The Countrytown & KIX Country Centre Stage Artist is Caitlyn Shadbolt

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

Caitlyn, who hails from Gympie in Queensland, started singing lessons at age 11 as a creative outlet and picked up guitar the following year. In high school, Caitlyn began performing in a band with her brother and two others. Her first paid gig was at 15-years-old and by 17, she was playing in pubs and local RSL clubs every weekend.

Her big break came when she auditioned with Tom Cochrane’s Life Is A Highway on the sixth season of The X Factor Australia in 2014. She was mentored by Ronan Keating throughout the competition up until she was eliminated from the singing competition series, placing fifth overall.

Following her elimination, she released her six-track self-titled debut EP in 2015, which peaked at #50 on the ARIA chart, and featured the singles Maps Out The Window and Shoot Out The Lights. In 2016, she was nominated for ‘Best New Artist’ at the Golden Guitar Awards, which went to Christie Lamb, and was awarded the ‘New Oz Artist of the Year’ Award at the fan-voted CMC Music Awards.

In 2017, she released her 2017 debut album Songs On My Sleeve, which hit #1 on the ARIA Country Album Chart. The release earned her a ‘Female Oz Artist of the Year’ nomination at the CMC Awards.

Her latest single Monsters is the follow up to her single, Lost On Me and also her hit Golden Guitar nominated collaboration with Melanie Dyer, Dumb Decisions.

Caitlyn says, “Monsters... Need I say more? It’s a song about troubled love and a desperate dance between the head and the heart - knowing you should let go but not wanting to. I wrote this one on my own and I think it was subconsciously inspired after reading a bunch of dramatic-love novels over my Christmas break haha! To me, this song sounds like Keith Urban and Taylor Swift’s song-child.”

Currently working from her home studio in Queensland with partner and producer, Matt Smith; Caitlyn is finalising her third full length release. Collaborating with Stuart Stuart and Matt Fell as well, this release is expected to drop in June.

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Keep up to date with Caitlyn Shadbolt on his Facebook page here.