The Countrytown & KIX Country Centre Stage Artist is Kirsty Lee Akers

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

Proud of her Indigenous heritage as a woman of the Wonnarua people (Hunter Valley), Akers was born in the small town of Kurri Kurri, NSW. She first performed in public at three-years-old and recorded her first EP at 16. Akers is the only artist in history to have won three of the major prizes in Australian country music – Telstra Road To Discover (2006), Toyota Star Maker (2007) and a Golden Guitar Award (2008).

She had success with her albums Little Things (2007), Better Days (2009), Naked (2011) and Burn Baby Burn (2016), and Under My Skin (2018). The latter saw her in the producer’s seat for the first time, landed at #3 on the iTunes Country and ARIA Australian Country Albums chart upon release (as well as #5 ARIA Country Album, #8 ARIA Australian Album, and #29 all-genre ARIA Albums chart).

In 2021, Akers took home her second Golden Guitar Award for her ‘Vocal Collaboration of the Year’ rendition of John Williamson’s True Blue with Amber Lawrence, Aleyce Simmonds and Dianna Corcoran. She also formed her own record label, Rider Records, and competed on season 17 of the renovation reality series, The Block with husband Jesse Anderson.

Following the release of her sixth album WILD in April 2022, her latest single and first for 2023, Getting Over You, is a happy and jovial breakup song that puts a positive spin on an often messy affair. Recorded and produced by Akers and her long-time band members, Paul Bain and Dan Ebbels, Getting Over You is the breakup song to cure the breakup blues. 

Co-written by Akers and fellow hitmakers The Wolfe Brothers during the COVID-19 lockdown period, It brings forth the idea that even though relationships end, often, the two people would do it all over again because what they had was something special.

On the new single, Akers said, “Jesse (Anderson) and I often joke that if we ever broke up, we would have to meet up on the weekends because we would miss each other so much. Rather than being bitter and doing the things people expect when your relationship ends, this song is about being grateful with what you had, rather than something you regret.”

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Keep up to date with Kirsty Lee Akers on her Facebook page here.