Casey Barnes is one of the most successful new names in Australian country music. On the occasion of the release of the new album “The Good Life”, Planetcountry reached him in Australia for an exclusive interview.

Q. Hi Casey, we are so thrilled to have this opportunity of interviewing you. How are you doing and how do you organize your day, syncronize the artist life with the family life?

Lovely to be with you guys! My day to day life is pretty crazy… it’s a bit of a balancing act between family life and music but wouldn’t have it any other way. Very lucky to have an extremely supportive wife and family but miss them like crazy when I’m out on the road

Q. In 2009, 3 “yeses” from the judge panel at the Australian Idol audition gave you the green light to an amazing new start in the music field. You were already 30, your approach was humble but steady. Do you think your life and career might have been different had you relocated to Nashville to try your luck there?

Australian Idol was definitely something I didn’t think I’d ever do but in hindsight I’m glad I did as it gave me the kick start I needed at the time. Having said that I’ve always loved Nashville and would love to spend more time there in the future!
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Q. In addition to beautiful songs and arrangements like those in your previous album “Live As One”, also “The Good Life” is characterized by the message that you wish your songs to convey. How important are the lyrics in your songs?

Lyrics are always super important to me… a song can be so powerful and have a great impact so getting the lyrics right is always a priority. The overall message in this new album is really positive hence the album title ‘The Good Life’

Q. Among the songs of “The Good Life” which song do you value more and why?

From a personal perspective the song that impacted me the most on the album is ‘Set Sail’. It’s the one ballad on the record and is a tribute to my father in-law who sadly passed away last year. We were extremely close and the album is actually a tribute to him

Q. Nashville remains the reference point for country music worldwide. How much does Australian country music get inspired by the Nashville sound?

I think it depend on the artist and their individual sound. I think Australian country music has come a long way and we have a lot of artists creating their own unique sound which is great! Having said that I think some of the best players I’ve come across have been located in Nashville. So many incredibly talented people all in one place!

Q. What makes Australian country music different from the American one?

I think possibly how broad the genre is here now. It really does range from older more traditional country sounds… right thru to probably my take on country which is more of a contemporary modern sound. There’s everything in between that too so definitely something for all tastes

Q. Your wife Michelle’s contribution to some songs made us think of the possibility of a duet album.

That would definitely be a dream come true…. Any chance I get to have her on stage or feature on a track… we’d love to record an album togther one day!

Q. What are your plans for the future?

Well in the immediate future it’ll be launching into a national tour with this new album but from there I’d LOVE to get back over to the States and play a bunch more shows and festivals so that’ll be the long term goal. Can’t wait to get this new album out there and hope y’all enjoy it as much as we loved recording it! 

(Layla Forgiarini)