Tingalpa’s Felicity Kircher has been crowned the 45th Toyota Star Maker, after a stellar showcase of emerging country talent at the 2025 Grand Final concert, held earlier tonight during the Toyota 53rd Tamworth Country Music Festival.
Fellow competitors were Briana Dinsdale (Longholme Qld), Cait Jamieson (Toowong Qld), Ella Powell (Terrigal NSW), James Keith (Warriewood NSW), Kaitlyn Thomas (Rifle Range Qld) and Teak (Tatham NSW), and returning for a second year were Bryce Sainty (Springfield NSW), Felicity Dowd (Bega NSW) and Finnian Johnson (Cessnock NSW).
They each sang two songs, backed by the Sam Hawksley Allstar Band with Rod Motbey, Clare O’Meara, Ian Lees and Glenn Wilson, in front of thousands of festivalgoers who filled Toyota Park.
Whilst all 10 entrants were contenders, Felicity stole the show with an incredible performance of her songs Dear Rose and Ultimatum.
Felicity Kircher is a multi-instrumentalist and no stranger to the stage with her captivating presence, sweet honey vocals and prowess with rhythm guitar.
With a wealth of experience of over a decade, Felicity has toured throughout Australia playing hundreds of shows, with Kasey Chambers, the Gympie Muster, Savannah In The Round and Tamworth Country Music Festival, her highlights to date.
Having recorded her first album at 15 with Rob Mackay, she’s gone on to work with Big Jet Plane’s ARIA Award winning-producer Govinda Doyle releasing two singles, Long Time Coming and Sweet Tea.
In 2023 and 2024, she continued writing, and has recorded 12 tracks with renowned Australian producer/artist, Shane Nicholson.
Her most recent I Am Cry, produced by Charles Dugan and Aaron Shannahan, is making waves across playlists and radio and is recognised as a contemporary timeless heart break anthem.
As a young unique woman, she is incredibly inspiring with her craft, not bound to fit in a box and testing the musical waters.
Star Maker Coordinator and judge Cheryl Brown, says that the decision-making process is always a challenging task for the judges, and tonight was no different.
“Over the past couple of months, we’ve had the opportunity to watch each of the finalists make their way to the Grand Final, but after careful consideration, it was decided that Felicity Kircher was the most-ready, this year,” says Ms Brown.
“As Felicity’s Toyota Star Maker journey is only just beginning, we reflect on what an extraordinary year the 2024 winner, Wade Forster, has had with the support of the Star Maker machine, and we look forward to helping our winner toward their dreams.
“Each year, the competition provides a platform for emerging Australian country music artists, no matter the outcome of the Grand Final. While there can only be one winner, the nine grand finalists should be proud of their performances tonight, and their growth throughout the competition.
“We look forward to seeing what’s in store for the remaining finalists and wish them all the best for the future.”
Toyota Star Maker Producer, Barry Harley, says, “What an amazing night of exceptional talent. The future of country music is exciting with a huge variety of emerging Australian artists.
“A huge congratulations to Felicity and each of our finalists.
“It is an honour to host this very special talent search, right here in Tamworth.”
Last year’s winner, Wade Forster is proof of the impact Star Maker can have on an emerging artist’s career. He’s had a successful year of performing after being crowned the 44th Star Maker.
The crowd was treated to a performance from the rodeo cowboy tonight, before he passed over the title.
Wade returned to the Star Maker stage with a performance and entrance that included an introduction to his band, The Wounded, with band members Ben Westphal, Ben Lane and Matt Mallardi, and a voice-over from world-famous Chicago Bulls announcer Ray Clay.
Wade lives by the motto “go big or go home,” and his entrance was nothing short of spectacular—evoking the drama of a WWE or combat sports event.
His set list included Black Sheep, Team Roper’s Anthem, Rodeo Romeo, Fighting Tears and Honkytonk Bulldoggin’ Man. Rodeo Romeo won Wade the competition in 2024 and Fighting Tears, his biggest hit to date, has had over 15million streams alone. He is proving to be a highly sort after artist in the US and his popularity is building in Australia.
Wade said; “This hobby of mine has turned into a full-time job and given me the opportunity to showcase my talent in Australia and now to the world.”
Wade will launch his Star Maker EP, The Drifter, at The Longyard Hotel on Friday 24 January, commencing at 10:30pm.
The night was hosted by three-times Golden Guitar Award winner, the 1999 Toyota Star Maker Brendon Walmsley who also provided entertainment midway through the show, performing his own songs Road To Riverleigh, Cooladdi and Count Me In. Brendon made a long-awaited return to the studio in 2024 and will release his fourth studio album this year.
This year, Toyota Australia celebrated a 30-year milestone as the longest continuous sponsor of an Australian country music event, partnering with Star Maker, Australia’s longest running and most prestigious country music talent search. Toyota’s contribution to the Australian country music industry goes beyond Star Maker, having commenced their long sponsorship of the Country Music Awards in January 1994 until 2005, and returning in 2014 until today.
Presenting the award, Toyota Australia Manager, Events Sponsorship & Promotions, Ellie Gibbs, praised the exceptional talent from this year’s finalists, highlighting the impressive quality of emerging country music artists in the industry.
“On behalf of Toyota Australia, I am thrilled to congratulate Felicity Kircher on being named the 2025 Toyota Star Maker.”
“Felicity was up against a talented line-up of competitors in this year’s grand final, but their success is truly well-deserved, and their exceptional talent shone through during both performances we saw tonight.”
“The year ahead for Felicity will no doubt be an exciting journey, it is a chance to further connect with fans and share more of their music with the world, an opportunity sure to boost their career in the industry. We wish them great success in the future and welcome them warmly to the Toyota Star Maker family.”
As the 2025 Toyota Star Maker winner, Felicity Kircher will win a prize pack worth over $100,000.
The panel of judges for the 2025 competition are Toyota Star Maker Coordinator Cheryl Brown, KIX Country Network National Content Director Justin Thomson, Wheelhouse Agency Booking Agent Katie Rynne, Head of ABC Music, ARIA Board Chairperson and Board Director of CMA Nashville Natalie Waller, International songwriter Phil Barton and Toyota Star Maker Consultant Tom Inglis.
For further information on Toyota Star Maker visit starmaker.com.au
Hi-res images of the winner are available here