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PODCAST

Sunburnt Country Music

For over a decade Sophie Hamley has been interviewing Australian country music artists for her website, Sunburnt Country Music. Now new interviews will be made available in this podcast. Listen to Golden Guitar winners such as Amber Lawrence and Luke O"Shea, and many others, talk about their songs and songwriting, about performance and creativity and so much more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

music music interviews

All Episodes

40:43

KYARNA on her lyrical Lost Soul Love Letters

Sunburnt Country Music ·

2026/01/12

Titles of books, albums (or EPs), movies – any creative work – can be hard to come up with, as they need to do so much work, especially in an age when we make very quick decisions about what is going to win our attention. A title needs to not just capture our interest but convey the experience of reading that book, listening to that album, watching that movie as concisely and effectively as possible.The debut EP fromKYARNA, a folk-country artist from the Yuin Nation on the far south coast of New

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24:59

Bianca Joulianou gets herself into a ‘Bad Routine’

Sunburnt Country Music ·

2025/12/22

Earlier this year Sydney artistBianca Joulianoureleasedthe single ‘Gambling Man’, which was based on a story that’s very close to her. We had achat about thatat the time and also talked about Joulianou’s gig schedule. She’s been busier since then,opening forAustralian Idolwinner Dylan Wright as well as Shannon Noll, Diesel and The Wet Whistles. That’s in addition to playing regular spots at venues such as Jolene’s in Sydney’s CBD and with Out West Country, which is a Sydney-based events

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29:53

Chloe Marks on what’s ‘Cheaper Than Therapy’ in her...

Sunburnt Country Music ·

2025/12/21

Before this year started, Brisbane outfitChloe Marks& The Mayhem had not released any songs, although Marks herself has released music with duo Scotch & Cider, and as a solo artist. She also plays in other people’s bands as well as performing regularly with The Mayhem, as she’s been doing since 2023.The band’s first single was ‘Carolina’, released at the end of February this year, and since then they’ve released ‘Skip September’ – for which Marks and I had a chat – and ‘Porch Light’. Now

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46:54

Robbie Mortimer charts his path through creativity...

Sunburnt Country Music ·

2025/12/20

When you’re talking with Australian country music artists,Robbie Mortimer’s name comes up a lot, whether it’s as a festival performer or a co-writer – several artists work with him either to write songs from scratch or to enhance songs that already exist, even in part.He’s the youngest of five brothers who grew up in the Central West of New South Wales, and perhaps negotiating with four siblings led to him being able to work well in a collaborative environment. Or maybe it was growing up in an NRL

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35:19

Brook Chivell on making guitars, singing the blues...

Sunburnt Country Music ·

2025/12/20

Each time I organise an interview with a country music artist there is an impetus for it – usually, as you’d expect, a new release, either single or album. I do my research and write questions accordingly, but I do not go into any interview with an expectation of where the conversation will go because expectations tend to become pre-set limitations, and there’s a danger of missing out on something interesting if those limitations are in place.So it was that when I started chatting toBrook Chivell,

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42:36

Roo Arcus on the experiences that made The Man I Am

Sunburnt Country Music ·

2025/12/17

Roo Arcusbecame a singer unintentionally – he didn’t know he could sing until he was somewhat strong-armed into it in a group setting. The cattle farmer from the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales has been on the land all of his life and spent his formative years listening to what he calls ‘the golden era’ of country music.Arcus spends a lot of time in the United States of America where he’s asked, ‘How can you talk like an Aussie and sing like a Texan?’ His singing voice developed, he says, due

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43:08

Laura T Davis reclaims her power on ‘Not Your Fault’

Sunburnt Country Music ·

2025/12/15

‘Songs can become our best friend. And sometimes songs can save a life.’Laura T Davis, a singer-songwriter from northern New South Wales, says this a fair way into our interview. The reason for the interview was her latest single, ‘Not Your Fault’, and the story behind that song is that Davis is a victim-survivor of extreme sexual violence perpetrated upon her in her teens. So when she talks about songs saving a life, she’s talking about what songs have meant to her and also what writing this song

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31:57

Jo Page on ‘Fire in His Eyes’ and her creative fire

Sunburnt Country Music ·

2025/12/14

Each interview I do is, obviously, different because each artist is different – they have unique backgrounds, sounds and stories. Some of them turn out to be packed with lots of interesting elements – subjects I could have pursued for much longer conversations, except I’m mindful of trying to keep the chats relatively short and focused on music.This interview withJo Page, a country music artist from Port Lincoln in South Australia, was one of those. I start off asking Page about Port Lincoln – which

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32:55

Tom Nethersole and Kye Arnot on their haunting,...

Sunburnt Country Music ·

2025/12/12

Earlier this year Melbourne-based singer-songwriterTom Nethersolereleased a country single, ‘Ardmona Rd’. I hadn’t heard of Nethersole before that – his previous releases were mainly pop songs – but I loved the song and therefore was happy to chat to him about it. It was a great pleasure to interview him, so when he told me that he had a new folk-tinged song, ‘Holiday Spirit’, written and recorded with fellow VictorianKye Arnot, of course I wanted to talk to them both.Arnot has developed quite a

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54:41

Saralyn on her time on The Voice, her new single and...

Sunburnt Country Music ·

2025/12/11

Last year singer-songwriterSaralynwon the Mothertone Gympie Muster Talent Search, which was a terrific achievement – but she was also working on something else significant at the same time, and it wasn’t until this year that we found out what it was.Auditioning on the hit TV showThe Voice, Saralyn turned the chair of judge Ronan Keating and joined his team. Although she didn’t make it through to the finals, she cherishes the experience, as she told me in this recent interview. It turned out she

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27:44

Ruby McGrath-Lester from Team Love on new album Now...

Sunburnt Country Music ·

2025/12/11

Team Loveare a six-piece alt-country and folk band (full list of members below) from Victoria who released their first album during the pandemic. Since then lead singer and songwriter Ruby McGrath-Lester and partner/bandmate Shaun Stolk have become parents, so they’ve had a little bit on their plate. But as I found out when I chatted with McGrath-Lester recently, they have been writing songs – and there were around two dozen which were candidates for their second album, the recently releasedNow

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28:27

Courtney Keil on ‘Friends for Life’ … and Christmas...

Sunburnt Country Music ·

2025/12/08

Country-pop artistCourtney Keilstarted her musical life in Melbourne and now lives on the Central Coast of New South Wales, where she is an integral member of what has long been an established country music community (which includes Lyn Bowtell, Kasey Chambers, Felicity Urquhart and Josh Cunningham, and previously Beccy Cole and Shane Nicholson) and which now has more venues opening and, therefore, more opportunities for artists to perform.In our chat about her latest single, ‘Friends for Life’, I

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35:50

Tom Mac on his ‘Nomadic’, adventurous life in music

Sunburnt Country Music ·

2025/12/06

Tom Macis a country music artist from south-east Queensland who has extensive experience as both a performing and recording artist, whose story – as I found out during this interview – has many strands to it, all of them weaving together to form the artist who is now releasing the songs he’s always wanted to bring to people, including his latest single, ‘Nomadic’.Mac was in his car when we spoke, with his guitar, Maton ECW80 cutaway, in the back seat, so I decided to start the conversation there,

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29:29

Sandy Louise on storytelling, community and ‘Tears in...

Sunburnt Country Music ·

2025/12/04

Newcastle, NSW artistSandy Louisestarted her musical life on flute and picked up guitar at the age of eighteen, which is also when she started writing songs – and songwriting has become a passion of hers.Influenced by Kasey Chambers, The Cranberries and Alanis Morissette, Sandy has been writing songs ever since and is now an integral member of the Australian Songwriters Association (ASA), acting as the regional coordinator in her area. In that capacity she organises open-mic nights – and it was at a

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30:53

Olive Mae on the amazing family story behind new...

Sunburnt Country Music ·

2025/11/30

Australians of a certain age who grew up in certain locations will remember El Caballo Blanco. It was a show featuring dancing white horses – hence the name – and as I grew up in Sydney, one of two Australian sites for El Caballo Blanco, I remember the TV ad, despite the fact I was only allowed to watch half an hour of television a day. That’s how effective the marketing machine of Western Australian artist Olive Mae’s grandfather was. Her grandfather was a remarkable entrepreneur who founded

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25:32

Sara Berki on songs, storytelling and her new EP Outrun

Sunburnt Country Music ·

2025/11/27

If Sydney-area country music artistSara Berkihad only released her EPIn the Neonearlier in the year, played her first headline tour – which was a two-set affair – as well as major festivals,andthe NRLW Grand Final, as well as two Golden Guitar nominations (for New Talent and Female Artist of the Year) that would be a year in which she could put her feet up by now and have earnt a rest. Instead, she has just released another EP,Outrun, which is moving and memorable, offering a different musical

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27:42

Tate Cole takes us down Whiskey River for his debut...

Sunburnt Country Music ·

2025/11/26

Tate Colegrew up on a small family farm in south-east Queensland, heavily involved in the rodeo scene from a young age, following the lead of his father. At the same time as he was taking his chances on horses and cattle, he was developing his musical talents. His mother encouraged him and his brother to learn piano even before they’d started school, and while he was still in primary school Cole asked if he could learn guitar.Growing up, he heard country tunes in the family car on the long drives

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44:40

Mak & Shar on the New Problems of their new album

Sunburnt Country Music ·

2025/11/24

Mak & Sharare a duo and they are also brothers. They have been making music together since childhood, as two-thirds of Brothers3, and also pursued music and musical studies individually. So they have already achieved a lot, and they’ve also been through a lot, which we have discussed in previous interviews and they elaborate on it in this one.Their debut album together is calledNew Problemsbut both the song and the album are uplifting – the new problems are not big problems. As Shar says during

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29:36

Andrew Swift on his Lucky Stars and big, meaningful year

Sunburnt Country Music ·

2025/11/18

As the saying goes, luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity. Three-time Golden Guitar winnerAndrew Swifthas named his latest albumLucky Stars, and it’s his document of the last few years in his life, which have been full of personal and professional opportunity – and the album itself is testament to the ‘preparation’ part of the equation.Swift is an accomplished and astute songwriter who also loves live performance, honing his sound and his instinct on the road to ensure he presents

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46:05

Fanny Lumsden on her new national tour and so much more

Sunburnt Country Music ·

2025/11/16

There will never not be a lot for me to talk to Fanny Lumsden about. The two-time ARIA and multiple Golden Guitar-winning singer, songwriter, videographer, tour specialist and joy bringer from the Upper Murray region of New South Wales has a full life that has this year seen her tour the United Kingdom and Ireland, supported Paul Kelly on his European and Australian tours, record new songs and release the single ‘Look At Me Now’ and itsaccompanying video, which features moments from Lumsden’s whole

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383 results

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