The Countrytown & KIX Country Centre Stage Artist is Bella Mackenzie

Countrytown in partnership with KIX Country is proud to announce Bella Mackenzie as this week’s ‘Centre Stage’ artist. Every week we'll be shining a light on a single artist every week across all platforms including online features, airplay, and social support.

Growing up in Central Queensland, Bella lived on-site at her family’s hotel motel in the coal mining town of Moranbah, Queensland and was surrounded by live music every week. The emerging singer-songwriter taught herself guitar by watching video tutorials on YouTube and entered her first country music talent competition at the age of 12, shortly writing her first song.

As a child, her parents were heavy into the country music scene, although Bella favoured artists like Katy Perry and other pop artists. It wasn’t until her first Lee Kernaghan concert in Mackay at 12-year-sold that she fell in love with country music, its crowds and atmosphere of the live shows. The CMAA Academy of Music graduate now cites Carly Pearce, Maren Morris, Chris Stapleton and Cody Johnson as some of her biggest country music influences today.

Bella released her debut single, Dance In The Rain, in May 2020. The singles Ain’t For You (April 2021), Make Me Wanna Love You (November 2021) and Miss You No More (May 2022) followed. The latter, being an uptempo, feel good country pop song that reflects on shutting the door on a relationship that you no longer want in your life, peaked at #13 on the Countrytown Hot 50 Country Airplay Chart. It currently sits at #17 after seven weeks on the chart.

Her next single, 1,2,3 – You and Me is set for release on August 5. Produced by multi–Golden Guitar winner Rod McCormack, the song was co-written with Bryce Sainty.

Bella says, “Inspired by the sounds of old school Jackson 5 to contemporary Dan + Shay with a hint of 90's Country, this song has something for everyone. Inspired by some of my favourite things living in the country, pickup trucks around a fire, country music blaring and that one crush that you can't help but want to talk to, that is the story of 1,2,3 – You and Me.”

In 2021, Bella was named as the inaugural winner of the KIX Start competition, a collaboration between Groundwater Country Music Festival and KIX Country Radio Network designed to discover budding country music stars and to help KIX-Start their career.

She has since played at big festivals like Groundwater Country Music Festival, NQ’s Rock’n Country Music Festival and Country On Keppel, and supported artists like Brad Cox, Hurricane Fall, Andrew Swift, Graeme Connors, James Johnston, Hinterland and Melanie Dyer.

Other accolades include being named the 2020 People’s Choice winner in the Toyota Tamworth Country Music Festival Busking Championship and earlier this year, she received a Queensland Music Award ‘Youth (Aged 10-17)’ nomination for Ain’t For You.

Bella is also a brand ambassador for Wrangler, Bullzeye, Pure Western, Thomas Cook, and Twisted X, and ZALA Hair Extensions.

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Keep up to date with Bella Mackenzie on her Facebook page here.