Category: Uncategorized

MATT WARD PUTS AN AUSSIE COUNTRY HEART INTO NEIL YOUNG’S ‘LOTTA LOVE’
ARIA #1-charting Australian country artist Matt Ward releases ‘Lotta Love’ on Friday 23 October 2026. It is his take on the Neil Young song, and the first single from a new five-track EP of re-imagined Neil Young songs.
Recorded with his band The Southern Kind, the single is available now to radio and media via AMRAP, PlayMPE and private download.
A second-hand CD and a drive to Tamworth
Neil Young wrote ‘Lotta Love’ for his 1978 album Comes a Time, and Nicolette Larson took it into the US top 10 the same year. Plenty of people know the song without knowing Neil wrote it. Ward has slowed it down and given it the warm, dusty country feel that runs through his own records. He co-produced the track with Ryan Martin John at Cactus Cactus Studios in South Australia.
The project started on the highway to Tamworth. With the band in the car and Neil on the stereo, Ward asked a simple question: why not record a few of his songs? That question turned into five tracks.
For Ward, the link goes back a long way. One of the first CDs he ever bought was a second-hand copy of Harvest. It changed the direction of his music, and Neil is still the artist he listens to more than anyone.
“Lotta Love has always been one of those songs that stops me in my tracks, so it had to be the first one out. You can’t beat Neil, so we didn’t try to copy him. We just played it the way it’s always sounded in my head. This EP is my way of saying thanks.” Matt Ward
The EP is a bridge for fans while Ward writes and records his next set of original songs. More songs from the EP will follow.

About Matt Ward
Matt Ward is an ARIA #1-charting country artist from regional South Australia. Years working as a land manager across remote Australia shape his songs about love, loss, open roads and home.
His debut Heartland (2019) and If I Was In Dallas Tonight (2021) both reached #1 on the ARIA Australian Country Album Chart. The Long Way Home (2024) debuted at #2, with ABC Songsmiths calling it “sublime, superb”. His sound, shaped with award-winning producer Matt Fell, moves between Australian country, alt-country and Americana.
With his band The Southern Kind, Ward has played Tamworth Country Music Festival, Gympie Music Muster, Groundwater Country Music Festival and Americanafest in Nashville. In 2026 he released ‘Fight the Flames’ and ‘Come Home Safe’, both recorded live at Tamworth.

Middle of Nowhere Vol. 2: Tex Mex Tapes , is set for release January 15, 2027 (Lost Highway Records), and picks up where 8x GRAMMY® winner Kacey Musgraves left off, expanding on themes of solitude, contentment, and finding beauty in the in-between. Across 16 songs, including four sung entirely in Spanish, the album explores the deep-rooted connection between Texas and Mexico, two places close to Kacey’s heart, bound by generations of shared music, culture, and tradition.
 
Giving fans a first taste of the new collection, Musgraves released two tracks today “Weekend In Texas” and her rendition of the Norteño classic, “Mi Tesoro.”
 
The album also features the newly-recorded Spanish version of  Uncertain, TX   featuring Intocable.  The collaboration brings a new dimension to the fan-favorite song, which became an instant classic in Texas, reaching #1 at Texas Radio with Willie Nelson, and continues Musgraves’ exploration of sounds that have a longstanding kinship with Texas and Country music.
 
Released in May,  Middle of Nowhere debuted at #1 on the Top Album chart and has been named one of the year’s best albums by  Billboard, ELLE, Esquire, FLOOD, Rolling Stone, NPR and  Variety, among others.  The New Yorker praised Musgraves as “…the genre’s greatest crossover success…,” while  Pitchfork praised the album’s “expertly written” songs and  The Wall Street Journal hailed its “smart musical storytelling.” Produced by Musgraves alongside longtime collaborators,  t he album draws from the rhythms of  Texas dance halls, the classic  Country she has been singing all her life, with elements of  Norteño,  B luegrass, P op woven throughout. 
 
Musgraves heads into this year’s CMA Awards with five nominations, including Album of the Year and Female Vocalist of the Year, as well as Song of the Year and Music Video of the Year for “Dry Spell” ,  and Musical Event of the Year for “Horses and Divorces” with Miranda Lambert.

Lee Kernaghan is back with  “4X4 IS KING” — a high-energy new country anthem built for the open road and the first taste of his forthcoming studio album, due mid-2027.Out October 15 via ABC Music, “ 4X4 IS KING” was written in a cabin in the Blue Mountains, NSW, with longtime songwriting partners Colin Buchanan and Nick Wolfe of The Wolfe Brothers.Inspired by Kernaghan’s lifelong love of four-wheel driving, the song captures the freedom of leaving the highway behind and heading beyond the blacktop.“ I’ve always loved four-wheel driving and that sense of freedom that washes over you when you get out beyond the blacktop,” Lee says. “ There’s something about heading down a dirt road and not quite knowing what’s around the next bend. That feeling is at the heart of ‘4X4 IS KING.’”Produced by ARIA Award-winning producer, multi-instrumentalist and 25-time Golden Guitar winner Rod McCormack at The Music Cellar, the track reunites two longtime musical collaborators with a shared history stretching back to 1992.“ 4X4 IS KING” opens with a striking a cappella vocal from Kernaghan, McCormack and James Gillard — a subtle tip of the hat to the sound of Lee’s ARIA Award-winning debut The Outback Club — before kicking into a fresh, hard-driving contemporary country production.The track also features the red-hot guitar work of Jacky McCormack, the multi-instrumentalist, producer and singer-songwriter bringing a new-generation edge to the sound. The single was mastered by Jeff McCormack.“Recording with Rod has felt like a real homecoming,” Lee says. “He’s one of the finest musicians and producers in country music, and there’s a real energy around what we’re creating together. I can’t wait for people to hear this new music.”Kernaghan has already given “ 4X4 IS KING” its ultimate road test, premiering the song live in front of approximately 20,000 fans at the Deni Ute Muster in Deniliquin. The performance also became the setting for the official “4X4 IS KING” music video, capturing the song live amongst thousands of fans and utes in the heart of regional Australia.With more than two million albums sold, hundreds of millions of songs streamed, 40 #1 hits, 38 Golden Guitars and four ARIA Awards, Kernaghan now fires the starting gun on his next studio album with a song made to be turned up loud.

ABOUT THE TRACK: “WANTED” is a high-octane country-rock anthem that trades quiet acoustic moments for stadium-rock grit, massive drum pockets, and raspy, driving vocals. Co-written and produced with Matt Joyce, the track spins a reckless, cinematic narrative about a Vegas elopement that risks everything for love. The track explores the universal desire to feel chosen, valued and truly wanted by someone special. Built for open highways and rolled-down windows, the song captures the sweat and adrenaline of a live band firing on all cylinders, anchored by the grounded, authentic storytelling that Australian country fans instantly connect with. WANTED is for fans who connect with relatable lyrics wrapped in a big singalong hook.ARTIST BIO: Melbourne-based singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Gabriel Royce (aka Gabriel Saalfield) is a fierce champion of the independent Australian music scene. After spending over a decade grinding on the touring circuit, scaling the Australian Independent Record (AIR) charts, and earning recognition at the International Songwriting Competition as one half of the beloved indie-folk duo The Royce Twins, Gabriel is now stepping into the spotlight solo.”WANTED” marks a bold evolution in his sound. While it brings his signature heartfelt songwriting to the forefront, it surrounds those lyrics with the relentless, live energy of a full country-rock band. This debut solo release honours his acoustic, grassroots beginnings while firmly planting his flag in the modern Australian country-rock landscape. It is a passionate pivot that introduces an older, grittier, and more expansive sonic identity.

NO PROMISES RELEASE NEW SINGLE “THE WEIGHT” — A COUNTRY SONG ABOUT CARRYING WHAT NO ONE ELSE CAN SEE 

South Gippsland alt-country duo No PROMISES return with “The Weight”, a deeply emotional country/Americana song about depression, resilience and the invisible burdens we carry.For No PROMISES, “The Weight” is more than a song about feeling overwhelmed. It is about the quiet struggle of carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders while trying to keep moving forward. 
With its warm country instrumentation, evocative storytelling and vulnerable vocal delivery, “The Weight” explores the reality of depression without romanticising it. It speaks to those moments when life feels impossibly heavy, when simply getting through the day can feel like an achievement, and when the person struggling may be the last person anyone suspects. 
The song showcases the distinctive musical chemistry of No PROMISES — Janine Garvey and Eric Collier — blending country, Americana and classic country-rock influences with heartfelt songwriting and rich harmonies.

Following the release of their acclaimed third album SIREN, which debuted at #1 on the ARIA Australian Country Albums Chart and remained there for two weeks, “The Weight” sees the duo move into more vulnerable territory. 
“Sometimes you can look completely fine on the outside while carrying an enormous amount of stress and pain underneath,” says Janine Garvey. “That’s what ‘The Weight’ is about — the things we carry that nobody else can see.”The song also features Shane Reilly on pedal steel, adding a haunting, unmistakably country dimension to the track and reinforcing the emotional weight of the lyrics.For a duo whose music has always centred on authentic storytelling, “The Weight” is perhaps their most vulnerable offering yet. 

Thank you to all of the stations that have supported “January!”
Connor Jameson picked up the guitar at the tender age of 12 and hasn’t looked back since. Now 28, Connor has seen radio success and graced some of  the most prestigious stages in Nashville, Tennessee.  A true artist at heart, Connor  is the sole writer on  all of his music, infusing it with authenticity and raw emotion. His sound is a unique blend of country and Christian music, reflecting his deep-rooted beliefs and personal experiences.

Everyone has a “January.” That month. That person. That phone call. That goodbye.  Some dates don’t end when the calendar changes.  They stay with you forever.”January” is a  repeatable,  heart-touching song that everyone  can relate to.  It builds into a powerful song that reminds us that sometimes relationships come at a  cost that  we can never truly pay.

DINGO SHARES NEW SINGLE ‘BLEED IT DRY’ AND HITS THE ROAD WITH THE RELEASE OF HIS SECOND STUDIO ALBUM ‘NIGHTWIRE’
 
For more than a decade, Dingo has criss-crossed the country with a guitar in his hands. Best known as the formidable guitarist alongside Kasey Chambers, the troubadour has steadily carved out a reputation of his own. Now, Dingo steps firmly into the spotlight with his second studio album Nightwire, arriving alongside the gritty new single ‘Bleed It Dry’.
 
A textured collection of folk, blues and alt-country, Nightwire pairs weathered guitars and story-driven songwriting with the organic sound of a band allowed to breathe. At its heart it’s a record about freedom, and finding meaning in a life spent in motion.
 
“The album ‘Nightwire’, much like the title track, is themed around freedom in life. These songs are a dive into a greater understanding of my own life and the ways I have attempted to make sense of it. From songs about life on the road, love, friendship and family, ‘Nightwire’ is a record for anyone who is grappling with the beautiful and confusing ebbs and flows of life.”
 
Opening the album, ‘Bleed It Dry’ is a tenacious country song about a relationship on the brink of collapse that doubles as something bigger: a story about giving everything to the path you choose. Bluesy guitar and singer-songwriter intimacy collide as Dingo and his band stretch out around the song.
 
“This is one of my favourite songs on the album. It’s really a song written about diving all in one way or the other, for me it’s related to life, written through the lense of a withering relationship.”
 
Produced and engineered by Jordan Power ( Bruce Springsteen, Lady Gaga, Powderfinger) at The Rabbit Hole Recording Studio, ‘Bleed It Dry’ captures a tension that runs throughout Nightwire – tough and vulnerable in equal measure.
 
“This is one of my favourite songs I’ve ever written so I was precious about the way it was produced. Working with Jordan Power was an amazing experience as I watched him effortlessly lead the band and myself exactly where we needed to be to create what the song needed.”
 
Across Nightwire, Dingo looks at freedom from both sides. The Bob Cronk co-written title track bottles the feeling of a life on the road, ‘Live in the West’ leans into his blues influences and ‘Myna Bird’ contemplates surrendering the things that cannot be controlled.
 
But the record continually finds its way back to people. ‘The Dining Table’, featuring Kasey Chambers , celebrates the rare moments when family and friends gather in one place; ‘Autumn’ explores falling in love; while ‘It Feels Sad to Be in Love’ considers the uneasy coexistence of love and sadness.
 
The album also draws on a colourful cast of collaborators and lived experiences. ‘Fever Dream’ features Woodie McClean and Felicity Kircher, NZ songbird, Jenny Mitchell appears on ‘The Payphone’, and Aussie rock legend, Ian Moss joins Dingo on the hopeful ‘Lonely Night’. On ‘Fighting Light’, Dingo draws on his years working at a Central Coast rehabilitation centre for a song dedicated to the underdog.
 
Having recently toured the East Coast with Adam Harvey and Busby Marou, Dingo has spent the run presenting his new songs in their rawest acoustic form. The singer-songwriter also recently appeared at Gympie Music Muster and, just returned from performing his own show at Deni Ute Muster.
 
Dingo is taking Nightwire on the road for his first headline ticketed tour, before joining Ian Moss and Troy Cassar-Daley for select dates on their ‘Together Alone’ tour.
 
“I can’t wait to be heading out on the road for the ‘Nightwire Album Launch Tour’. This is my first ever headline ticketed tour and I couldn’t be more excited to share my new album with everyone at these shows.”
 
Beyond his own career, Dingo has spent around eight years involved with Our Rainbow House, a small school in Zambia where he and his partner volunteer as music teachers and write songs with the children. This year he returned with his partner to record an EP of those songs to help raise money for the school.
 
It’s another thread that sits naturally alongside Nightwire – a record shaped by the people, places and experiences collected along the way.
 
With ‘Bleed It Dry’ leading the charge, Nightwire captures Dingo somewhere between movement and home, freedom and responsibility, love and heartache, letting the music make sense of it all.

ARIA NOMINATED ARTIST FOR THIS YEAR’S AWARDS2 X GOLDEN GUITAR FEMALE ARTIST OF THE YEARMAX JACKSON RELEASES ANTHEMIC NEW SINGLE, FGL (ME & YOU)LAUNCHES SINGLE AT UPCOMING STRUMMINGBIRD FESTIVAL DATESTHE NEW SINGLE OUT NOW:

Two x Golden Guitar Female Artist of the Year, Max Jackson, kicks off a fresh era with the release of her new single  FGL (Me & You).  A feel-good country anthem inspired by Florida Georgia Line unexpectedly reuniting at CMA Fest 2026.  The single also lands right after Max received her first ARIA Award nomination for Best Country Album of the Year (Dangerous In Denim).Having grown up blasting FGL in her first car, the reunion transported Max straight back to being 17, windows down, young, free and falling in love. It sparked a bigger thought: if FGL could do the thing they said they would never do, maybe there is hope for a relationship you thought was finished too.The result is a nostalgic but contemporary country song about second chances, packed with subtle FGL references and built around a huge singalong hook.As Max describes it, “ FGL (Me & You) is one of those songs that genuinely wouldn’t exist without one particular moment.  I grew up blasting Florida Georgia Line in my first car. Windows down, 17 years old, that feeling of freedom you attach to songs forever. So when I watched Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley unexpectedly come back together at CMA Fest this year, from my living room in Australia, it instantly transported me back there. What I’ve always loved about FGL’s music is that it’s the ultimate escape. It’s fun, summer, young, crazy and in love. That’s the kind of country music I’m craving right now, and that feeling became this song. It’s honestly one of my favourite songs I’ve ever written and I can’t wait to get out there and sing it at the top of our lungs together.”FGL (Me + You) was penned by Jackson, Nick Wolfe and Kylie Sackley and produced by Jared Adlam. The single marks a fresh chapter in Max’s career having recently signed with new management, TOBE Artists. 

About Max Jackson:
From humble beginnings in the small country town of Coonamble NSW (Pop. 2750), to winning Australia’s biggest country music competition (Toyota Star Maker). Max has played Country Music Festivals across Australia and overseas including CMA Fest in Nashville and C2C London and Berlin. The 4 X Golden Guitar Winner (New Talent of Year, Single of Year and 2 X Female Artist of The Year) is only just beginning with her fanbase continually growing globally.

Jet Walke r today releases his debut mixtape bushboy, a raw and honest collection of songs shaped by his life and experiences growing up in regional Australia.
 
Recorded between Sydney and Jet’s studio in his hometown of Gympie, Queensland, ‘ bushboy’ brings together the different styles, stories and influences that have shaped Jet’s experiences. From Post Malone to the raw, direct songwriting of Randy Travis, Garth Brooks and Shenandoah, Jet pulls from a broad musical palette to shape his unique sound.
 
“‘bushboy’ brings together different styles and stories from my experiences growing up in regional Australia.” Explains Jet, “I wanted it to feel raw and honest, but also distinctive and authentic to who I am.”
 
At the heart of bushboy is new single ‘the last time’, which sees Jet joined by rising Australian country artist Bella Mackenzie. Produced by Nashville duo Jacob Lincoln and Caleb Avery (Nic D, GRAHAM), melancholic slide guitar soundtrack the pair, as the lyrics sift through lingering memories and the pull of someone difficult to forget.
 
Marking Jet’s first full-length body of work, ‘ bushboy’ captures an artist settling into his own lane. Across the mixtape, Jet builds a world that feels unmistakably his – grounded in country, while pushing his sound in new directions.

We would like to introduce you to AJ Kross.  Known as the top session vocalist in Nashville, AJ cut his teeth in Nashville from playing Ole’ Red on Broadway multiple times a month and doing shows at The Listening Room for years.  AJ is currently on a 45-day radio tour on a wrapped Prevost with John Shomby, meeting with radio PDs in the Top 30 DMAs for this release and will be back out on another 30-day radio tour to support the second single. This wrapped tour bus is traveling over 12,500 miles and generating an estimated 1.8 million impressions for this debut single, “God Made a Small Town,” which released just last week.  With another single scheduled for release next month and two more in February and April 2027, with the album release in January 2027, AJ will heavily reach country music in 2027.Look for our ads in Country Aircheck and Billboard to get AJ’s out to the hands of the industry.  We are interested in ALL markets in the country.  We are interested in activating with each station we can and certainly the overall companies that own your stations.  Thank you for taking a look at AJ Kross, and listening to God Made a Small Town.  This couldn’t be happening to a better human, who puts his ego aside and is humble and puts his faith and his family (his wife and dog Chevy) first and foremost.