Casey BarnesWhen Casey Barnes welcomes Countrytown into his Gold Coast home, it’s impossible to miss his spare room, which is filled with his trademark trucker caps.
“I have a ridiculous amount of caps,” Casey admits. “It’s borderline obsessive.”
An American company, Goorin Bros, regularly sends the country star a box of caps. “I’ve got one for every mood,” he smiles.
A trusty trucker cap will be perched on the singer’s head when he kicks off his national tour at the Forth Pub in Tasmania.
This is not just any gig. This was ground zero for the artist, the Town Of A Million Dreams. It was here that a tentative teenager stepped on stage for the very first time, playing Eric Clapton’s Tears In Heaven with his mother’s friend’s band when he was just 15.
“I love it for so many reasons,” Casey says of the pub, which is 10km out of Devonport. “I remember going there for counter meals with mum and dad, and the first time I was ever invited to jam with a band was at that pub.
“So many great memories.”
Casey Barnes has never forgotten where he came from, though it’s been a long trip from Forth and back. Along the way, he’s had 15 number one hits on country radio, won three Golden Guitar Awards, a couple of APRA Awards, an ARIA for Best Country Album, as well as a gig at Stagecoach, the world’s biggest country music festival.
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His eighth studio album, Made For This – his strongest collection yet – shows he’s definitely not slowing down, though it does include a moment of reflection.
“This ain’t no race,” he sings in Time To Burn. “If you’re always in such a rush, you gotta know when you got enough.”
Time To Burn is a duet with Pete Murray, which also gave Casey pause to reflect on how far he’s come. It was Pete’s rise, with the album Feeler, that provided Casey with his first big break.
When Pete was making the transition from rugby to music, he did a series of corporate gigs for John Eales, Australia’s most successful rugby captain. But when Pete’s career took off, Eales needed a replacement, and that’s when Casey stepped in.
“I got the gig, and Pete came along to one of the games when I was performing. We hit it off straight away, and he said, ‘Mate, if there’s ever anything I can do for you, or if you ever need any advice …’”
It was the start of an enduring friendship. “We often call each other and spitball ideas,” Casey says. “We talk about the industry, and now I’m actually able to sometimes give him advice.”
And the best advice in Time To Burn?
“Hold your loved ones, hold ’em close. They’re the things that mean the most.”
Made For This is a story of resilience, belief and never giving up. And Casey pays tribute to his biggest supporter, his wife Michelle, in two songs: She Does and The Woman That You Are.
“I wouldn’t be doing this without the support of my family, my wife in particular,” Casey explains. “The music industry is a tough business; there are times when you question whether you’ll stick at it. But she has always believed in me.”
Casey wrote The Woman That You Are with Hayley Warner, who he met when they both made the Australian Idol Top 12 in 2009. After finishing runner-up to Stan Walker, Hayley forged a songwriting career in LA, writing songs for Kelly Clarkson, Katy Perry, JoJo, Nickelback, Tina Arena, and Calum Scott.
“I went to Hayley with the idea for the song. She’s also close friends with Michelle and knows our whole backstory, so it was the perfect match.”
“You guided me home when I was lost and alone,” Casey sings. “Now forever, I’ll try to be half the man of the woman that you are.”
For She Does, Casey ventured to Nashville, where he caught up with Aussie ex-pat Jordan Dozzi, who introduced him to American writer Kyle Sturrock.
“Jordan has a great story,” Casey reveals, “which ties in with the whole theme of this album about not giving up.”
Jordan relocated to the US on a soccer scholarship. But he turned to songwriting when a torn ACL derailed his sporting dreams. He’s now written chart-topping hits for Post Malone, Blake Shelton, Morgan Wallen, and Eric Church.
“Jordan is signed to Big Loud, and he’s a really great songwriter. Kyle [who co-wrote Blake Shelton’s Texas] was in the building that day, so he introduced me to him. We knocked out She Does; it was a great day.”
Casey has his own sporting past, growing up playing Aussie Rules in Devonport, alongside future Richmond champ Matthew Richardson. He’s a passionate Hawthorn supporter, though he’s looking forward to adopting the Tassie Devils as his second team when they enter the AFL in 2028.
After moving to the Gold Coast, Casey also embraced rugby league. Indeed, the title track of the new album – “a song about backing yourself when everything’s on the line” – has become the soundtrack to Channel Nine’s NRL coverage. Any chance Casey will be performing at this year’s Grand Final?
“Geez, mate, that would be the dream come true.
“The NRL have been incredibly supportive, and Channel Nine have been smashing it all year.”
Channel Nine have also expressed interest in Casey’s new single, Still In The Fight, which Casey wrote with an old friend, Mark Duckworth, who’s also the director of the Groundwater Country Music Festival.
“I had the music, and I knew the vibe I was after,” Casey explains. “And Ducky wrote the lyrics. They were just spot on. It’s my whole life story, from starting out to now – the ups and downs, not giving up on the dream, and being lucky enough to be where I am now.”
The song tells the tale of a hard-won victory.
“Round after round, still taking the hits/People let me down easy with the lies on their lips/Might have me on the ropes, but I’m still in the fight.”
Casey finished the song with his long-time producers and collaborators Michael Paynter and Michael DeLorenzis.
“This might be the best song you’ve ever written,” Michael Paynter remarked when he heard it.
The Michaels – whose production team is known as MSquared – co-wrote six of the new tracks.
“They come from a pop headspace, while I’m coming from a country headspace, and we’ve blended those two things,” Casey explained to me in 2022. “This magic seems to happen when we work together.”
Michael Paynter has become one of the busiest artists in Australian music, playing with Jimmy Barnes and ICEHOUSE, touring with his own Great Australian Songbook Tour, as well as playing Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar, and John Farnham in Whispering Jack: The John Farnham Musical, which premieres in Sydney in November. But he always makes time to work with Casey.
“We hit it off straight away,” Casey says. “And they’ve become super-close friends as well.”
Asked about the lessons he’s learned along the way, Casey says, “Gee whiz, the longer I’ve done it, the wiser I’ve got.
“Just never give up.
“I’ve also learned about getting the balance right: when you really, really want something, you don’t need to push too hard. Sometimes when you push too hard, you can nearly push the dream away.
“It’s all about getting that balance right and then being ready for the opportunity when it presents itself.”
A good example came when Casey was playing at CMC Rocks – unaware that the promoter of Stagecoach, the mega country music festival in California, was standing side of stage.
“The next thing we know, we’re playing main stage at Stagecoach. It was just a dream come true.”
The Saturday line-up at Stagecoach featured Miranda Lambert, Post Malone, Willie Nelson and … Casey Barnes.
“I grew up playing footy,” Casey replies when asked to explain the experience. “There’s no better feeling than being lucky enough to play in a grand final and this was a similar feeling.
“You’ve worked so hard, so many people have been involved – it’s a big team effort. To just get out there and do it – and not stuff up – was something I’ll always remember.”
He’ll also never forget the backstage scene. Everywhere he and his band looked, they spied another celebrity. Cindy Crawford. Megan Fox. The boys from Blink-182. When Casey spotted Shawn Mendes, he informed the Canadian star, “My daughter’s a massive fan.”
“Before I could even finish the sentence, he said, ‘Give me your phone’, and he did a quick shout-out video.”
Yep, it’s been a remarkable ride. But somehow Casey has managed to keep his feet firmly on the ground, remembering that family, friends and fans come first.
We celebrate the new album with a quiet whisky, which seems appropriate as there are a couple of references to Casey’s drink of choice on the new record. “Make the whisky strong,” he declares in Round Here, while Time To Burn comes with the tip: “Go where no boss can reach you, where the whisky flows all night.”
As Casey turns to his liquor cabinet, he confides: “I’m not too fussy when it comes to whisky. Your Black Label Johnnie Walker is not too bad, Maker’s Mark is pretty good, and the Dimple is another good one … as I said, I’m not fussy.”
As we toast the new record, one of the new songs, Rough Around The Edges, plays. “It’s got a few dings,” Casey sings. “Learned a few things. Came out better for it – least I think.”
Having followed Casey’s career since his early work with Rick Price, it’s been fascinating to chart his rise. As well as dedicating himself to the craft of songwriting, Casey has forged a genuine connection with his fans.
Through it all – “All the miles I’ve taken this guitar, all the highs and lows” – he’s stayed the same easygoing guy. Treating his fans with respect, and steadfast in his belief in the value of teamwork and working hard. And he’s not afraid to wear his heart on his sleeve.
The result? Sometimes, a nice guy finishes first.
If the cap fits…
Casey Barnes’ Made For This is out now. Tickets to his Australian tour are on sale now.
Casey Barnes – Made For This Tour
Saturday, August 8th – Miami Marketta, Gold Coast, QLD
Tuesday, August 11th – The Tivoli, Brisbane, QLD
Friday, August 14th – The Espy, St Kilda, VIC
Saturday, August 15th – Barwon Heads Hotel, Barwon Heads, VIC
Friday, August 21st – Great Western Hotel, Rockhampton, QLD
Saturday, August 22nd – Harvey Road Tavern, Gladstone, QLD
Friday, Sept 4th – Tanks Arts Centre, Cairns, QLD
Saturday, Sept 5th – Dalrymple Hotel, Townsville, QLD
Saturday, Sept 12th – Triple B Rodeo, Caboolture, QLD
Saturday, Sept 19th – Penrith Panthers, Caboolture, QLD
Saturday, October 3rd – Deni Ute Muster, Sydney, NSW
Saturday,8 November 28th – Launceston Country Music Festival, Launceston, TAS
This piece of content has been assisted by the Australian Government through Music Australia and Creative Australia, its arts funding and advisory body
