Catching up at Country Calling

This past weekend, Maverick Country had the pleasure of attending Country Calling at King’s Farm in Chelmsford, Essex.

As well as getting the chance to have a chat with Sunday night headliner, Randy Houser, we also caught up with many of the other talented performers who graced the Main Stage and the Homestead stage.

Jack Browning

The London-based singer-songwriter is set to release his second album, “Painted Skies” next month via Two Fine Records in Nashville.

So, you’ve already performed this morning. How did it go? How was the atmosphere?
It was great, it was really fun. Obviously, the first slot on the main stage can kind of go either way sometimes, but it was great. Everyone was super up for it. It filled up really nice. 
I think we got everyone two-stepping. So we got the job done, got everyone set up for Janet and Randy and all the folks playing today.

What are your biggest inspirations behind your music?
I love John Prine. I think he’s always like a bit of a yardstick for me. I love performers like Charlie Crockett and Tyler Childers and I’ve been lucky to see them from tiny rooms up to where they are now, so it’s been really cool following that along and it’s kind of given me a little bit of fire to hopefully do the same thing. Those guys are big ones for me.

If you could work with any other musician, dead or alive, who would it be and why?
I’m a sucker for Glen Campbell, I really am. I’d love to have seen what we could have written together. He’s a big influence. I’m probably not good enough to lace up his boots, but if he’d have heard me, I’d love to have written with Glen. 
That would have been very special.

What do you like about performing at festivals like this one?
I mean, this one kind of is particularly special. 
I played the first year which was the first year, and I was on one of the third stages. I was was raised around here in Chelmsford – that’s where I cut my teeth, playing in clubs in town. So it’s really nice to come back and open up the main stage in front of family, friends, and a bunch of people who are up for a weekend of country music.

What can we expect from you next? What’s going down the line?
I’ve got a new record coming out on September 16th, it’s called “Painted Skies”. It will be out via Too Fine Records in Nashville. It’s a whole new album of original music. I have started writing the next one already and it means a lot to get this one out. We started recording it two and a half years ago, so it’s nice to know it’s finally going to reach people’s ears in less than a month’s time.

What’s a random fact that about you that not many people would know?
I can do an amazing impression – even if I had to say so myself – of Phil Harding from Time Team.

Kasey Tyndall

Kasey Tyndall is known for blending rock and roll with country. The songwriter and guitarist is from North Carolina. She was named in CMT’s Next Women of Country class in 2023.

How do you feel about performing at festivals like this?
I love it. 
The energy’s always high. Everybody’s here to listen to music all day, and they’re drinking, having a good time, and so it’s usually some of the best shows.

Who or what do you normally look towards when you’re looking to write a song or perform your music?
When it comes to inspiration for shows and events and stuff…I mean, my family, I love my family so much, and so just knowing that I’m doing it for them and doing it for the fans as that’ve come so far to see us play, it’s just, that’s my inspiration for the day. As far as music goes and creating music, my influences are all the way from Joan Jett, Pat Benatar, Heart, Avril Lavigne, Brantley Gilbert, Alison Krauss. I mean, it’s just a big hodgepoge. 

If you could work with anyone, either dead or alive, who would be your dream collaboration?
Oh, that’s so tough. I mean, probably Joan Jett.

What’s a random fact that nobody would know about you? 

Oh, now that’s the toughest question…I fresh mill my own flour and make my own bread.

Janet Devlin

Janet Devlin is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter who released her debut album in 2013. A new chapter came in 2024 when she released “Emotional Rodeo”.

What’s your favourite thing about performing at festivals like this?

That it’s not my show!
Putting on your own tour and stuff like that is a lot of pressure. So, yeah that’s my favourite bit, which is ridiculous!

When you’re writing songs, who or what do you look towards for the inspiration behind your music? 

Honestly just my life, it’s always been my life. There’s some storytelling from time-to-time, but usually it’s all my stuff. For the silly songs, I’m normally like driving or something and a funny phrase will come in my head.

If you could work with any other musician, dead or alive, who would your ideal collaboration be with? 

Oh that’s so hard…Dolly Parton would obviously be swell, based on what she’s done for the country genre.

You rose to prominence being on The X factor. What’s one thing about being on a reality show that not many people would know, like?
Music TV shows, they are still a TV show, they still have to like make it entertaining. It can’t all just be about the music.

What can we expect from you next? Is there any projects down the line?
I’ve got a new album coming out early next year. So I’m just going to be releasing singles up till then.

What’s a random fact that not many people would know about?
I used to be a competitive showjumper and in my free time I re-train badly-behaved ponies. Which can be really stressful!

Drew Green

Drew Green is a Nashville-based singer-songwriter who blends country, pop and R&B.

What’s your favourite thing about performing at festivals like this one?
Getting to meet new fans, new people.
Every festival is different whether that’s the stage, the sound. So every day is new and you never get tired of doing it.
It is like a new experience every time I come to a festival because festivals are so busy on the internal side, there’s a lot going on. It’s not like a normal little show where I know exactly what’s going to happen; I’ll walk off the bus, I go inside, I shake two hands, kiss a baby, and sing a song!

Who or what do you look towards to gain that inspiration for your music?
Oh, that’s a good question. When I first started, I was a huge Eric Church fan. Eric Church is probably who got me into songwriting. And then when I first started, I could see a lot of the stuff that he was doing in what I was writing. And then I wrote 100 songs, and then 300 songs, and then 500 songs, and then eventually I just became me, and it sounds like nothing I started with. And so now I feel like I’m kind of inspired by me. If I write something that I really love, that kind of makes the next day more exciting when it comes to writing. If I’m writing good and I’m in a good headspace, then I’m really excited and inspired to keep going. Sometimes I go through times where I don’t know what I’m doing or know what to write because nothing’s inspiring me. So it’s up and down.

If you could work with any other musician, dead or alive, who would it be?
I would have to say Alan Jackson just because I think he’s one of the best songwriters of my country career –  in my life, probably – and he’s also my favourite country artist. And so putting his songwriting and my songwriting together, I think would be like so fun. He’s my number one.

Have you got any new projects coming up? 
Anything you’d like to plug?
I have a song called “Brand” coming out on the 28th. It’s a song about heritage, where you grew up, and being proud of where you came from. It’s more of just an acoustic vocal almost, it’s really broke down. I’m in the studio right now with six songs; we got two of them done, and four of the six are very broke down, acoustic – just me and my vocals and the guitar pretty much. So I’m excited because most of my stuff has been very busy, very produced, lots of music, lots of computer work, and it’s not as polished as it used to be.

What’s a random fact about you that not many people know?
I love playing video games. I’m a video gamer for sure. 
Whenever I was a kid, my parents didn’t get me a cable internet, we had dial up I made me obsessed with playing video games. I’ve just been a gamer ever since. I’m a big Call of Duty guy. first-person shooter games. I play game right now called Escape from Tarkov.

Twinnie

Twinnie is a country pop artist from Yorkshire who blends contemporary pop and country storytelling. She is also an actress who has been in West End productions and soaps including Emmerdale and Hollyoaks.

What’s your favourite thing about performing at festivals such as this one?
I think it’s amazing that British country music is growing and it’s had a resurgence. Because typically people love old school country music and it’s so diverse now. I love being on stage, I’m always trying to get back on a stage somewhere. I was like a bit disappointed that there wasn’t steps down the stage so I could get to the barriers because I wanted to crowd surf!
I’m very proud of the promoters because it’s grown so much. And more opportunities like this is more opportunities for people to play and the opportunities are very few and far between.

Who or what do you look towards for your inspiration?
What I’m feeling, stories, and I love to dance. I’ve been a professional dancer. I produce all my own stuff. People compare me a lot to Shania, but I would say I’m like if Shania and Miley Cyrus had a baby. It’s very country pop, it’s very feel good. 
If you listen to some of my older records, the ballads; I love to write ballads, but that’s not the period that I’m in right now. So I’m working on an album that’s coming out in January. “Wild one”, my new single, is doing really well – it’s just hit top 40, so go download it on iTunes!

If you could work with anyone, dead or alive, who would be your top collaboration?
Dead first: I would love to work with Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, and Whitney Houston. 
Alive, I would probably want to work with Dolly, Chris Stapleton, and Billy Joel. Oh and as well, Freddie Mercury.

Being an actress as well, what’s the biggest differences that you need to tune into when you go between being an actress and a singer?
It’s similar to music, especially when you are playing live because you’re listening for the vibe and the energy of the audience. A lot of acting is reacting; it’s not actually putting on a performance, you’re just being present and in the moment. So they both have similarities to me. The acting comes in handy when I’m doing my music videos, the dancing as well. I love the fact that I’ve had quite a wide, varied career, triple threat kind of thing. I just got brought up that you had to hone in on your skills, and the more skills that you had, the more you would work and – touch wood – I’ve not had a proper, normal job since I’ve been 13. 

What’s a random fact about you that no, not many other people know?
Most people wouldn’t know that I was a Romany Gypsy, I don’t think. My dad’s a Romany Gypsy and I grew up in, like, two worlds, so Nashville has kind of emulated that for me. There is a lot of synergy between the word that I grow up in that community and stuff like that.  Also, I’m not an only child, I’ve got three siblings. 

Tori Darke

Tori Darke is an Australian singer and songwriter who competed on The Voice Australia. In 2025, she released singles, “Trouble” and “My Boots Made Me Do It”.

What do you like about performing at festivals like this one?
The vibe is always there; there’s crazy crowds, there’s people that are happy, excited, they’re looking to have a good time, and I just think that you really thrive off other people’s energy, and especially when you’re on stage and you see people in front of you, enjoying it, having a good time, you just really soak in that energy.

In terms of your music, who or what do you draw inspiration from?
I draw inspiration from everything. I think everyday life, everyday experiences, things that happen to me, things that happen to people I know. I always like to write songs that are relatable, whether it’s been something that’s happened to me or someone else, but, just being able to write music that people can go, ‘I feel like she wrote this song for me!’, or, ‘I feel like this sounds like my kind of vibe or my kind of song.’

In terms of your musical heroes,  if you could pick anyone, either alive or dead, to do a collaboration with, who would you pick and why?
Ooh. 
That’s such a tough one. I’ve been really, really lucky over the last couple of years to sing with Keith Urban and LeAnn Rimes, and be coached by LeAnn Rimes on The Voice too. They’re two of my idols that I’ve just been so lucky to perform with already. But I would probably say someone like Dolly Parton because I just think she’s so iconic. She’s really lived a life; she’s seen the good, the bad, and the ugly of this whole crazy industry, and I just feel like I would wanna pick her brains and be her friend. 


Being on a reality TV show, what would people who haven’t been through that experience probably not know?
That there’s so many components that go on in those shows that people will never see or never hear about. There’s a lot of behind the scenes, picking songs for you, picking outfits for you. There’s like music directors behind it. You know, there’s a big machine and a bigger picture of the whole thing that people will never really understand because it’s all behind the scenes. 


What can we expect for you next? What are any projects, anything you’d like to plug?
I’ve got a brand new single out in a couple of weeks, which is called “Who I Am Without You”. That’s an exclusive because I haven’t even announced it! Then I’ll have an EP this year and then also another EP into next year as well as an album. So just lots and lots of new music happening.

What’s a random fact about you that not many people would know?
I’ve won a bodybuilding competition.
I love health and fitness and after being on the road, travelling for five weeks throughout the US and the UK, I’m very excited to get home and just eat salad for a week!