This Album Changed My Life: Josie On Morgan Wallen's 'If I Know Me'

Josie is currently promoting her emotional, introspective new single dedicated to her Dad – and all the freight drivers out there – Freight Man, a touching ode from daughter to father.

The artist based in Townsville made her debut earlier this year with the single Down Here, but something about Freight Man’s subject matter will guarantee even more listeners.

“It has references to some of the quirky little moments I vividly remember about my truck trips,” Josie stated in a press release. “Like collecting the bull dust in Tupperware to take home and play with and us kids running up the driveway when Dad was coming home, with him, of course blasting the street down with the horn.”

To celebrate the release, Countrytown caught up with Josie to learn about an album that changed her life – If I Know Me, the 2018 debut album from US country star Morgan Wallen.

Josie – This Album Changed My Life: If I Know Me by Morgan Wallen

Growing up, I listened to such a wide range of music that one day, we’d be in the car rapping Eminem on the way to school, and on the way home, we’d be belting out some INXS. Then we’d pop the CMT channel on for dinner and have Alan Jackson bumping in the background. I truly had such a diverse exposure to music as a kid, which I’m so grateful for because it has made me so appreciative of music and all the little things I feel music nerds will understand. 

An album that really changed my life, however, and changed my whole outlook on my music career was Morgan Wallen’s debut album If I Know Me. I vividly remember listening to this one on absolute repeat during its year of release, 2018, also the year I attended the CMAA Junior Academy and the year I managed to get mosh pit tickets to his open act show for Florida Georgia Line up in Cairns (believe me there were plenty of tears shed). 

I feel hearing this album and falling in love with it the year I attended the Academy was only fate; let me dive into the fresh American country music sound and realise how much I was obsessed with the production on all the tracks, the melodies, the lyrics, it really sent me down a rabbit hole finding artists that were similar or had worked with people he had worked with, just to keep diving deeper into this new web of country music I’d found. 

Then, getting to see him perform most of the songs off this album at his open act slot in March 2019 from right up on the barrier, I was in absolute awe. But I also couldn’t understand why most of the other people around me weren’t as equally enthused, hahaha. In my eyes, he stole the show that night from FGL, and his band’s performance was phenomenal on top of it all; it really started this burning fire desire to become the person up on that stage. Never looked back!

Top pick tracks: Whatcha’ Know Bout That, Chasin’ You and Talkin’ Tennessee 

Next month, fans can catch Josie perform at the JC Uni Bar in Townsville with mentor and fellow Australian country singer Travis Collins.

JOSIE

Saturday 9 December – Gone Country w/ Travis Collins at JCU Uni Bar, Townsville, QLD

Tickets here.