Rachael Fahim – Sounds of Oz

Eora/Sydney artist Rachael Fahim busts the stereotypes and shows you don’t need a rural upbringing to make killer country music. Her latest single “City Girls in the Country” is an anthem for all the city slickers who love country music.

“As a city-born country artist of Lebanese decent, I’ve constantly been challenged about my country music eligibility, but for me, country music has always been a place of storytelling, a platform of the underdog to speak out and a place to connect with real people,” she explained. “Country music is evolving and becoming the most adored genre across the globe, a voice for everybody, no matter what your background or story is! This song is an anthem for doing what you love, being who you want to be, embracing what is different and not really caring about what other people think or say! Fuck yeah, city girls can be country too.”

Fuck yeah indeed! She may have faced her fair share of criticism, but it seems the country music scene is coming around. After her 2021 single “Middle Ground” spent five weeks at number one on the Australian Country Singles Airplay Chart, Rachael became the second-most streamed female country artist of all time, just behind Kasey Chambers. She’ll also play some of the biggest country music festivals in the country over the coming months.

14 & 15 October 2022 – Channel Country Music Muster, Thargomindah/Bulloo River
3 December 2022 – Capital Country, Nugunnawal/Canberra

Image used with permission from Good Intent

You might not know Rachael Fahim’s name, yet, but she’s proven a real force in the local country music scene. After her last single “Middle Ground” spent five weeks at the top of the Official Australian Country Charts, she became the second most-streamed female Australian country artist of all time (after Kasey Chambers). Her latest single “Darts in the Dark” is an empowering country-pop song about finding strength even when the odds seem stacked against you.

Rachael co-wrote the song during the 2021 Country Meets Pop song camp with producer Robby De Sa, Ned Philpott, and American writer Rosi Golan, who’s previously worked with acts including Little Big Town and Christina Aguilera.

“When we wrote this song, I was talking about how I often feel stuck while everyone around me seems to be moving forward, life can be a rollercoaster, but you just have to sit back, enjoy the ride and just focus on your own path,” Rachael explained. “Rosi had this amazing title, and the song just flowed; we literally had a finished production six hours later!”

Live performances have been few and far between in recent years, but Rachael said she hoped to recreate their vibe with her latest must video, filmed in a container yard in the Sydney suburb of St Peters.

“We went into this video just wanting to create something fun that gave a sense of the energy you would get from one of my live shows,” she said. “After being away from the stage for two years, I’ve spent a lot of time with my band working on building a live show that was festival ready and hoping that audiences will connect with that.”

Hopefully it won’t be too long before she’s sharing her live show with music lovers. Until then, turn this one up!

Image used with permission from Good Intent

Tag: Rachael Fahim

Rachael Fahim Celebrates City Roots With “City Girls in the Country”

Rachael Fahim Drops Country-Pop Pleaser, “Darts in the Dark”