Kaylee Bell: Boots ‘N All
Ahead of her performance at this year’s The Bend Classic, The Note spoke with singer-songwriter Kaylee Bell about the unstoppable rise of country music, the similarities between Christchurch and Adelaide and how The Wiggles might just be Australia’s hardest working band.
Words Isaac Selby // Image supplied
Quick question: what do Beyonce, the Wiggles and Post Malone all have in common? If you answered they would make one hell of a dinner party lineup - you’d be correct.
Perhaps you’re also aware that these three titans of music have all released their own full-length country-inspired albums in the past 15 months, something that may have been surprising a decade ago, with the exception of the skivvied ones (always ahead of the curve).
Country music has taken the global music industry by storm. It’s currently the fastest-growing genre in Australia, providing a positive indication ahead of the next edition of The Bend Classic, South Australia’s very own country music festival that takes place October 24-26 in Tailem Bend.
Across the Tasman, one of the scheduled performers, New Zealand singer Kaylee Bell, has been patiently waiting for this day to come. A country music die hard since day dot, she was raised on a healthy diet of Shania Twain and whatever else she could find.
Getting her start in her home nation, Kaylee won the NZ Gold Guitar Award at age 18 before making the move to Australia. She quickly made a name for herself in the country scene with singles ‘Getting Close’, ‘That Summer’ and Keith Urban tribute, ‘Keith’.
National exposure arrived when Bell appeared on reality juggernaut, The Voice, where she performed a heart-on-sleeve rendition of her original song ‘Keith’. An earnest ballad that managed to cut through the program's shiny veneer, Bell sang the song in front of the track’s namesake no less.
Although eliminated in the battle rounds, her appearance on the show gave Bell a profile boost, opening the door to a career filled with collaboration and festival stages.
“We're super excited to get over to Adelaide for the first time with the band and hopefully introduce some people to our music and maybe find some country fans that have been a little bit starved for a while,” Bell says over the phone.
“I think collaborating has been a massive part of why it's (country music) crossed over, and I've done a lot of them over the last few years, which are still some of my favourite songs. I've got one out with Australian artist James Johnston called ‘Same Songs’ that we got to perform at CMC (Country Music Channel) Rocks in Australia in March. When there’s 30,000 people all singing the words back to us, you just kind of realise the songs and the music is bigger than you are as an artist.”
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Earlier this year the world’s most successful children’s band, The Wiggles, released Wiggle Up, Giddy Up, an ode to country music, allowing Bell to saddle up next to bonafide legend Dolly Parton and rising stars including Orville Peck and Lainey Wilson.
“I feel very honoured to be on that record. Just to have had the chance to actually experience a day working with The Wiggles, it was one of the best days I've ever had. They work harder than anybody in the industry and I can see why they are so successful. It was cool to get a sneak [peek] behind the curtain into Wiggle world,” she says.
“I think we were in hair and makeup at six in the morning and we shot in the studio where they shot all their TV shows. It was very iconic. We spent the morning shooting there and then we went out on location in the afternoon. We kind of didn't wrap up till about six o'clock that night, which is a standard day for them. The song we did is a mashup of my song ‘Boots ‘N All’ and their song ‘Say The Dance, Do the Dance’. I love the fact they were so open to do that because now ‘Boots ‘N All’ has become a favourite with kids when we've been out touring.”
Towards the end of 2024, Bell finished recording her forthcoming album with producer Tom Jordan (formerly a member of Seaforth) in Nashville, aka the home of country music and a frequent pit stop for inspiration.
“I think Nashville's king. I started going there in 2010 and I've never stopped going there. I've lived there for a while and it's really just the home of music,” she explains. “There’s just so many artists and producers moving [there] from around America and you go there to get the chance to be around the best. It's just such a connected town that you almost can't go there and have nothing happen. So I make a lot of my music in Nashville just because that's where I feel most inspired and that's where I've found people that just get the thing that I'm trying to do.”
These experiences have galvanised Bell’s drive to have her music heard abroad and back in her hometown of Waimate, with her community finally getting on board with the music she’s loved since childhood.
“What I've seen happen in the last two or three years in New Zealand, compared to what it was like when I was growing up, is like night and day,” Bell explains. “It's on mainstream radio. We have a radio station now in New Zealand called iHeart Country that's actually got its own frequency, so you can listen to country music in the car for the first time ever!
“I think the amount of internationals touring New Zealand now is also getting more and more, whereas they used to miss that one off the map. And yeah, there's always been an underground following here that I just think are now being catered to. I've always stuck to my guns and stayed true to who I am as an artist. I’ve wanted to see that change happen and it actually is now, which is the craziest thing.”
Despite having not played a show in South Australia yet, Bell has visited several times and feels that Christchurch fittingly feels familiar to our city of… you get the gist.
“I think it's the layout. I think it's the buildings, the beautiful old churches, and it's very immaculately taken care of in terms of the gardens and all that kind of stuff,” says Bell. “It’s a very pretty city, which is how I would describe Christchurch as well. I love the architecture in Adelaide, so I just can't wait to do a city trip and find a couple of nice cafes. I’m also excited to play some songs for you (laughs).”
Catch Kaylee Bell at The Bend Classic at Shell V-Power Motorsport Park at The Bend from Friday, October 24 to Saturday, October 26. Tickets on sale now via thebend.com.au.
