Ryan ColemanThere’s something very satisfying about seeing Australian country music quietly make its way into the feeds of American artists and this week, Wade Forster fans got exactly that moment.
US country artist Ryan Coleman posted a cover of Forster’s latest single Strange, and Aussie fans, you need to check it out.
Although we already know Forster’s rough edged and rodeo ready sound feels built for the international country scene, hearing an American artist genuinely connect with the track and cover it feels like a whole new level.
And this cover doesn’t feel like someone chasing a viral moment, it feels like an artist hearing a song that sounds familiar to his own world.
Which actually makes a lot of sense when you look at Coleman’s background.
Before music started taking over, the Pennsylvania-born artist grew up in 4-H sheep and beef projects, learning animal husbandry and agricultural life from a young age. He also spent time competing on the American amateur rodeo circuit until, as the story goes, his mum lovingly stepped in and made him stop.
These days, Coleman and his brothers run their several hundred acre farm in Eastern Pennsylvania as first-generation farmers, all while he balances touring, songwriting and life on the road.
So when he connects with artists like Forster whose music is deeply tied to rodeo and rural culture, it makes a lot of sense.
@ryanncolemann Strange - @Wade Forster #countrymusic #cover #acoustic #australia
♬ original sound - Ryan Coleman
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Coleman has been steadily building momentum in the US country scene thanks to his blend of American grit and classic storytelling. A former contestant on The Voice Season 25, he’s quickly becoming one of those artists country fans stumble across online and immediately want more from.
Today he releases his new single 4 Door Ford, a track inspired by his first hand me down truck.
“‘4 Door Ford’ is about the moments that make up your life,” Coleman says. “For me, so many of those memories are tied to that truck—where I went, who I was with, and who I was becoming. Those things stay with you. You carry them everywhere, just like you would a truck.”
Written alongside Reid Perry (hit-writer for The Band Perry) and Clara Calaway (with credits from Flatland Cavalry, Billy Currington, Ciara), the track was produced by Matt Pence (Jason Isbell, Cody Jinks, Nikki Lane) and Charley Wiles (Paul Cauthen), and leans into an organic sound that feels somewhere between Tyler Childers and Chris Stapleton territory.
When artists raised on rodeos and farmland in the US start covering Australian country tracks, it stops feeling local and starts feeling global.
