Bella Mackenzie & Homegrown Trio Go Back To Their Roots With 'Grew Up Country' Collab

Rising star Bella Mackenzie first shared the stage with Liam O’Donoghue of Homegrown Trio during her early years, and today has brought things full circle in the sweetest way possible. 

Her new single Grew Up Country, featuring the North Queensland siblings Homegrown Trio, cements a full-circle moment: from childhood talent quests and pub gigs to releasing a fully realised collaboration that feels both nostalgic and fresh.

Hailing from Moranbah, Mackenzie grew up steeped in country sounds, Lee Kernaghan and Kasey Chambers felt like a soundtrack to her life in rural Queensland. Homegrown Trio, siblings Katelyn, Liam, and Kasey O’Donoghue, share similar roots, raising their voices amidst cattle stations and country roads before stepping up to bigger stages. Together, they’ve created Grew Up Country, a song that celebrates resilience, small-town pride, and the unshakable identity that comes with growing up in the bush.

What sets this track apart is that it’s rare in the country music world to see a band and solo artist stepping into the spotlight together in this way. Mackenzie’s warm, emotive vocals lead the story; Homegrown Trio add rich harmonies and a depth that elevates the song into full-band anthem territory. The collaboration is more than just a feature, it’s a bold and standout move.

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The music video, released alongside the single, doubles down on the full-circle energy. Interwoven with footage of Mackenzir alongside Homegrown Trio as children, performing shows, singing in pub halls, living their best country lives, the visuals make it clear where this connection began. 

Eagle-eyed fans will also spot the captured moments when Mackenzie and Liam shared the stage at a country music festival talent quest in their early days. The best part is, they didn’t realise it until the footage was rediscovered recently when looking back through the old footage, a moment that makes this collaboration feel very apt.

Bella explains it best: “Writing this song brought back so many nostalgic memories from my childhood, growing up in the country. It fills me with immense pride & gratitude to be able to put that experience into a song for others to relate to & reminisce on their own experiences growing up in the country.”

Homegrown Trio echo that sentiment by adding “‘Grew Up Country’ is about the roots that shape you, and working with Bella, who shares that same love for the lifestyle, brought a real authenticity to the track. It feels like a piece of home wrapped up in a song. We all grew up with that country lifestyle ‒ singing in the living room, riding horses on the weekends, and blasting our favourite country records while cruising around in Mum and Dad’s old car. So working with Bella on Grew Up Country just felt natural, like singing with family.”

The collaboration proves something special, when artists who share genuine histories team up, the result is more than the sum of their parts. Grew Up Country might just be as authentic as you can get.