When Mitchell Steele crossed paths with Kasey Chambers at the Tamworth Country Music Festival earlier this year, neither imagined they’d be sitting side by side less than twelve months later with an entire album between them.
What began as a brief encounter at the Country Music Academy became a full-circle creative partnership, with Steele’s forthcoming debut album produced by Chambers.
As they prepare to share the stage again at Tamworth Town Hall, where Steele will open Chambers’ show, the two sat down over Zoom to reflect on their friendship, the record that bonded them, and why Tamworth still feels like home.
Find out more about Tamworth Country Music Festival here.
Mitchell Steele: All right, Tamworth — how excited are you, on a scale of one to ten?
Kasey Chambers: I’m always pretty excited for Tamworth, but this year feels a little extra special because you and I get to do it together. We’ve just made an album — your debut — which I was lucky enough to produce and be part of in so many ways. Even though it’s not my name or face on the cover, I feel like I’m such a big part of this record.
It honestly feels like one of my own albums. That’s how connected I feel to it. What’s amazing is that I only met you at the start of this year. Isn’t that wild? It feels like I’ve known you forever. Even with all these songs we created and brought to life for your album, it feels like they’ve been part of my life for so long — almost like they were always there, and all we did this year was unlock them.
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Steele: It’s like you had the key. You definitely unlocked something. It really does take a village to make an album — from the very start there are so many people who have a hand in bringing it to life. It’s such a privilege to have written and recorded this album with you. The honour’s all mine. I’m just so grateful for the opportunity — and for everything that’s still to come.
Chambers: And I feel honoured too, because you gave us all these little song babies and trusted me to bring them to life in the studio. Dingo helped so much with the production and engineering; he played on so much of it and co-wrote a lot of the songs. It’s almost like you handed these little song babies over to us to look after and nurture — we were kind of your song-baby nannies, like live-in nannies.
Steele: Yes, exactly. You’ve raised them from little voice memos to full-grown songs.
Chambers: I’m very proud of our little babies.
Steele: I can’t wait for the world to hear them.
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Chambers: Same. And when you mention Tamworth, it really feels like this little bookend to when we first met — around January at the Country Music Academy. The first time I saw you play was busking on the street in Tamworth. My whole family came down to watch you sing your own songs and a few covers. And now, a year later, we’re doing a show together. It’s like a little anniversary.
Steele: I wouldn’t have thought it back then. But now, not only do I get to release this album we made together, I get to open your show at Tamworth Town Hall with a whole catalogue of my own songs that I’ve written and recorded. It feels fast, but it feels right. I’m so proud of what we’ve created — it’s definitely a pinch-me moment.
Chambers: Yeah, me too. And when I hear your songs — even the ones I didn’t help write — it’s like they’ve always existed. You’ll send me something new and it feels like my favourite song I’ve known my whole life but never heard before. That’s what a great country song does: it’s new, but it feels like coming home. Your songs don’t sound like anyone else’s. They sound like you.
Steele: That’s really nice to hear. You created such a comfortable space to record in. From the food to the coffee to the warmth — it was such a human experience. I can be really hard on myself, but you always had these little nuggets of advice that steered me back. Even if I wrote something I wasn’t sure about, you’d say, “Just finish it — maybe it’s a song you need to get out of the way so the next one can come.” That really stuck with me.
Chambers: I wanted the whole thing to feel like a dream journey for you — not just about the end result, but about how it felt to make it. You only get one debut, and I didn’t want to mess that up for you.
Steele: You didn’t. Even if no one heard it, I’d still be proud of it. The process itself has been enough.
Chambers: That’s the best attitude. The easiest sell is authenticity. If your heart’s in it, the rest follows.
Steele: I’ve realised that, too. People always say it’s about the journey, not the destination — and now I really get that. The destination will be beautiful no matter what because the journey already has been.
Chambers: Exactly.
Steele: My mum’s already a big fan — but I think your mum might actually be a bigger fan of me than mine!
Chambers: That sounds about right.
Steele: Your mum texted me the other day just to check how I was going.
Chambers: Did she really? She hasn’t texted me!
Steele: I’ll tell my mum to text you, then.
Chambers: Thanks, I’d appreciate that.
Steele: Honestly, I’m just so grateful to have made this record and this connection with you. It feels like our families have connected now too — it’s not just fellow musicians. Your kids are amazing; they always ask when I’m coming back.
Chambers: They love you! As much as North Queensland has you for now, don’t forget to come back — we miss you.
Steele: It’s just a flight and a train away. I’d do it for you. And the kids, of course.
Chambers: My mum and my kids will be very happy to hear that.
Steele: My dad’s pretty excited, too. I played the album for him — and obviously, I wrote a song with Bill Chambers as well. I find a lot of similarities between your dad and mine; they’re both such lovely, salt-of-the-earth men. Dad’s listened to the album twice now, and every time he just leans back, smiles, and says, “Wow.” He’s such a cool old cowboy.
Chambers: I remember when you wrote that song — “Cowboy Dreams”, right?
Steele: Yeah. It didn’t make the album, but it’s special. Bill and I wrote it about my dad. We’d only met briefly before, but when we sat down together, I mentioned Dad and it just flowed from there. Bill said, “You’re full of songs — let’s write about your dad.” It was such a beautiful gift to give him.
Chambers: That’s gorgeous. And it’s so you. My dad and I have that connection too. My first Tamworth was in 1992, when he won a Golden Guitar for a song he’d written for Slim Dusty. We couldn’t even get a gig that year — no one would give us one! And now, all these years later, I’m back at Tamworth with you. The only year I’ve missed was the COVID one, and that doesn’t count.
Steele: Definitely doesn’t count.
Chambers: Nope, not in my books.
Steele: I’ve been going as often as I can for years. I think the longest run I had was four years in a row, and by the fourth, I was singing to a full room of people who’d come just to see me. That was wild.
Chambers: That’s the magic of Tamworth, it keeps bringing us back. And now we get to share that stage together.
Steele: Yeah. It’s not just your set and my set either; we’ll be doing some stuff together, and I know you’ve got some guests too. It’s going to be a special night.
Chambers: I already feel it — one of those magic nights that only happens once.
Steele: Me too. Speaking of your album Backbone, it’s nominated for an ARIA Country Album of the Year.
Chambers: I’m impressed you know more about my stats than I do!
Steele: Since The Captain came out in 1999 — not to make you feel any type of way — you’ve done, what, 13 albums now?
Chambers: Something like that.
Steele: I’m a fan first, then a friend. So to be standing beside you now, working with you, while you’re still so successful and still one of the greats — it’s really inspiring. Barricades & Brickwalls, The Captain — all of them were a huge part of my life growing up. I’m so proud of you as a friend, and I’m so excited as a fan.
Chambers: That’s so nice. And you’re right, it’s funny — you said I probably don’t love hearing that, but that’s not true at all. I love hearing it. It just makes me a little uncomfortable at the same time.
Steele: Kind of like when you talk about my album.
Chambers: Exactly! It makes me feel weird, but I still love it. Who doesn’t love hearing nice things?
Steele: Congratulations again. But don’t get too big a head — I don’t want you leaving me behind.
Chambers: Oh, I won’t. Though, for the record, you’re absolutely allowed to outgrow me as a producer. Just not as a friend.
Steele: Deal. All right, let me flip it back to you. Over all those years — since The Captain — what do you think has changed the most for you musically?
Chambers: You know what’s funny about that? A few years ago, I probably would’ve answered it differently. On your first record, there’s this endearing naivety that you can never get back — that innocent honesty. Even when I do workshops with young artists, I remind them: you only ever get to make your debut album once. There’s nothing like that experience. I reminded myself of that constantly while producing your record — I wanted to make sure the whole experience was amazing for you.
When I go back to The Captain now, it’s not so much about the finished product — it’s about the journey that created it. The writing process, the life experiences that inspired it, the things I was going through. Even the hard times that sparked songs. Then the making of the record itself — we recorded it on Norfolk Island, completely raw and unfiltered.
There’s this purity on that album because I had no idea what I was doing. It was just songwriting straight from my heart. Over time, sure, I’ve learned the craft of songwriting — and that’s important — but I don’t ever want to lose that heart.
There have been albums where the craft was there, but maybe not the connection to that innocent heart — the part untouched by expectations, pressure, or the need to live up to the last record.
I think I’ve been caught up in all that before. But now, with Backbone and everything I do creatively, I’m trying to dig back into that childlike space — that innocence. I can’t unknow what I’ve learned, but when I’m being creative, I try to tune back into that, to shut out the noise.
Honestly, you’ve helped me do that this past year. Producing your debut reminded me of what it feels like to make music purely from the heart. You’ll never get that again — and that’s what makes it so special. Producing your album has been one of the highest honours of my life. You basically handed me something precious, and I just tried not to f*** it up for you.
Steele: You didn’t.
Chambers: I just wanted your heart to be in it the whole time — that was my only goal.
Steele: That’s what’s beautiful about how we’ve worked together. We got to know each other on such a deep level — not just musically, but personally. You created such a safe space.
Chambers: That’s all I wanted — for your heart to be in it.
Steele: And it was. I’m proud of every song.
Chambers: Then it’s already a success. We honoured you in this record. Everything else is a bonus.
Steele: Couldn’t agree more.
Chambers: I love hearing how much your family connects to the album. So much of where we come from ends up in what we do creatively — sometimes the good stuff, sometimes the hard stuff, sometimes both. That’s part of why we play country music.
Even now, 30 years on, I still draw from my childhood — those earliest memories. That’s what the title track of Backboneis about. I can still hear that same authenticity in your songs, even when I don’t yet know all the stories behind them. That’s why I was drawn to you from the start — because your music comes from such a real, honest place.
Steele: My dad’s always been like that. Sharp as a whip, never misses a thing. Even when it’s not a song abouthim, his influence is in there. One of my tracks, “I Want to Live Forever”, really carries that — he used to sing Waylon Jennings songs, and the older he got, the more he sounded like Waylon. It’s nostalgic for me. There’s a line in the song that goes, “I drop the needle on Waylon,” and that’s straight from home.
Chambers: I love that.
Steele: He gets so excited when he hears my music. He’s always been my biggest supporter — my whole family has. He listens to the bass, the guitars, the lyrics, everything. He’s proud. And honestly, that’s the best feeling. I don’t care if anyone else doesn’t like the album, but when my dad loves it — that’s all I need.
Chambers: That’s beautiful.
Steele: Yeah.
Chambers: You know what else I love? You just show up as you — always. Sometimes that means a cowboy hat and a bright shirt, sometimes it’s jeans and a tee. I love that mix of feminine and masculine energy in your style.
Steele: You’ve never seen me in daggy trackies though.
Chambers: No, I haven’t! I love that about you though — you express yourself through what you wear, the same way you do through your songs. And I know you and I talk fashion a lot and raid each other’s wardrobes, which I love. I still can’t get over that your first single cover ended up being the exact same thing I wore on my Bittersweet album cover — not even a version of it, the exact same piece! I’d kept it all these years, and when you saw it in my wardrobe, you were like, “That’s nice. Can I wear that? I could tuck that into jeans.”
So, I love that we have this connection that’s not just musical. It’s on a style and fashion level too. It might seem far away from music technically, but to me, it’s all mixed in together. It always has been. I love that we connect and collaborate on that level as well.
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Steele: Yeah — and it goes back to what you always say: authenticity is the easiest sell. It’s also the easiest thing to relate to. Whether it’s what I’m wearing, what I’m singing, or what I’m talking about — if it’s real and from the heart, people connect to it.
Chambers: Exactly. You can’t go wrong if you’re being truthful to yourself — writing, wearing, saying whatever feels true. It might not be someone else’s truth, but if it’s yours, no one can argue with it.
Steele: And you don’t even need a good memory when you’re honest — you’ve got nothing to hide.
Chambers: That’s right.
Steele: It’s a good feeling. I’m glad we can talk about that.
Chambers: I’ve been through times where I wasn’t entirely open like that — not just publicly, but with myself. I think most artists have. But when you push past those little defence mechanisms, dig deep, and listen to that inner voice, it’s liberating. You stop worrying about what’s right or wrong because it’s yours.
And that’s how I feel about your record — no matter what happens from here, it’s already a success. We honoured who you are. It’s full of heart, honesty, and beautiful moments. Everything from here on in is just a bonus.
Steele: Absolutely.
Chambers: Honestly, it’s all a bonus. The universe can take it from here.
For both artists, Tamworth represents more than a festival; it’s a return to where their stories began. It’s where Chambers’ father first won a Golden Guitar, and where Steele first busked with songs that would one day become his debut.
When they reunite on the Town Hall stage this January, it won’t just be a show. It will be a celebration of connection, family, authenticity — and the country heart that keeps bringing them home.
