Tim Daley’s four Aussie artists to watch in 2019

Country Music Channel’s (CMC) group program director Tim Daley picks out four country music artists destined to make a splash in 2019.

Ben Leece

His debut album No Wonder The World Is Exhausted sounds like it could be his third. With the Americana lane of country music starting to gain popularity with mainstream listeners, Ben is well positioned to raise his profile. Shane Nicholson produced this one and helped deliver his songs with a hint of The Replacements and a touch of Woody Guthrie.

Freya Josephine Hollick

The Victorian singer-songwriter follows her 2018 album Feral Fusion with an upcoming trip to the US to record with Buick 6 – Lucinda Williams‘ backing band. Freya’s unique voice mixes country with a variety of styles. Expect a new album along with a documentary that follows her journey from country Victoria to the USA in 2019.

Abbie Ferris

The South Australian pop-country artist is one of many inspired by Taylor Swift and Kelsea Ballerini. Her first single ‘For A Moment’ was released in 2018 and she’s back in the studio with Michael Carpenter. Abbie has a knack for a hook and there is a great chance 2019 will see her break through to a wider audience.

Brad Butcher

The singer-songwriter has delivered eight video clips to CMC over the past five years, but it was 2018 when he really started having impact with songs like ‘From The Bottom of A Well’ and ‘Crawl Beg & Cry’. His Golden Guitar for Best New Artist demonstrated his appeal with country fans. 2019 should see him win over many more.