For Fanny Lumsden, who is playing to packed arenas across Australia, her new single, Look At Me Now, symbolises her growth as an artist. Photo: Fanny Lumsden/Facebook.
For Tooma-based Australian singer-songwriter Fanny Lumsden, music has always been a way of mapping her journey – from the wide paddocks of rural NSW to international stages.
And now she’s added another milestone.
While travelling around Australia with Paul Kelly as part of his 40th anniversary tour, which also features Lucinda Williams, Lumsden has released a new single, Look At Me Now.
She wrote and recorded the track while touring Europe and the UK over the past two months with her live band, The Prawn Stars.
The song is one she describes as deeply personal, reflecting her growth as an artist and the lessons she has learned along the way.
Born Edwina Margaret Lumsden in the small township of Tallimba, west of West Wyalong, Fanny grew up on a sheep farm.
The rhythms of rural life and the wide-open landscape have left a lasting mark on her songwriting.
“There’s a kind of honesty in the country that sticks with you,” she said.
Today, that connection continues.
Fanny now lives with her husband Dan Freeman on a property near Tooma, in the Snowy Mountains foothills south of Tumbarumba, where life on the land continues to shape her music as she balances family and a growing career.
After completing a Bachelor of Rural Science at the University of New England, Fanny moved to Sydney and began performing in local venues, gradually establishing herself in the Australian country music scene.
Her debut album, ”Small Town Big Shot” (2015), earned an ARIA nomination for Best Country Album. ”Real Class Act” (2017) built her reputation further, but it was ”Fallow” (2020) that cemented her place in Australian country music.
”Fallow”, recorded in a small stone cottage near her Tooma home, won five Golden Guitar Awards: Album of the Year, Female Artist of the Year, Contemporary Country Album of the Year, New Talent of the Year and Heritage Song of the Year.
The album’s success showcased her skill at blending traditional country storytelling with modern sensibilities and earned her widespread acclaim.
Her 2023 album ”Hey Dawn” debuted at No. 1 on the ARIA Australian Albums chart and incorporated a more sonically diverse approach, blending acoustic storytelling with elements of indie-pop.
Look At Me Now, her first new single since Hey Dawn, has been well received in live performances and was this week named The auReview’s Track of the Week.
“This is a love letter to my younger self,” Lumsden said in a recent interview with Countrytown.
“The amount of ‘no’s’ I experienced in this industry is wild, and every single one I am grateful for because they made me the person and artist I am today.”
Look At Me Now was produced by Fanny alongside her long-time collaborator Matt Fell, who has worked with her on several previous albums, including ”Fallow” and ”Real Class Act”.
The track was recorded in between tour stops with The Prawn Stars, capturing the energy of life on the road – from loading vans to performing on stage.
“I’m feeling reflective and grateful that I can still be driving the van, self-managed, doing my own makeup in the rear-view mirror and yet doing the biggest shows of my career all at the same time,” she said.
