23-year-old Australian writer/producer is currently making waves across the pond, and he’s only just getting started. Horsley has spent his whole life believing the farm was his calling, having known no other life. Growing up on farms ranging from 5,000 to 75,000 acres, he has a truly unique understanding and perspective that he brings to the Australian country music landscape.
I think for the longest time, I thought I would end up on the farm. I had previously studied journalism, and I think even right up until Covid struck, that Journalism may not be the thing I’d do the rest of my life. Agriculture is such a huge part of my life, and always will be, so it’s nice to be able to carry that over into something I’m extremely passionate about.
This attitude has paid off, with his song’s garnering over 1 million streams, no small feat within the Australian country music landscape, and he has worked with prominent Australian artists such as Kaylee Bell, James Johnston, and Jade Gibson. He compares the Australian music scene to that of Texas, where the industry is built more on a live music scene rather than streaming numbers. ‘It’s hard to sometimes determine someone’s success based on their stream in Australia. There are a bunch of these really amazing live artists playing festivals right across the country, which hasn’t translated to streaming.
‘I’m a big believer that country music is more than just the size of a belt buckle. So many people find it at one point in their life and adopt it into their personality, and really embrace the culture behind it. He states. “It’s a genre that so heavily relies on storytelling, so I think what has served me well as an artist is bringing a way to articulate their newfound feeling, because there’s a fair chance I’ve actually already lived it,” he continues.
In 2023, just 2 years into his songwriting journey, Horsley got to experience what few songwriters can say in their lives, having their song played in an arena. ‘That was so surreal when I found out my buddy (Aus artist Lane Pittman) had penciled our song into the setlist. I think being so early in both of our musicals’ journeys, I definitely still pinch myself and wonder what I did to deserve it”! “There were so many iconic Australian arenas… Rod Laver, Qudos Bank, and Brisbane Entertainment, which were all sold out, mind you, it’s pretty crazy to think about how many thousands of people got to hear the song… it makes it all worth it for sure.
Despite being in the country genre, Horsley’s tastes are quite eclectic, citing a variety of references. “I think being a guitar player first, you could rattle off hundreds of guys but the people that seem to have stuck with me the longest are the Mayer’s, Knopfler’s and Capton’s… anyone in that Blues family tree”. “In saying that, I’m equally as inspired by great melodies and production. Being an Aussie, it’s probably redundant to say Keith Urban, but I’m also a huge fan of Hunter Hayes as well as newer producers like Ben West… his work with Laci Kaye Booth and Patrick Droney is really incredible”.
This chameleon-like musical taste is something that Ben has transferred through to his writing and production process. “I don’t have a set and hard ‘this is what we are doing method’” “Some artists like having a track to write whereas some artists just prefer to write to an acoustic guitar, I always like to try and get a really great melody (even before a title) and then kinda see where things take us from there… The fun part is never knowing which road you might head down. If I drive home at the end of the day and I’ve still got the song in my head, then I know we may have caught something.
In terms of what’s next for Horsley, he’s hungry to test himself on a bigger stage. “America is the eventual goal yeah, particularly Nashville. I’ve been able to experience the culture of that place, and there truly is no comparison. In the meantime, there are a bunch of artists I’m continuing to work with here in Australia that I’m extremely excited about, so it’s just staying patient until those opportunities present themselves.
