Friday 17 January 2025: Today, the first day of the Toyota 53rd Tamworth Country Music Festival, the 44th Toyota Star Maker Wade Forster releases his EP, The Drifter, along with his fourth Star Maker single, Denim, a vocal collaboration with Max Jackson, the 2022 Toyota Star Maker.
Wade said; “I had a lot of fun writing this song. Max has been a huge inspiration to me since meeting her in 2023. It was great to write together with the added view that we are both Star Maker winners which made good synergy. Simon Johnson did a great job of bringing this song to life. He makes the recording process so easy for me. Jeremy Minett is the brains when it comes to video and has done all my music videos so far. I’ve enjoyed my Star Maker year and until next time… cowboy out.”
Max said; “I’m really proud to be a part of this one with my favourite cowboy, Wade Forster. Wade and I hit it off from the moment we met, I was drawn in by his big smile, big heart, and his authenticity.
“When he called me outta the blue and said, in his always casual way, “I don’t really co-write very often, but I’ve got this song I wanna write with ya … I think it’s a duet”, I was, honestly, so honoured.
“I love that a true friendship and respect for each other has turned into Denim.”
Denim video director and producer, Jeremy Minett said; “This video was very special to be a part of as it features two of my absolute favourite people – Max and Wade.
“One thing I was very eager to do was to get out to a rodeo arena and capture the feel and essence of what makes up a huge part of Wade’s identity – rodeo. We travelled just outside Gunnedah to a small rodeo ground where Wade was actually competing.
“With involvement from some of Wade’s rodeo friends, Sophie Crawley and Isaac Leclair, we shot the majority of the video in and amongst the competition as it was happening in real time. The video is essentially a country love story, and we were aiming for a balance of that nostalgic ‘young love’ feel, mixed with a distinctly rodeo vibe – raw, dusty and rough around the edges (a bit like Wade!).
“Wade and Max were by-standers, narrating the story through song, watching the story unfold, and I love how that turned out. We finished the video at the iconic The Tamworth hotel which was such a fitting setting to cap off the story. I think the overall result is something unique, feel good and 100% country.”
Wade rides into his last 10 days as the current Star Maker winner exhausted but exhilarated from an incredible 12-months, which has resulted in his first nomination in the Toyota 53rd Golden Guitar Awards for New Talent of the Year.
Wade and his band, The Wounded – Ben Westphal (guitar), Ben Lane (bass) and Matt Mallardi (drums) – have just returned from a six-date double-billed tour in the US with The Lowdown Drifters on their Low Down Under Tour where they played in Brenham Texas, Kansas City Missouri; Tulsa Oklahoma, Gruene Texas, Turkey Texas and Colorado Springs.
The US tour followed the seven-date Australian The Drifter Tour, presented by the Wheelhouse Agency.
Wade returns to his third Tamworth Country Music Festival, where he will perform at the Opening Concert, the 45th Toyota Star Maker Grand Final as a special guest, a VIP up-close-and-personal event at local café Hissy Fits, the Music for McGrath concert, Toyota FanZone and his own EP Launch at the iconic The Longyard Hotel on Friday, January 24 at 10:30pm.
Wade will return to the US to perform at SXSW Texas in March 2025, then return to Australian to join US star Cody Johnson’s Leather Deluxe Tour in Australia and New Zealand.
Produced by Simon Johnson, The Drifter EP includes Off The Drugs, Chemistry, Honky-Tonk Bulldoggin’ Man and Denim with Max Jackson.