Canada's musical landscape continues to blossom with the emergence of young talent like Elyse Saunders. With her latest single, "Never Have I Ever," climbing the Canadian Country Top 40 Charts, Elyse is making waves both at home and abroad. Notably, her collaboration with Rae Leigh on the Songwriter Trysts podcast provided a captivating glimpse into her musical journey, highlighting her passion, perseverance, and the soaring success of her latest endeavors. As her star continues to ascend, Elyse Saunders stands poised to leave an indelible mark on the global country music scene, enchanting audiences with her heartfelt melodies and authentic storytelling.

Connect with Elyse Saunders:

Bass player, producer and songwriter Zac Watson from Melbourne shares of his journey as an artists, bass player, rock n' roll lover and country music band member turning into full time songwriter producer with the release of his first single as a solo artist.

In addition to his talents as a performer and songwriter, Zac is also a formidable force in the realm of music production. Armed with a keen ear for detail and a passion for sonic innovation, he brings a unique perspective to the studio, blending analog warmth with digital precision to create rich, immersive soundscapes that resonate with audiences on a visceral level. From crafting intricate arrangements to sculpting the perfect mix, Zac's production skills elevate every project he touches, imbuing it with a timeless allure and cinematic grandeur.

Connect with Zac

Creative writer, novelist, children’s books, and songs, Tess Rowley joins Rae Leigh in an intimate discussion about creative writing, her work with not-for-profits, and child advocacy work.

Earlier in 2024 Tess received the Medal Order of Australia or an OAM for her incredible work in serving the community. A lifetime of dedication and using her creative writing skills to bless generations of children and women, all over the world. Her most famous book, commissioned for a purpose by an NFP, was initially banned by ABC and then sold out in Australia. Listen to the story behind her groundbreaking work and intimate experiences she has had and how she has used her gifts to share her and other’s stories to benefit the community.

Youtube Tess Rowley

The Really Good Bookshop

Robbie Mortimer is an Australian singer songwriter who has recenetly come back after a 3 year break while he went through personal and professional development to bring his best to the world. His new single is called Blow The Speakers and has country all over it. Living on the farm with a large family of boys who were all very much sports focused Robbie talks about his experince being a creative songwriting lover who was the youngest of a large family. His love of music and performing relaly shows through his podcast and performance and we know as you listen and get to know him you will learn to love him and his music as much as we do.

Connect with Robbie here:

Bass player, producer and songwriter Zac Watson from Melbourne shares of his journey as an artists, bass player, rock n' roll lover and country music band member turning into full time songwriter producer with the release of his first single as a solo artist.

In addition to his talents as a performer and songwriter, Zac is also a formidable force in the realm of music production. Armed with a keen ear for detail and a passion for sonic innovation, he brings a unique perspective to the studio, blending analog warmth with digital precision to create rich, immersive soundscapes that resonate with audiences on a visceral level. From crafting intricate arrangements to sculpting the perfect mix, Zac's production skills elevate every project he touches, imbuing it with a timeless allure and cinematic grandeur.

Connect with Zac

Avery Harden is an American songwriter and self-proclaimed positive rapper. We dive into his roots in Christian music, Christian rap, Disney influence, and faith upbringing.

Avery is an independent artist who collaborates, tours, and recently released his second album Atlantis II. Coming to tour in Australia in October 2024 we were excited to discuss his music, positive influences and journey as an artist chasing his dreams.

connect with Avery:

Check out his podcast too here: ABOV The Multiverse

Max Jackson, 2024 Golden Guitar winner at Tamworth awards in Australia. Max is a songwriter and singer and we talk about how it was the songwriting that came first for her. Writing for almost 12 years before releasing her first single in 2020 she found her voice and purpose and she has been living it with passion. Lots of encouragement as a Toyota Star Maker competition winner. She can write a song, hold a tune, and entertain your boots off. So grateful to have spent some time getting to know our newest superstar to country music in Australia and you will be too.

Connect with Max:

Sue Ray gets real with their discussion on neurodiverse conditions and the impact that has had on Sue as a woman, mother, and musician. Her inspirational story is a testament that there is always another way to keep looking for your people. Sue is bravely stepping into her power as a songwriting coach, artist, and indigenous advocate through Qmusic in Brisbane Australia and we are so glad to have had the chance to have her on the show.

Sue Ray, the winner of the 2022 QMusic Blues’n’roots award, is an Australian Indigenous multi-award-winning singer/songwriter who captivates audiences with her original brand of country/blues and roots music, smoky rich voice, and high-energy performances.

Often compared to such artists as Bonnie Raitt, Chris Stapleton, and Lucinda Williams, Sue’s sound crosses genres allowing her to appeal to a wide audience demographic. Sue recently returned to Australia after being based in Nashville, where she worked alongside industry greats and connected into the scene, gigging and writing. Sue has a Diploma of Film & Television, Cert IV in Contemporary Music, Certificate in Sound Engineering and video production, and has completed a songwriting course at the Songpreneurs Retreat in Nashville TN.

Connect with Sue:

Wesley Dean, an Adelaide-born singer-songwriter has been living in Nashville since March 2021 the height of the pandemic, and moved there with his wife and kids.

After winning Australian Idol in 2008 he discusses in the interview his dance with his ego and how he needed to have kids, get married, and live life before he had something he felt was worth saying. Coming in his new album which we eagerly anticipate.

Live from Sol Train studios in Nashville they have given us a great interview today with their help with recording the audio for this podcast interview with Wesley as he was in the studio recording.

Connect with Wesley:

Bonus episode this week with The Hey Mate Project, a mental health company building awareness and supporting creative industries including Qmusic in Brisbane. Host Rae Leigh interviews guest Aimee Davies the founder of Hey Mate Project. This is a great conversation about the company and how they started, what they are doing, and why it's so important for us as artists to take care of our mental health. Aimee goes into the difference between mental health and mental illness, the struggles the music industry has had in comparison to other creative industries, and the impact they hope to have. Aimee gives great advice about what we can do to lift the industry and take better care of each other.

Connect with They Hey Mate Project here: