The Emergence Of Owen Smith
By Phillip Doring for Country Music News International Magazine
Owen Smith a 2024 Country Music Association of Australia Academy graduate is sharing a unique blend of country music infused with a collision of rockabilly. Without a doubt country music is within his blood stream having been born within the Australian Country Music capital of Tamworth NSW.
This down to earth country singer songwriter showcases his passion for his country of origin through his storytelling. Owen has achieved some great things in recent times inclusive of being a songwriting finalist within a number of different songwriting associations awards. Owen had nominations for CCMA New Songwriter of the Year & ASA Australian Songwriter of the Year in 2023 & advanced as a grand finalist in 2024 TSA awards.
A statement within itself that this man is fastly becoming someone to be noticed upon the country music scene within Australia. The quality of the professionals that Owen is working in conjunction with, co-writing with is again worth noting.
Owen has a presence second to none and can be found touring regional areas with performances at many different venues, festivals, events, charity shows, competitions, showcases, busking and street performances. Owen was a grand finalist in the Australian National Busking Championships 2023 something definitely worth being proud of.
Owen’s rockin’ debut single, “Wild Wild Weather” kicked down the door in March, receiving significant international airplay in Australia, UK, USA, Mexico & Brazil, as well as editorial playlisting upon Apple Music.
Behind the song Wild Wild Weather –
“Friends of mine wrote this fun breakup song for the year 2020. It had been such a crazy year. ‘2020, this just isn’t working,’ they said, ‘you’ve got to go’. It struck me that there was another element to it, almost a bad-love story. And this poured out on the page.
Wild Wild Weather is about this love affair we have with the land. It draws us in, spins us around, and then throws yet another disaster at us. We’re addicted. We pick up the pieces and do it all again. I don’t know what tomorrow will bring… but the forecast is Wild Wild Weather.” – Owen
Owen’s next single “A House on the River Bend” is due for release shortly upon April 26th.
Behind the song “A House on the River Bend”
“Growing up I had this little wooden box that I would collect all kinds of things in. My little survival box. I used to imagine that when things got too tough, I’d grab my box, I’d hoick it up the river and build myself a house. Just me, the sun, the land, and a house on the river bend.
I’d written that into a Chorus, but for the life of me I couldn’t get it to work with anything else I wrote. So I shared the idea with Lyn Bowtell & Jenny Churchill, and that’s when the magic happened. Lyn added this wonderful almost Celtic folk element to it, and we started unpacking the story of the escape. As you write these songs, often they take on a life of their own. Jenny gave it the finishing touch—‘I think it’s about a convict!’—which became the final reveal at the end of the song.
So this song is about finding a place of one’s own, it’s about hope, and it’s about a determination that takes hold of that dream.” – Owen
Owen’s upcoming EP – “The Snowies” blends a nice mix of Australian Country & Rockabilly.
The EP is slated for release during 2024 & channels Owen’s growing up in the bush around the Snowy Mountains.