Australia’s new wave of songwriters is here; weaving folk, alt-country, Americana and beyond, these emerging artists are reimagining roots traditions with fresh stories, sounds, and perspectives.
Country music in Australia is having a moment. These emerging artists are stretching the genre’s boundaries, combining traditional storytelling with folk harmonies, indie-rock energy, and even cosmic-country textures.
From community radio to regional festivals, their songs carry the grit of the land and the intimacy of lived experience, proving that Aussie country is bigger, richer, and more diverse than ever.
There’s something about country music in Australia that feels older than all of us, like it’s been carried on the wind long before we found the words to sing it.
It comes from the dirt under our fingernails, the rusted fences along back roads, the sea spray that clings to small coastal towns.
It’s music that remembers, heartbreak, hope, the long drive home in the dark and music that believes in what might come next.
Right now, a new wave of artists is carrying that flame forward. They’re reshaping what it means to write about their country without breaking its bones, weaving in folk, indie, rock, even cosmic shimmer, but still holding tight to the stories that matter most.
Their songs move between wide skies and intimate corners, between resilience and tenderness, giving us something that feels both timeless and utterly of this moment.
These are must-listen emerging artists in Aus right now
JB Paterson
From his solar-powered cabin in Cedar Creek, JB Paterson spins modern folk-blues with timeless grit. His fourth album Whole World’s Gone Mad, And So Have I deepens his gift for vivid storytelling, marrying raw intimacy with sharp-eyed social reflection.
Team Love
Team Love weaves dusty roots, haunting harmonies, and contemporary alt-country into songs that feel both timeless and unmistakably Australian. Their music carries love, loss, and identity across landscapes big and small, leaving every listener both moved and understood.
Ely McK and The Unbelievers
Ely McK & The Unbelievers fuse alt-country, Americana, and folk into songs that linger like dust on open roads. Haunting harmonies, raw storytelling, and foot-stomping grooves carve out a sound that’s distinctly Australian, timeless, and impossible to ignore.
Folk Bitch Trio
If you didnt already know this folk outfit then you are in for a treat. Melbourne’s Folk Bitch Trio Gracie, Jeanie, and Heide craft harmonies that feel like voices shaped by shared stories and sacred bonds. Their songs mix heartbreak, wit, and timeless folk tradition, playful yet profound, pulling the genre into the present with unmistakable intimacy and charm.
Emily Lubitz
Emily Lubitz steps into the spotlight with a voice both tender and potent, carrying stories of love, loss, and heritage. Her debut solo work, Two Black Horses, weaves heartfelt nuance with timeless country and folk, painting songs that linger long after they end.
Charlie Ivan Band
Charlie Ivan Band channels the endless red plains of Arrernte Country, where isolation and wide skies seep into every note. Brooding piano, subtle rhythms, and haunting harmonies carry tales of longing, regret, and introspection, creating a debut that feels both intimate and cinematic, like a storm rolling across the desert at dusk.
Minor Gold
Minor Gold’s harmonies float like sun-dappled desert highways, weaving 70s-inspired folk-rock with cosmic Americana. Dan Parsons and Tracy McNeil’s voices lock in with uncanny ease, carrying songs of intimacy, open-road freedom, and timeless charm, leaving a quiet echo that resonates with you.
Georgia Mulligan
Georgia Mulligan blends alt-pop, rock, and subtle folk into songs that linger between introspection and connection. Her voice, striking and emotive, carries stories of growth and discovery, guiding listeners through layered, cinematic soundscapes that feel both intimate and expansive.
Cathy Diver
Cathy Diver mixes sunny psychedelia with moments of shadow, crafting songs that fizz with curiosity and heart. Backed by a band as dynamic as her vision, her music transforms everyday life into shimmering, electrified stories that linger long after they end.
Rah
Based in Sydney, Raghav Iyer aka Rah, channels his passion for writing, recording, and mixing into a sound that blends country, Americana, and experimental textures. His reflective melodies and evocative guitar work drift between dream and reality, revealing a quietly progressive roots vision.
Grand Pricks
Hailing from Newcastle, Grand Pricks are the city’s “most dangerous country boogie band.” Led by Lachlan Morris, the band delivers tongue-in-cheek, full-throttle country, powered by guitar-monies, drums, bass, and soaring electric riffs. With singles like ‘Chill Pills’ and ‘Curl Up ‘N’ Die’, they dominate local venues, festivals, and ABC Country airwaves.
Beryl
Sydney’s Beryl blends art-folk and indie-rock into introspective, cathartic songs. With blunt yet vulnerable lyricism and intricate arrangements, their music drifts from intimate reflection to expansive resonance, earning critical acclaim and a devoted following both locally and abroad.
Charlie Collins
From the country town of Tamworth to the stages of Sydney and beyond, Charlie Collins has honed a voice both fearless and intimate. Her music, steeped in country tradition yet unafraid to wander across genres, explores love, loss, and the hard-won light after darkness.
On Nightwriter, Collins balances confessional storytelling with melodic ingenuity, blending late-night, bruised honesty, and bursts of playful chaos. Collins’ music feels lived-in, rooted in country soil but always reaching outward, an evolving testament to resilience, reflection, and the art of making space for your own story.
Way Dynamick
Melbourne’s Dylan Young, also of Snowy Band and Cool Sounds, channels his restless creativity into Way Dynamick. His debut EP What’s It All For Now marries warm piano-led folk with 70s-inspired melodies, weaving nostalgia, intimacy, and melodic craftsmanship into every note.
Ella Ion
Hailing from Kaurna Land, Adelaide, Ella Ion weaves intimate country-folk with post-rock intensity. Her 2023 debut Waiting explores longing, growth, and raw emotion, guided by playful yet vulnerable lyricism, drawing inspiration from Big Thief, Nick Cave, and Portishead.
Matty Groves
Melbourne-based Matty Groves blends psychedelic folk, and alt-rock, with Charlotte Rankin’s ethereal vocals and Alex Flaskas’ saxophone weaving through dreamy, 60s/70s-inspired soundscapes. His album Aurelia is a hypnotic journey of texture, melody, and soul-stirring imagination.
Winter McQuinn
Winter McQuinn, hailing from Melbourne, crafts songs that drift between folk, psych, and soft rock, fusing 60s/70s sonic warmth with contemporary reflection. From A Rabble of Bees to Move to the Trees, his music evokes endless skies, quiet introspection and textured dreamy landscapes.
Wil Linder
Hailing from the rural outskirts of Greater Sydney, Wil Linder fuses country storytelling with rock’s raw energy. His single ‘Twenty One’ reflects the highs, lows, and quiet heartbreak of early adulthood, carried by layered guitars and husky vocals. Restless and heartfelt, Linder is shaping a sound that’s entirely his own.
Bonniesongs
Bonniesongs, Irish-born and Sydney-based, creates immersive art-folk and dream-pop, blending ethereal vocals with intricate guitar, subtle jazz improvisation, and experimental textures. Her music drifts between hazy intimacy and edgy exploration, crafting soundscapes that are both otherworldly and deeply emotive.
James Thomson
James Thomson is a Newcastle-based singer-songwriter whose alt-country, folk, and Americana sound has evolved with each album. His 2020 release Golden Exile blends lyricism with rich instrumentation, reflecting influences from 60s–70s folk rock, country soul, and classic rock, capturing optimism, heartbreak, and the beauty of creative exploration.
Sarah Levins
Sarah Levins navigates Sydney’s music scene with quiet intent, crafting intricately arranged folk that echoes Joni Mitchell and Laura Marling. Her music builds from soft guitar strums into expansive, playful compositions, blending intimacy with inventive production. With her new release ‘Dandelion’, Levins marks an exciting evolution in her deliberate, dynamic artistry.
Rowan S Kaine
Rowan S. Kaine’s debut EP, Sugar Gum Rise, offers a heartfelt journey through rural folk landscapes, with banjo, resonator guitar, and accordion framing his homespun, lyrical voice. Steeped in folk tradition, Kaine blends wry humour, aching ballads, and intimate storytelling, crafting music that feels both timeless and deeply personal.
Freya Josephine Hollick
Freya Josephine Hollick, the cosmic country singer-songwriter from Ballarat, Victoria, blends ethereal vocals with deeply honest storytelling. Drawing inspiration from Townes Van Zandt, Lucinda Williams, and classic country pioneers, her work spans intimate meditation and cosmic sonic exploration across four acclaimed albums.
Emily Wurramara
Emily Wurramara, a Warnindhilyagwa singer-songwriter from Groote Eylandt, is a powerful voice in contemporary Indigenous music. She sings in both English and her traditional language, Anindilyakwa. Her award-winning music tells stories of country, family, and culture, exploring the contrasts between her island home and life on the mainland.
Winner of Artist of the Year at the 2025 NIMAs and Best Adult Contemporary Album at the 2024 ARIAs, her work blends cultural storytelling with modern pop and soulful lyricism.
Charlie Finn
Ohio-born and now based in NSW, Charlie Finn is carving out a space in Australia’s alt-country scene. From his 2021 EP Peace of Mind to his latest single ‘Rust Buckle Paradise’, Finn’s songs brim with candour, grit, and melodic honesty.
Ruth Parker
Melbourne-based songwriter Ruth Parker threads haunting lyricism with delicate guitar and ukulele, shaping songs of dislocation and renewal. Her debut Cul de Sac, born from a move from WA, distills vulnerability into melodies that echo Joni Mitchell and Conor Oberst.
