Brad Cox, Tyla Rodrigues & Melanie Dyer Among Aussies Heading To Nashville's CMA Fest

While Keith Urban was announced as one of CMA Fest's headliners last month, the US audience will also be exposed to a batch of rising acts from the Southern Hemipshere.

Brad Cox

When the annual CMA Fest takes place in the southern US this June, there will be a solid contingency of acts from even further south joining the bill, with a batch of Australian and New Zealand artist announced on the line-up.

Having announced their initial line-up back in February, fans of the Nashville event – which runs from June 4th-7th – were undeniably pleased to see such a strong showing of iconic names on offer.

Alongside acts such as Tim McGraw, Jason Aldrean, Carly Pearce, Shaboozey, Cody Johnson, Gretchen Wilson, Riley Green, and much more, there was a bit of local representation by way of Australian country veteran Keith Urban.

Now, CMA Fest have dropped their full line-up for the June event, with a massive roster of acts joining their daytime festival stages.

While the likes of Tucker Wetmore, Marcus King, and Molly Tuttle will take to the Chevy Riverfront Stage on the banks of the Cumberland River, so too will the Dr Pepper Amp Stage at Ascend Park feature names such as Drake Milligan, Melissa Etheridge, Uncle Kracker, and The War And Treaty.

The latter stage also brings with it the first taster of local talent, with New Zealand’s Kaylee Bell also joining the festivities, fresh off the back of releasing new album, Cowboy Up, in September.

Queensland’s Mack Geiger (who only yesterday announced an impressive signing with Records Nashville/Columbia Records) and New South Wales’ Melanie Dyer both join the Chevy Vibes Stage at Walk of Fame Park, rubbing shoulders with Sister Hazel, Colt Ford, Chase McDaniel, and others.

Fresh from announcing a massive national tour, Brad Cox will feature on the Good Molecules Reverb Stage at Bridgestone Plaza alongside Cassidy Daniels, Kevin Powers, and others, while the new addition of the Wrangler Remix stage features acts such as Jake Banfield, Hayden Blount, ROME (of Sublime With Rome fame), and Brisbane-born Tyla Rodrigues – who heads back to the fest after an impressive showing last year.

Last year's edition of CMA Fest also featured a strong showing of Aussie acts, including Lane Pittman, Bella Mackenzie, Blake O’Connor, Abbie Ferris, Sara Berki, and Austin Mackay, with each local musician going on to wrap up their respective years in a big way.

Once again, the Aussie representation is supported by Sounds Australia, which have been helping local acts bring their sounds to the global stage since 2009.