Rachael FahimRachael Fahim’s rise has been meteoric - tantalising to watch. In a handful of years, the songbird - who boasts over 20 million streams to her name - has quickly cemented herself as one of the most promising and authentic voices in modern country-pop.
Breaking records and garnering prestige with her debut album Who You Are, Fahim is a trailblazer and an icon in the making - so where did it all begin?
“I have been doing music since I can remember,” the star explains warmly over Zoom. “I started lessons when I was eight, but even before then I would just be singing around the house, singing around the shopping centre, making sure that Mum could always hear me.
“It’s just always been something that I’ve done. And my parents were so incredibly supportive - from putting me in those singing lessons, to driving me around literally all of New South Wales doing talent quests and making sure I had opportunities to perform. I don’t remember the exact moment where I realised music was something I could do professionally. But I bet it was a good day.”
Fahim kicked off her exciting career by releasing her debut single Say It in 2015. At the 2017 Golden Guitar Awards, Fahim won the Toyota Star Maker Award, joining the ranks of past winners such as Keith Urban and Troy Cassar-Daley. Just two years later, she captivated audiences at SXSW in Austin, Texas. But the last couple of years in particular have been a total whirlwind for Fahim. Let’s break it down, shall we?
Fahim started writing and demoing for her debut album in 2020, just as the world started going into lockdown, dealing with the global pandemic of COVID-19.
In 2022, early demos were shared, and conversations started around a major label deal with Island.
In 2023, Fahim signed a global deal with Island Records Australia and continued writing and started recording what is now her debut album. Writing and recording between Sydney, LA and Nashville.
In late 2024, the signing to Island Records was announced and the first single, the deliriously catchy Dance Around It, was released.
Dave Simon (manager), Sean Warner (President UMANZ), Rachael Fahim and Nicole Richards (MD Island Records)
With multiple #1 singles on Australian Country Radio, she made history in 2025 as the only Australian female artist to score a #1 country radio hit that year - placing her among just two Australians to reach this milestone. The breakthrough also marked the first time in 22 years that a female country artist has broken through at full-scale commercial radio in Australia.
At this point, it’s safe to say that Fahim is a bit of a veteran performer, with over 1000 performances under her belt across her career to date. She has earned her stripes as a seasoned support act and toured heavily throughout 2025 with the likes of Pete Murray and Missy Higgins as well as doing her own headline shows and playing festivals across the country.
Rachael Fahim performing live.
In February 2025, Fahim was added to the All Country Australia showcase, where she caught the attention of US superstar Jordan Davis, who was headlining. That chance meeting turned into Davis inviting Fahim to join his Not Enough Road arena tour in March 2026, where she shared the bill with Tucker Wetmore and Vincent Mason as support acts and joined Davis on stage during his set for a duet of his hit Mess With Missing You each night.
In April 2026 at the APRA Music Awards, she was awarded her first APRA for Most Performed Country Work for the title track from her debut album Who You Are.
Rachael Fahim holding her APRA Award.
On May 1st 2026, Fahim released her long-awaited debut studio album, Who You Are, written and recorded across Sydney, Los Angeles, and Nashville.
Who You Are topped the charts on release, debuting at #1 on both the ARIA Australian album chart and #1 on the ARIA Australian country chart.
Rachael Fahim holding her ARIA #1 Award.
In June 2026, Fahim played CMA Fest in Nashville for the first time and is making major inroads in the US country music capital.
Rachael Fahim at CMA Fest.
Suffice it to say, Fahim has been keeping busy - and is over the moon to finally have Who You Are unleashed into the world.
“It was such a long time coming,” she says. “I’m so incredibly proud of this album. It feels pretty amazing to have so much of myself wrapped up in this album and to have people accept it and embrace all of the songs the way they have.”
Performing shows and watching her fans sing her songs back to her has been the highlight of the past few months. “It’s just been really surreal.”
The process of making an album was a significant learning curve for Fahim, in comparison to making an EP.
“With the album, I got to collaborate a whole lot more. I was more hands-on with the album. The whole process was quite intricate, and that’s not something that I got to do with the EP. So that was fun,” she smiles. “I got to do a lot of experimenting and leaning into different genres. The creative process just felt a bit more refined. It felt really special to be able to explore songwriting more and to grow as a songwriter.”
Luckily for Fahim’s fans, she is keen to get back into the studio. “I think I learned a lot with this album, so I don’t think the next one will be as scary. But there’s always things to learn, and I think each process is going to be different than the last. But I’m excited for Album Number 2.”
Though life has been hectic, Fahim does a good job of managing to stay grounded and grateful. “It is challenging, being on the road, being away from family and friends. But it’s also the most amazing experience ever, being able to roll into a new town and experience playing to different people.
“It’s chaotic in the best way. And I do feel lucky that I get to do this. But also, being on the road means that I get to go back to my accommodation afterwards and eat chicken nuggets, guilt-free,” she laughs. “I earned it!”
Fahim is certainly entitled to as many chicken nuggets as she wants, given the level of hard work she has committed to over the past few years.
“In my twenties I did a lot of growing,” she says soberly. “But I think one of the biggest things I learned was just the value of showing up. This is the career that I’ve chosen to do: to be an artist. And it isn’t just built from one big moment; it’s built from a series of little moments.
“Playing the small shows, writing the songs, sending the emails, learning from the setbacks and then showing up the next day, dealing with the ups and downs. You have to really know yourself and know that you’re going to be okay. You have to keep at it and love the process.”
The near future doesn’t look any less busy for Fahim. “I do have a couple more songs coming out,” she beams. “One is next week.” She has also been working on acoustic versions of all the tracks on Who You Are. “Those are dropping basically right until the end of September, which is so exciting. Reimagining those songs has been really cool.”
She confirms that she is preparing for that hallowed project, Album Number 2, as well as doing “more writing, more shows, and more collaborations with other artists.”
But there is one particular thing on the menu for the very near future, if Rachael Fahim can manage to squeeze it in: “Sleep!”
Who You Are is out now via Island Records Australia.
