This Week’s Hot Country Hits: MacKenzie Porter, Mak & Shar, Chris Stapleton & More

Gosh dang, what a week it’s been for scorchin’ new country tunes! Not only were we blessed with spicy new releases from some of Australia’s finest up-and-comers, like Mak & Shar (who just dropped Best Thing), Brooke Schubert (who went all out with Baby Blue Lies) and Zac & George (whose new cut Hearing The Birds Sing is destined to be a hit), but the international heavyweights were out in full force: MacKenzie Porter came in guns blazing with her wicked new banger Confession, for example, while Chris Stapleton delivered another instant classic with his Tom Petty cover I Should Have Known It, and the trio of Lee Brice, Hailey Whitters and Nate Smith got their fans going absolutely mental with Drinkin’ Buddies.

With all of that in mind, now seems like as good a time as any to remind you – or clue you in, if you didn’t know already – that we have our very own playlist dedicated to bringing you the best new music from all corners of the country music landscape, fittingly named Hot Country Hits Australia. We update it every Friday with more than a dozen of the brand new tracks we simply can’t get enough of, giving you the ultimate soundtrack to fuel your weekend.

You can listen to the Hot Country Hits Australia playlist on Spotify (here) and Apple Music (here) – and make sure to hit us up on Instagram or Facebook to let us know what songs you’ve been loving!

Here are just a few of our personal favourites from this week’s update to the playlist...

MacKenzie Porter – Confession

WHAT SHE SAYS: “Nobody’s born with a broken heart. We all start with the naivety and innocence of youth, but then life happens. There are so many circumstances and events in a lifetime that can slowly chip away at your heart, and in the end you’re this beautiful, imperfect, cracked, mess. But isn’t that what living really is? If you didn’t have the grit, would you really know the grace? That is what this record is about. These songs are those moments in my life. I hope they maybe heal a couple of those moments in yours.”

Mak & Shar – Best Thing

WHAT SHAR SAY: “Best Thing was written about that special someone in your life. It’s nice to look back and remember all the amazing moments in a relationship. Little things that pop into your head that you forget about and suddenly remember.

WHAT MAK SAYS: “There’s a line in Best Thing that says ‘the day you took the diamond ring’ and that takes me back to the day I proposed to my wife. Songwriting is such a personal experience, and it can be incredible to share with the world. People resonate with songs in different ways and it’s so awesome to see how they respond to our music.”

Chris Stapleton – I Should Have Known It

Also featured in this week’s Hot Country Hits playlist:

• Zac & George – Hearing The Birds Sing

• Tiera Kennedy – I Ain’t A Cowgirl

• Lee Brice, Hailey Whitters and Nate Smith – Drinkin’ Buddies

• Jeremy Turner – Must’ve Been Drunk

• Adam Harvey – It’s Gettin’ Late

• Brooke Schubert – Baby Blue Lies

• Wesley Dean – Mercy

Listen to the full playlist on Spotify below – or head here to save/follow on Spotify, and here to save/follow on Apple Music.