brave’ with audiences around the country. These songs are deeply personal, but I’ve learnt that the more honest you are, the more people see themselves in the story. I can’t wait to get back on the road and play these songs for everyone who’s supported this journey.”
With its soaring hooks, heartfelt storytelling and universal message of choosing love despite uncertainty, ‘Brave’ is Tom Mac’s most courageous release to date – an anthem for modern families, second chances and the strength found in opening your heart.
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