The Sit Down with Kaylee Bell
When Kaylee Bell made her UK debut at C2C: Country to Country back in 2019, she was already making waves in her native New Zealand and across the Tasman Sea where she had previously won the prestigious Toyota Star Maker Competition at The Tamworth Country Music Festival. Since the trip to the UK six years ago, her rise has continued off the back of touring with Ed Sheeran and performing her breakout hit “Keith” on The Voice in Australia which resulted in turns from all four coaches, including Mr Keith Urban himself. Kaylee recently made a long overdue return to Britain where she headlined Country Calling at Hylands Park in Chelmsford, where we caught up with her ahead of her roaring Saturday night set filled with bangers, including plenty of offerings from her forthcoming album “Cowboy Up” which will be released on September 26th.
Thank you for coming to hang for a bit.
“No, thanks for having me, it’s so nice to be here.”
It's very nice to have you back.
“Yes, it's been a while.”
It has been a long time since you did C2C.
“Yeah, you remember, it was 2019.”
It must feel like a lifetime ago.
“It does. That was my first time in the UK and I was, like, so excited to start making that a thing and then obviously we all got locked up in our own little countries and the rest is kind history. We had that tiny little thing that sort of swallowed a couple of years, so, I'm just more excited to be back here with the band now. I feel like it's happened in the last few years and it's been good to be patient as well, you know, come back at a time where I get to come in headline this festival which is so cool.”
Your headlining a festival in my hometown of Chelmsford, which is really cool. I live in West London now, but I grew up seeing The Killers, Kings of Leon, Coldplay, Ed Sheeran, Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Eminem and so many more play this exact same space.
“That's insane. I love it out here, I grew up in a little town in New Zealand of about three thousand people, so any chance I get to be in a smaller area like this and there's something so homely, so familiar about this place, it's a beautiful part of the world.”
Talking about stuff in New Zealand, obviously you’re doing wonderful things and Tammy Neilson is another artist in the country space that is amazing and people are becoming more aware of internationally, but how's the market growing back at home? Is it still the case that people are driven over to Australia to try and get things going?
“Not so much, actually. We do a lot of touring back in New Zealand now, which I think is thanks to that in the last sort of three to five years, I'd say that country has broken into the mainstream through some of the international stuff like Luke Combs and Morgan Wallen but also we've had a lot of local artists that are starting to crack through too. We’ve been touring New Zealand the last few years, I've sold sort of thirty thousand tickets through the country there and we’re just starting to get our own headline stuff happening in Australia but I feel like New Zealand's actually probably growing faster now than in Australia and that's crazy for me to say, because New Zealand had nothing, having grown up there. Then to see it now with back-to-back country songs on the radio, it's just wild to see the growth over there.”
Thank you for coming to hang for a bit.
“No, thanks for having me, it’s so nice to be here.”
It's very nice to have you back.
“Yes, it's been a while.”
It has been a long time since you did C2C.
“Yeah, you remember, it was 2019.”
It must feel like a lifetime ago.
“It does. That was my first time in the UK and I was, like, so excited to start making that a thing and then obviously we all got locked up in our own little countries and the rest is kind history. We had that tiny little thing that sort of swallowed a couple of years, so, I'm just more excited to be back here with the band now. I feel like it's happened in the last few years and it's been good to be patient as well, you know, come back at a time where I get to come in headline this festival which is so cool.”
Your headlining a festival in my hometown of Chelmsford, which is really cool. I live in West London now, but I grew up seeing The Killers, Kings of Leon, Coldplay, Ed Sheeran, Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Eminem and so many more play this exact same space.
“That's insane. I love it out here, I grew up in a little town in New Zealand of about three thousand people, so any chance I get to be in a smaller area like this and there's something so homely, so familiar about this place, it's a beautiful part of the world.”
Talking about stuff in New Zealand, obviously you’re doing wonderful things and Tammy Neilson is another artist in the country space that is amazing and people are becoming more aware of internationally, but how's the market growing back at home? Is it still the case that people are driven over to Australia to try and get things going?
“Not so much, actually. We do a lot of touring back in New Zealand now, which I think is thanks to that in the last sort of three to five years, I'd say that country has broken into the mainstream through some of the international stuff like Luke Combs and Morgan Wallen but also we've had a lot of local artists that are starting to crack through too. We’ve been touring New Zealand the last few years, I've sold sort of thirty thousand tickets through the country there and we’re just starting to get our own headline stuff happening in Australia but I feel like New Zealand's actually probably growing faster now than in Australia and that's crazy for me to say, because New Zealand had nothing, having grown up there. Then to see it now with back-to-back country songs on the radio, it's just wild to see the growth over there.”
It's really cool to kind of hear about growth at home and that music from New Zealand is not just all about Lorde these days.
“It’s actually like a phenomenon, it’s happening and like I said, you actually turn on the radio and you hear country music back to back on mainstream radio when it was never a thing. I think everyone in the industry is starting to be like, what is this country thing happening and it's just so cool.”
Well, it’s hitting good because you're here now and we've got an album on the way.
“We've got an album coming in September, actually, my producer is here from Nashville, a guy called Tom Jordan who was in a band called Seaforth.”
Great guy! I met him and Mitch a couple of times when they were playing shows together over here, press and drinks with those Sydney boys was always wild.
“Yeah, Tom Jordan produced the record and it's been amazing to work with him because I was obviously a massive Seaforth fan and it's exciting to have “Cowboy Up” coming on September 26th.”
How did you guys meet? Did you know him before you both headed to town?
“No, we met in Nashville. This is what happens a lot, Aussies and Kiwis move to Nashville and then they meet each other. So, it was one of those stories of us both living in Nashville and meeting each other there.”
Oh, that's really cool. “GET IN!!!!!!” was the thing they picked up on from what us Brits say here. It’s sort of a laddish type of phrase of how you get excited about tiny little things like if you go to the bar and they've ran out of something but they find one in the back of the fridge, or if a meeting you’re not interested in gets cancelled, it like Get In!
“Like a big, exaggerated YES kind of thing?”
“It’s actually like a phenomenon, it’s happening and like I said, you actually turn on the radio and you hear country music back to back on mainstream radio when it was never a thing. I think everyone in the industry is starting to be like, what is this country thing happening and it's just so cool.”
Well, it’s hitting good because you're here now and we've got an album on the way.
“We've got an album coming in September, actually, my producer is here from Nashville, a guy called Tom Jordan who was in a band called Seaforth.”
Great guy! I met him and Mitch a couple of times when they were playing shows together over here, press and drinks with those Sydney boys was always wild.
“Yeah, Tom Jordan produced the record and it's been amazing to work with him because I was obviously a massive Seaforth fan and it's exciting to have “Cowboy Up” coming on September 26th.”
How did you guys meet? Did you know him before you both headed to town?
“No, we met in Nashville. This is what happens a lot, Aussies and Kiwis move to Nashville and then they meet each other. So, it was one of those stories of us both living in Nashville and meeting each other there.”
Oh, that's really cool. “GET IN!!!!!!” was the thing they picked up on from what us Brits say here. It’s sort of a laddish type of phrase of how you get excited about tiny little things like if you go to the bar and they've ran out of something but they find one in the back of the fridge, or if a meeting you’re not interested in gets cancelled, it like Get In!
“Like a big, exaggerated YES kind of thing?”
Exactly. Talking about the festival here, I know you probably have pretty much just seen backstage and things, but how does it feel in terms of the vibe, how it's set up and the organisational side?
“Oh, it's so cool. It feels so good, we got here this morning and I didn't expect it to be this big, the site is just awesome and we've been looked after so well. I just hope that we get to come back again.”
I heard you were super keen and sound checked really early.
“We were here so early, but I mean, jetlag is a weird thing. I woke up at 2:30 this morning and I thought that it was like 8am and I was ready to go for the day.”
Did you fly America way around or did you come the other way?
“No, we did Singapore this time, which was nice to come that way. It was about 22 or 23 hours of flying and we’ve got to do it all again tomorrow.”
What do you take most out of festivals? You know, you’ve done CMA in Nashville, you went through Tamworth and came to C2C which is very different being an indoor festival. Do you really enjoyed the whole festival experience itself but also to get to showcase yourself to people who have no idea who you are.
“Yeah I do and that's a good point, it's like a snapshot of every artist, you know, I love going to CMA Fest in Nashville because you get to see a snapshot of so many artists. That’s what a festival is for me, it's a chance to get in front of people that aren't necessarily here to see you and then they discover your music. I love the energy that a festival brings, headline tours and stuff are awesome, but I just think there's such an energy because of so many artists together at a festival that is really special.”
“Oh, it's so cool. It feels so good, we got here this morning and I didn't expect it to be this big, the site is just awesome and we've been looked after so well. I just hope that we get to come back again.”
I heard you were super keen and sound checked really early.
“We were here so early, but I mean, jetlag is a weird thing. I woke up at 2:30 this morning and I thought that it was like 8am and I was ready to go for the day.”
Did you fly America way around or did you come the other way?
“No, we did Singapore this time, which was nice to come that way. It was about 22 or 23 hours of flying and we’ve got to do it all again tomorrow.”
What do you take most out of festivals? You know, you’ve done CMA in Nashville, you went through Tamworth and came to C2C which is very different being an indoor festival. Do you really enjoyed the whole festival experience itself but also to get to showcase yourself to people who have no idea who you are.
“Yeah I do and that's a good point, it's like a snapshot of every artist, you know, I love going to CMA Fest in Nashville because you get to see a snapshot of so many artists. That’s what a festival is for me, it's a chance to get in front of people that aren't necessarily here to see you and then they discover your music. I love the energy that a festival brings, headline tours and stuff are awesome, but I just think there's such an energy because of so many artists together at a festival that is really special.”
Hopefully you’re going to come back and you’re not going to leave it another six years.
“No, it won’t be that long again. Where did that time go?”
I know your on the road in New Zealand and you have got Strummingbird coming up which my friends in Perth are very excited about because they always moan that they get left out when people go to Aus because everyone does Sydney, Melbourne and Brizzy.
“Perth is a long way from everywhere and it’s probably closer to New Zealand as well but it’s cool to see artists like Jelly Roll going to those territories that were being missed for a long time you know, it’s amazing.”
Thank you so much for the hang and I'm really glad you're here.
The new album “Cowboy Up” from Kaylee Bell will be released on September 26th is available to pre-save/pre-order HERE. Kaylee has a run of dates through November in her native New Zealand which you can find full dates and ticket information for on her WEBSITE whilst you can follow along with all that she is up to over on INSTAGRAM X TIKTOK & FACEBOOK.
This year’s Country Calling was a resounding success with plans for 2026 already in progress so you can be the first to find out more details on their WEBSITE and relive all the 2025 highlights on INSTAGRAM or FACEBOOK.
“No, it won’t be that long again. Where did that time go?”
I know your on the road in New Zealand and you have got Strummingbird coming up which my friends in Perth are very excited about because they always moan that they get left out when people go to Aus because everyone does Sydney, Melbourne and Brizzy.
“Perth is a long way from everywhere and it’s probably closer to New Zealand as well but it’s cool to see artists like Jelly Roll going to those territories that were being missed for a long time you know, it’s amazing.”
Thank you so much for the hang and I'm really glad you're here.
The new album “Cowboy Up” from Kaylee Bell will be released on September 26th is available to pre-save/pre-order HERE. Kaylee has a run of dates through November in her native New Zealand which you can find full dates and ticket information for on her WEBSITE whilst you can follow along with all that she is up to over on INSTAGRAM X TIKTOK & FACEBOOK.
This year’s Country Calling was a resounding success with plans for 2026 already in progress so you can be the first to find out more details on their WEBSITE and relive all the 2025 highlights on INSTAGRAM or FACEBOOK.
