Following on from the success of his widely acclaimed and best selling release ‘Town of a Million Dreams’, which positioned Casey Barnes as one of the most successful country artists in Australia, the Gold Coast based country music superstar officially returns with his most important album yet – Light It Up.
Painstakingly crafted over the course of 18 months from a studio on the Gold Coast, with producers and co-writers MSquared (Michael Delozrenzis and Michael Paynter) and Nashville based singer/songwriters Kaci Brown and Sam Gray zooming in from around the world, ‘Light It Up’ is Casey Barnes at his most confident. Where ‘Town of A Million Dreams’ – which spent more than 77 weeks in the Australian country charts – highlighted Casey’s innate ability to produce everything from slow, melodic ballads to fast paced, raucous country rock, ‘Light It Up’ is a masterclass in seamlessly blending earworm-worthy pop hooks and stadium worthy country with mature, heartfelt subject matter.
Littered with certified hits, including the record’s lead single ‘Come On Turn Me On’ – which became the number one most played song on Country Radio for 2021 in Australia, follow up single ‘God Took His Time On You’ (yet another #1 single from the record) and his most recent track ‘Get To Know Ya’, Casey Barnes sixth studio album ‘Light It Up’ is a prodigious collection of anthemic, stadium-ready country-pop, focusing on everything from small town romance and larger than life love, to facing hardship head on, getting knocked down and forcing yourself to get back up again.
In a perfect world, Australia’s next major country music export Casey Barnes would be breaking America right now. Armed with his latest record, a cache of larger than life pop-country anthems, countless awards under his belt and a legion of adoring fans, the Gold Coast based star should be going head to head with some of the world’s biggest country music heavyweights. Massive commercial radio success, multiple number one hits and one of the only country artists to achieve mainstream success in Australia means 2020 should have been Casey Barnes’ moment in the sun. It wasn’t. And it was a blessing in disguise.
“In 2019 I went through the grueling, stressful and somewhat expensive process of getting approved for the 01 Visa, which would have meant I’d be in the US right now” said Casey. “When COVID stalled those plans it was a massive blow. But, when life deals you lemons, you’ve gotta make lemonade. You’ve gotta roll with the punches. And I’m so glad I did”.
Locking himself in a local studio, Casey embarked on an almost two year journey of self discovery, experimentation and growth. For the acclaimed Gold Coast country star, who was on the ropes in early 2020, laying down wasn’t an option.
Casey commented, “The silver lining of the pandemic was that it backed me into a corner I’d never been in before and forced me to take some personal risks I never would have taken. I played different types of shows, I wrote differently and most importantly I really took stock of who I was as a person. As a husband. As a father.”
“In many ways, having the rug pulled from under me was a blessing in disguise. It allowed me the chance to start fresh and attack this album with everything I had. I didn’t want to leave anything on the table this time, and I think I’ve come out the otherside with a body of work I couldn’t have dreamed of eighteen months ago.”
“We are very excited with the interest in this album in the USA.” said Executive Chairman Michael Chugg. “Despite having to cancel three trips to Nashville, as well as shows in the South & West because of COVID, Casey’s fanbase, streaming numbers & YouTube views have continued to grow over there. Along with interest from major labels & country music festivals we are confident that Casey will impact the American market once our borders open up, hopefully with an extended visit in July!”
In addition to the release of his brand new album, Casey Barnes will also embark on a massive run of live shows around Australia. Forced to cancel the majority of his ‘Town of A Million Dreams’ tour due to restrictions around COVID, the ‘Light It Up’ tour will be the first chance for many fans to catch live performances of songs from both albums.
The extensive run of dates will kick off in Casey’s old home state, Tasmania on Friday February 25, followed by performances in New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory, Victoria, South Australia and finishing up at his local base, the Gold Coast. It will take in a mix of venue shows and festivals, including Casey’s first ever appearances at the iconic Bluesfest, Byron Bay in April.
An undisputed heavyweight in the Australian country music world, Casey Barnes’ latest record doesn’t pull any punches, and proves why he’s become an obvious contender for the country music crown, both at home and abroad.
