ZFM Country

Fresh from signing a global publishing deal with Community Music and earning an APRA AMCOS 2026 Most Performed Country Work nomination for ‘TROUBLE’ (with Tori Darke), Australian country artist Jay Santilli is set to release her new EP HEART on June 12.Led by radio single ‘Meant For Me’, the six-track project explores themes of ambition, resilience, love and self-belief. Drawing from her own experiences chasing a music career, Santilli delivers her most personal collection of songs to date.”‘HEART’ is about holding onto your dreams, backing yourself through the setbacks, and appreciating the people who support you along the way,” says Santilli. “It’s a snapshot of where I’ve been and where I’m heading.”Produced predominantly by Nashville’s Noah Needleman (Brett Young, Colbie Caillat, Gavin DeGraw), the EP features songwriting collaborations with Jesse Dozzi, Ben Wagner, Morgan Johnston and Michael Mumford.The release marks the beginning of a major year for Santilli, with a second EP already planned for later in 2026. Following recent support across radio and streaming platforms, and performances alongside artists including Kaylee Bell, Taylor Moss, Wade Forster and Andrew Swift, HEART further cements her position as one of Australia’s rising country artists.HEART is available on all streaming platforms from June 12, with lead single ‘Meant For Me’ serviced to Australian country radio.

Western Australian country music artist Darren Gillis returns with his latest single,  “Hell of a Time,” a gritty country rock anthem that dives headfirst into the kind of night where troubles are drowned in music, whiskey, and good company.“Hell of a Time” tells the story of a woman who walks into a bar carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders. Instead of running from her struggles, she embraces a familiar remedy — a night filled with great country music, strong drinks, and the fleeting comfort of forgetting it all. Driven by raw storytelling and a powerful country rock edge, the track captures both vulnerability and resilience in true Gillis style.“As I build toward the release of my debut album “Rise and Fall” later this year, I’m thrilled to share “Hell of a Time” with the world. I hope you enjoy the energy of this track, packed with cleverly crafted lyrics that bring its message to life”.  Darren GillisAn award-winning Australian country music artist, Darren Gillis has built a reputation for crafting songs drawn from personal experience and the rich tapestry of everyday life. His music blends authentic storytelling with dynamic country influences, creating a sound that resonates with audiences across Australia.Following extensive touring throughout 2025 — spanning from Western Australia to Queensland — Darren has continued to gain momentum both on stage and within the industry. In February 2025, he attended the Western Australian Country Music Awards at the Boyup Brook Country Music Muster, where he took home the People’s Choice Award. Later that year, in May, he was named a top five finalist in the Western Australian Music (WAM) Song of the Year Awards (Outstanding Regional Category) for his original track,  “Cuss the Black Dog.”In January 2026, Darren’s rising profile was further cemented at the Tamworth Country Music Festival, where he was awarded  Best Independent Country Male Artist at the Independent Country Music Association Awards.Darren has released multiple original singles that have charted on country radio, with his standout track  “Drink” featured on CMT Australia. He also reached the semi-finals of the prestigious Nashville based International Songwriting Competition this year with Rise and Fall, a song from Darren’s upcoming debut album of the same name.   The album will feature ten original tracks, showcasing his signature storytelling and evolving sound.With “Hell of a Time”, Darren Gillis continues to solidify his place as one of Australia’s most compelling voices in country music.Darren Gillis’ new single “Hell of a Time” is out at radio on Monday 8th June and all streaming services on Friday 12th June.

“Stephen Styles knows his way around a turntable, a glass of whiskey, and certainly around a true Country song. Big fan of this song and big fan of Stephen. Give this a SPIN!”- Pepper Daniels, PD KKJG San Luis Obispo, Calif
Rising California country-rocker Stephen Styles is thrilled to announce his new single  “Whiskey And Vinyl” to country radio!Fresh off the momentum of his chart-climbing hit “Bar By Now”, country rocker Stephen Styles takes a more vulnerable turn with his latest single,  “Whiskey And Vinyl”, now impacting country radio.Solely written by Stephen, the track pulls back the curtain on the kind of late-night moments that don’t make it into highlight reels – when the room is quiet, the weight of the world feels heavy, and the only thing that truly understands you is music. “There’s something different about vinyl — it’s raw, imperfect, and real — and that’s how emotions are too,” says Stephen. “For me, this song represents using music as a way to survive hard moments. It’s about heartbreak, reflection, and finding some peace in the pain. The song pays tribute to the artists who helped me through my own difficult times and I’m now hoping to be that voice for someone else .”  This song is released via Plow House Records and produced by Grammy-nominated Brad Hill (Maren Morris, Brothers Osborne, Owen Riegling).Stephen’s last single, “Bar By Now ” was a major hit on
Country Radio, including:
· Over 1M streams on Spotify
· Reached #51 on Music Row Country Breakout Chart for “Bar By Now”
· Charted at #2 on Play MPE Streaming in the UK
· Charted at # 3 on play MPE Streaming in Latin America
· Charted at #9 streaming and was the 13 the most downloaded song on Play MPE International chart
· Played iconic venues and festivals including Pozo Stampede, Avila Beach Resort Festival, Doug Weston’s Troubadour, California Mid-State Fair, Buck Owens Palace, Sturgis Buffalo Chip, and more.

Six-time Golden Guitar winner and one of Australia’s most beloved country artists, Amber Lawrence today releases her eighth studio album Suburban Cowgirl, alongside her debut children’s storybook The Suburban Cowgirl.Equal parts celebration, retrospective and defiant declaration, Suburban Cowgirl the album is the most joyful and self-assured record of Amber’s 21-year career – and the one that finally puts a name to what she has always been.”I’m from Mascot,” Amber explains. “I love country music. I love telling stories. I always was the Suburban Cowgirl. It just took an album to make it official.””This album is the moment of life I’m in,” she says. “I’m allowed to feel guilty and chase my dreams at the same time. I’m allowed to go out with the girls. I wanted people to hear this and realise – you’re allowed to do that too.”The album’s focus single ‘Sing Me Home’ – written with Australian-born Nashville writer Isabella Kearney Nurse – is the emotional spine of the whole record. A three-minute love letter to 20 years on the road, it opens with a nod to Amber’s very first release (“I wouldn’t be here today without the yodeling blues”) and lands as a profound thank you to the fans who have fuelled every kilometre of the journey. “When people say my song helped them get through something in life,” Amber says, “that’s just another little bit of fuel to keep on driving and keep on singing.” 

Also released today is a part origin story, part love letter to dreaming big in unlikely places, The Suburban Cowgirl. The book tells Amber’s own remarkable real-life journey – of a little girl in a big, noisy city who sets out to become a country singer – through a child’s eyes.Amber is a little girl in a big city. Some people call it the Big Smoke. Instead of cows, there are cars. Instead of grass there’s gravel … And it’s just too noisy for her to sing a song. But Amber has a plan, and with the help of her friend, Magpie, she sets out to become The Suburban Cowgirl.Taking readers from suburban Sydney to the bustling streets of the Tamworth Country Music Festival, The Suburban Cowgirl is a story about resilience, creativity and following your dreams – no matter where you come from.For Amber, the timing of the book couldn’t feel more right. Her son is seven and has just started primary school. She has spent 21 years building a career that began exactly where this story does – in the suburbs, with a dream that didn’t quite fit the postcode. And now, with her eighth studio album releasing on the same day, that origin story is being told in two formats at once: one for the fans who have been on the journey with her, and one for the next generation of kids who dare to dream something unlikely.It’s a natural next chapter for an artist who has always made room for younger audiences – Amber has previously released three children’s albums including the beloved The Kid’s Gone Country series and Aussie Aussie Christmas – but The Suburban Cowgirl is something more personal. It’s her story. And she’s inviting kids everywhere to see themselves in it.And if that isn’t enough, Amber will be hitting the road with the Suburban Cowgirl tour commencing on July 8th. As an Ambassador of the Gympie Music Muster, Amber will be there from August 27-30, as well as other shows to round out the year.

ABOUT SUBURBAN COWGIRL THE ALBUM

Built across stolen pockets of time – between school drop-offs, P&F duty, 80 shows a year, a headline festival slot in Lithuania and a trip to the Philippines to entertain Australian troops – Suburban Cowgirl arrived differently to any record Amber has made before. Deliberately, piecemeal, and more considered for it. After the weight of her previous ARIA-nominated album Living for the Highlights – made in the shadow of six miscarriages and the loss of a baby boy – Amber set out this time to make something unashamedly fun.The result is an album that opens its arms wide. ‘That’s Cowgirl To Me’ – featuring an unexpected, scene-stealing whistle that producer Matt Fell (Troy Cassar-Daley, Fanny Lumsden) refused to replace with a guitar solo – is a cinematic, unapologetic career anthem co-written with long-time collaborator Melanie Dyer. ‘Kick the Doors Down’, written in four hours with Phil Barton on the last day of a Nashville trip when Amber was jet-lagged, guilt-ridden and “somewhat defeated”, became the mantra that unlocked the whole record. ‘You Can Admit You Like Country Music’ was sparked by an appearance on The Project in the wake of Beyoncé’s country album – a cheeky, celebratory reckoning from an artist who has believed in this genre for two decades before the world caught up. ‘Live a Country Song’, co-written with the Wolfe Brothers , is its warm companion piece – a reminder that you don’t need a red dirt postcode to live one.‘Comeback Queens’ and ‘Something To Dance To’ deliver pure, crafted joy – the kind of feel-good songs that are deceptively hard to write and impossible to resist. And sitting at the emotional heart of the album is ‘Smallest Years’ – born from a phrase Amber had carried in her diary for years: “blink and you’ll miss the smallest years.” Written with Liam Quinn after the two discovered they were on exactly the same page about making moments count with their kids, the song is simple, devastating and completely universal. Amber knew it had landed when her stoic husband heard it and teared up.Suburban Cowgirl is the work of an artist who has learned – the hard way, the long way, and entirely on her own terms – that limiting beliefs are the ones worth kicking hardest. That the girl from Mascot, under the flight path, who quit her Qantas job and drove to Tamworth, was always exactly where she was supposed to be.

Dust, drought and turning steel drive “Outback Sentinels”, a hard-driving, big-sky Australian country-rock story from Anthony Snape featuring Dobe Newton of The Bushwackers. Moving from spoken bush narration into a wide, guitar-charged anthemic chorus, it honours the Southern Cross and Comet windmills, water, sacrifice and family legacy. Backed by Anthony’s Australian country radio momentum, it is pitched for country and roots-rock audiences with cinematic Australian storytelling.

GRAMMY® Award-winning artist Shaboozey returns with “Cowgirl,” chapter two from The Outlaw Cheri Lee & Other Western Tales, arriving July 31. Following the Diamond-certified, 19-week No. 1 smash “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” “Cowgirl” is a boot-stomping anthem for the woman who owns every room she walks into. It is a crowd moment, the kind of record that turns a bar into a party. Country music’s most electrifying artist is back — and he brought the whole damn floor with him.The Outlaw Cheri Lee & Other Western Tales is a bold, cinematic project that pushes far beyond the boundaries of a traditional album. Built as a narrative-driven Western epic, the release introduces a fully realised creative universe where country, Americana, hip-hop, and pop collide to tell a tragic, mythic story of vengeance, love, and transformation.At the heart of the project is Cheri Lee: a woman shaped by violence and driven by loss. After witnessing the murder of her sheriff father at the hands of the Bootcut Boys, she abandons the law and embarks on a relentless pursuit of revenge. Along the way, she falls for an outlaw tied to the very world she’s trying to destroy. Their love, rooted in hope for redemption, ultimately proves futile. When the true killer resurfaces and is executed in her name, the cycle of violence only deepens—culminating in Cheri’s final, devastating choice: blood over love, and a complete transformation into the very force she once sought to end.The album unfolds like a Western film told in chapters, incorporating narration, skits, and cinematic transitions that blur the line between music and storytelling. It is not just a collection of songs—it is a narrative experience.This release marks a pivotal moment in Shaboozey’s career. Over the past two years, he has evolved from a fast-rising crossover act into a full-scale global force. Where his previous work established him as a generational voice, The Outlaw Cheri Lee & Other Western Tales positions him as something more: a world-builder. An artist capable of existing at the intersection of multiple genres while shaping a distinct cultural identity that extends beyond music.Sonically, the project moves seamlessly across country, pop, hip-hop, and Americana, creating a sound that feels both expansive and cohesive. Visually and conceptually, it reimagines the American West—not as nostalgia, but as something alive, fractured, seductive, and dangerous.The creative direction lives in tension: between raw outlaw realism-bars, highways, denim, cigarette smoke and mythic modernism-neon-lit silhouettes, fire, dreamlike landscapes, and surreal iconography. The result is a world where past and present collapse into a timeless, cinematic vision uniquely authored by Shaboozey.With The Outlaw Cheri Lee & Other Western Tales, Shaboozey isn’t just releasing an album, he’s launching a mythology. One that spans music, film, fashion, and live experience, redefining what it means to be an artist in today’s landscape.About Shaboozey:Shaboozey is a genre-defying artist known for blending country, hip-hop, Americana, and pop into a distinct and boundary-pushing sound. With a rapidly growing global audience and a reputation for cinematic storytelling, he continues to redefine the possibilities of modern music and culture.

16x ACM, 12x CMA and Grammy Award-winner Lainey Wilson’s new single, “ Phone, Keys, Wallet,” is out now, featuring special guest John Mayer on guitar. Listen to the song HERE (BBR Music Group/BMG Nashville), which world premiered at country radio across the U.S. and Canada today. Written during the final leg of the Whirlwind World Tour and recorded at Mayer’s Chaplin Studios in Los Angeles, the track finds Wilson embracing the messy, fast-moving parts of life, and celebrating the person who chooses to love her through it all. “I feel like a tornado with boots on half the time, and this song is really about finding somebody who’s okay with that chaos and chooses to love you through it anyway,” Wilson shares. “Phone, Keys, Wallet” follows Wilson’s recent releases “ Younger You: a special collaboration with Miley Cyrus, and “ Can’t Sit Still: which Billboard calls, “a rollicking stomp of a song where the frenetic music perfectly matches the driving lyrics,” while iHeartRadio praises, “[it] captures Wilson’s free-spirited, yet driven and hard-working character.” The new music adds to yet another monumental year for the Louisiana native, who headlined Stagecoach with an electric set, is the subject of the new Netflix documentary, Lainey Wilson: Keepin’ Country Cool and recently kicked off a run of stadium shows with Chris Stapleton, which will continue through the summer. Wilson also made her film acting debut in Universal’s adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s  Reminders of Him earlier this spring, was selected as one of USA Today’s 2026 Women of the Year:

“The reigning current standard-bearer for women in country” ( Variety), Wilson hosted the 59th CMA Awards (the first solo female host since Reba McEntire in 1991) last fall, where she won three awards: Entertainer of the Year, Female Vocalist of the Year and Album of the Year ( Whirlwind). She also released the deluxe version of her acclaimed album, Whirlwind, this past August, which features five additional tracks, including her #1 single, “Somewhere Over Laredo.” The Grand Ole Opry member is a prolific, sought-after songwriter, who has scored nine #1 hits including “4x4xU,” “Wildflowers And Wild Horses,” the 3x PLATINUM certified “Watermelon Moonshine” and the 4x PLATINUM Certified “Heart Like A Truck,” in addition to award-winning collaborations with Cole Swindell (“Never Say Never”), Jelly Roll (“Save Me”) and HARDY (“wait in the truck”). Moreover, Wilson has collaborated with artists such as Reba McEntire, Miranda Lambert, Dolly Parton and Post Malone, made her acting debut in Paramount’s hit television series, Yellowstone, and recently launched her fifth collection with Wrangler, as well as her own boot (Golden West Boots) and jewelry lines (The Lainey Wilson Jewelry Collection).  

Australian Alt Country duo No PROMISES return with their uplifting new single Wildside — a  feel-good, cruisy country track about breaking free from routine, taking chances, and chasing  the life you really want. Driven by warm acoustic guitars, rolling rhythms, and an undeniable sense of freedom, Wildside  captures the spirit of escaping the daily grind and embracing the open road. Featuring Eric  Collier on lead vocals alongside Janine Garvey’s beautiful harmonies, the track highlights the  unmistakable chemistry between the pair, with their voices blending effortlessly throughout the  song.                                                                   At its heart, Wildside is about choosing adventure over comfort and connection over convention.  Lyrics like “Quit the job working 9–5 / And we can get away on that open road” paint a vivid  picture of two people leaving their worries behind in search of something more meaningful.  The song balances classic country storytelling with modern country energy, creating a laid-back  anthem perfect for long drives, warm nights, and anyone dreaming of a fresh start.  “Wildside is about stepping outside the safe and familiar,” says the band. “It’s about taking risks,  living freely, and finding joy in the unknown. We really wanted the song to feel uplifting and  hopeful — like rolling the windows down and heading toward something better.” With Eric’s heartfelt vocal delivery and Janine’s beautiful harmonies adding warmth and  emotion, Wildside continues to showcase the evolving sound of No PROMISES — blending  country, Americana, and melodic rock influences into something authentic and memorable. Wildside is available on all streaming platforms from June 5th 2026. From No PROMISES upcoming highly anticipated Matt Fell produced album – Siren. 

‘Good Girl Problem’ is a bold, attitude-laced country track that turns innocence on its head. With a slow-burn confidence and a hint of danger, Victoria Crosby captures the moment a “good girl” stops asking for permission and starts calling the shots. There’s a teasing tension woven through the lyric—equal parts sweet and reckless—backed by a driving beat and a modern country edge. Off the back of her hit, ‘You Need a Cowboy’, this release leans into a more daring side of her artistry.‘Good Girl Problem’ isn’t about losing control… it’s about knowing exactly what you’re doing and enjoying every second of it.