Still Rockin' It - Cheryl Lee
Join Cheryl Lee That Radio Chick on Still Rockin' It for news, reviews and interviews with some of our favourite Australian musicians.
What are they up to at the moment? Let's find out .......
Still Rockin' It - Cheryl Lee
What has Max Jackson been up to lately? OR Denim, Guitars, And A Golden Glow
Join Cheryl Lee - That Radio Chick on STILL ROCKIN' IT for news, reviews, music and interviews with some of our favourite Australian musicians
Four Golden Guitars, a sold-out Tamworth, and a denim-clad manifesto—Max Jackson joins us to open the door on Dangerous in Denim and why albums still matter. We kick off with the festival whirlwind, then dive into how she shaped an 11-track set that plays like a story from the first needle drop to the last ring-out. Vinyl and CDs are coming because this record is meant to be lived with, not skimmed.
Max takes us behind the pen, from writing rooms in Australia with Nolan Wynne, Gavin Carfoot, Amy and George Shepherd, and Kaylee Bell to Nashville sessions that brought fresh edges to her sound. We talk about the five unheard tracks as the connective tissue that turns familiar singles into a unified journey. Then we trace the unlikely rocket fuel: Little More Country. What started as a single became a series of reimagined classics—Dancing Queen, Summer of ’69—that racked up millions of views, hit viral charts in Sweden and Norway, and even caught ABBA’s attention. It’s proof that great songs survive translation when you treat them with heart and craft.
There’s more. A last-minute TV slot sparked Country Heart Can, written and recorded in two days with help from The Wolfe Brothers and producer Rod McCormack, earning a Golden Guitar nomination.
Max shares how small-town roots in Coonamble and a deep creative partnership with her husband Jeremy keep the engine steady, even as international invites roll in.
We also celebrate the broader wave: a 90s-country-style resurgence where boots, belt buckles, and big choruses feel fresh again—and Australian country is ready to travel.
If you love albums that breathe, stories that unfold track by track, and artists who build real community—think VIP breakfasts, acoustic mornings, and fans who become friends—this one’s for you. Visit maxjackson.com.au to pre-order Dangerous in Denim and if the conversation moved you, subscribe, share with a friend, and leave a review—what song do you want to hear made a little more country next?
What has Max Jackson been up to lately? Let's find out!
Get out when you can, support local music and I'll see you down the front!!
Visit: ThatRadioChick.com.au
I have loved this lady since I played her new song back then, last August 1990 Something, on my radio show. And Max Jackson, she's an absolute pocket rocket. She's a force to be reckoned with. She's just back from being the queen of Tamworth. And she's going to tell us all about her brand new album, Dangerous in Denim. Cheryl Lee, that radio chick, and I'd like to welcome into the Zoom room today, Max Jackson. Thanks for spending some time with us today. Max. Oh, thank you for having me. It's so good to be here. You must be on top of the world. You've just finished Tamworth and scooped the pool, I think. Congratulations. Oh, thank you so much.
Speaker 2:Yes, we just arrived home yesterday after a massive 10 days, and it was just so many incredible things happened at the festival. We sold out our very first show at the Long Yard, which was so exciting, and it cemented in my mind the fact that I think I have the nicest fans in the world. I definitely consider them more friends than fans, and that was awesome. And then ended up with a golden guitar for female artist of the year, which is so exciting. And that is the second year in a row. Wow. Honestly, saying that is so crazy. I'm actually looking at it across the room. I've got to move some things around and find a spot up here for it. But yeah, second year in a row, and I'm very proud to be a female voice in our Australian country music industry. And yeah, it's an absolute honour.
Cheryl Lee:You're gonna have to have a bigger shelf.
Speaker 2:We've actually just moved into our house that we bought. We thought, you know, it'll look really cool if we did some little floating shelves up there. Yeah, who knows? We we might be able to put a couple more somewhere later down the line.
Cheryl Lee:Congratulations, and things seem to have catapulted since Tamworth 2022 when you write the 42nd Toyota Starmaker. And now four Golden Guitars in just four short years. Kaboom, congratulations on all of your successes. And we're here today to talk about a new album, Dangerous in Denim. And I don't know if you can see, but I've come dressed for the occasion. I love it.
Speaker 2:I've got less denim on today than I usually would have on, which was just not ideal for this interview, clearly. What am I doing? That's really awesome that you're wearing your denim, and I love that. And I think, you know, denim is such a the ultimate comfortable and strong outfit for me. And that's what, you know, I I guess my album is all about being confident in where I am in life, confident in where I am in my career, and also, you know, feeling like you're dressed and ready to take on the world. And that's how I feel when I dress up in my denim. And I'm really lucky that a lot of my outfits, my mum actually makes my outfits for stage as well. So all the denim things that people see me wearing on stage, my mum and I collaborate on. But this music has been a long time coming. People have been saying to me for so long, when are you gonna release an album? When are you gonna release an album? And it was really important to me that the album didn't feel like just a collection of singles. I think that that's like something that has really happened over the last, you know, few years now that streaming and all of that is such an important part of making music. And obviously, people consume a lot of the time one song at a time, but I think that country music fans still love the collection of music and the album. And I guess the five songs that haven't been heard on the album yet are like the glue that glue all of the songs that people have already heard from me together, and it feels like a beautiful collection of music that tells a story and takes you on a on a journey of highs and lows. And so I would definitely urge that uh if anyone loves listening to a collection of music, listen from the beginning to the end, make sure the shuffle is turned off. The exciting thing too is we actually have vinyl CDs, all the old school ways of listening to music, and that's something that's a favourite of mine. I'm looking across the room at my record player. So we can't wait to have that. Those are all on pre-order now and obviously going to be available once the album's out. So it's exciting. I can't wait for it to come out, Feb 13.
Cheryl Lee:I do love a little bit of vinyl, and I love that you've gone old school because that's how we were brought up on music. You've played side A, you heard that story, you flipped it over and you heard the rest of the story on side B. I still love consuming music that way, and I'm so glad that that's what you've done in um Dangerous In Denim. As you said, 13th of next month. It's available for pre-order now. It's an 11-track album, and you co-wrote every song on that album.
Speaker 2:Yes, I love writing songs and telling the stories and everything, so that was really important to me. I wrote a bunch of the songs here in Australia with people like Nolan Wynne, Gavin Carfoot, with Amy and George Shepherd, and with other friends, Kaylee Bell. My husband is a co-writer on one of the songs, Jeremy Minnette. And I also went over to Nashville in June, uh the last two Junes actually, and wrote some of the songs there as well with some incredible songwriters as well. So it was very important for all the music to be written from the heart from me as well.
Cheryl Lee:Really awesome. You've collaborated with some lovely souls in country music, sharing the love around. That's it. The last track on the album is Little More Country. And that won the uh number one golden guitar single of the year.
Speaker 2:It did, which is so cool. It's the song that just never dies, honestly. I didn't think for a minute when I put Little More Country out how important it would be in, I guess, the growth of my career and also cementing, you know, me as an artist within the Australian country space. And and the crazy thing is Little More Country is not only the song, but it inspired this whole series across social media where I like to make non-country songs a little more country. And like we even made an EP in March last year that was country versions of Dancing Queen, of Summer of 69, and some of my favourite, you know, non-country songs, and we made them country. And the crazy thing about that is that like we're about to go over and play in Berlin in March, and we've got a lot of international opportunities this year where we're taking our Aussie country music over performing on the world stage, and all of that came from Little More Country. So it's perfect way to round out the album. I feel like it being the last song is like coming back to I guess the song that really kicked everything off for me. And it's still the song every single show where you know the energy in the room just goes up a level, and and I love it.
Cheryl Lee:I went down a little rabbit hole on YouTube last night watching some of those covers because for me, a good song is a good song, and they can cross genres. I think out of all of them, my favourite is Dancing Queen. Such a great version.
Speaker 2:Do you know, actually, crazy story is Beyond from ABBA actually shared it in his Instagram story? Oh my gosh. I had something really crazy happen. When I put out the Dancing Queen cover, it went kind of viral across social media. So it was across Instagram, TikTok, all the places. It just had a crazy amount of organic streams. So it wasn't added to any playlists, it was just people directly going from the videos over to listening to it. And it ended up on the viral playlists in Norway and Sweden. Clearly, being an ABBA song was, you know, a big reasoning for that. And then I didn't even know that that had happened, but I went over to CMA Fest in Nashville in June and I walked into a room and there was this Swedish artist, Jill Johnston, who's was so lovely, it was really cool to meet her. She's an icon, a country icon there. As I walked in, she said to me, You're the dancing queen girl. And I was like, I am the dancing queen girl. And she said, Did you know that Beyond shared it in his Instagram story? And I said, No, did you get a screenshot? Because I'm never gonna be able to find it now. But that was so cool. Obviously, that you know, saw it being heard by a bunch of different people, and it's just so cool. I mean, I love music and I love songs, and you know, paying respect to to songs that I love and and you know, obviously artists that I love too is the coolest thing ever, and to think that somebody heard it is really, really awesome.
Cheryl Lee:Summer of 69's pretty good as well. In fact, I liked them all because you you've treated them with respect, but also given them your own twist, your own country twist, obviously. A little more country went viral with over 30 million views across the So that was just the whole series across there.
Speaker 2:Like so many of the songs had three, four million views on videos and things like that, which was so crazy. Like it's wild. I just have these little pockets of audiences all over the world now, and I guess the next challenge and the next goal is to try and get around to as many places as I can. And you know, I'm so proud of being an Australian country artist as we see country music just trending on such a global scale. I think it's a really good time for Aussie artists to be, you know, popping over in different markets and being like our country music scene is very strong and we have great music coming out of Australia. So I can't wait to fly that flag for sure.
Cheryl Lee:Take that Aussie talent and share it around the globe.
Speaker 2:That's it, and tell everyone come over here, come to our festivals and come and visit us and you know, see what our country music is like as well.
Cheryl Lee:Absolutely, and over the last maybe five years, but country music has just been on a trajectory, like bam!
Speaker 2:Yeah, I grew up with 90s country, the music that, you know, I absolutely loved, and my mum would play me. My mum took me to Gina Jeffries' concert, to Becky Cole concerts, you know, to Troy Casser-Daley and Lee Kernaghan, I remember, came out and played it our rodeo out in Coonamble. And then also she would play Shania Twain and Dolly Parton and so many incredible artists in the 90s. And I think I I was actually, I don't know whether it was Gina or somebody said to me that they sort of feel like right now in country music feels like it did in the 90s, where there was this massive boom and everything was cool. Like it's everything from the music, but it's all the way through like I'm walking through a normal shopping centre and seeing cowboy hats, boots, belt buckles, double denim, you're seeing like double denim, you're seeing Western homewares and leather things, and you know, everything that studs and everything that was really, you know, I guess country to me, or everywhere. It's so cool to see all of that. So it's a great time to be having, you know, obviously my career reach some new heights as well.
Cheryl Lee:Another feather in your cap. Your song from the album A Country Heart Can was on Channel 7's Farmer Wants a Wife. That's a great acolade.
Speaker 2:It was so cool to get the call-up. You know, there's not many opportunities in Australia now where you can get on the TV and you know play particularly original music as well. So it was cool to get the call up from Farmer Wants a Wife to be the performer. It inspired me writing that song, actually. So I had the idea written down, but they basically said, we need your songs in two days' time. I said, Well, I'm gonna just decide to be an overachiever and try and write a song for it. And I even had to call up my friends, the Wolfe brothers, and be like, Can I steal a couple of hours from you in the studio? Because they were in the studio with my producer who produces their music as well, Rod McCormack. And I said, Can I steal a couple of hours with Rod? Because I really want to put down a version of this song because I can't tell you what it's for because I have had to sign a non-disclosure agreement. But it's for a TV show and it's important. And I'm so glad that I, yeah, had that opportunity that inspired me to finish off that song that was already there and it was just the perfect moment to write it and record it. And I'm so glad we released it. It was nominated for Song of the Year as well at the Golden Guitars. Didn't take it out, but I'm very proud of that song.
Cheryl Lee:Oh, it's great, and you mentioned country music in the 90s. I also watched the Great video for 1990 Something. How cool is that? Those girls, those line dancers, they're so cool and they're so spunky. I know.
Speaker 2:Tell me about it. So I met Dusty, who is the lead dancer in the video. So her and the group, they're called Cowgirls Australia, and they're from around like the Ballina, Lismore sort of area. Dusty, I'm not sure, she's 16, 17 years old, and she's the world line dance champion for her age. She is just the coolest person you've ever met. And then she brought all of her friends along, and they were the coolest girls I've ever met, ever. And they're doing really amazing things within the line dance space across Australia, doing all the events and things like that. And like it was just so cool to be able to have them in the video. Dusty choreographed the line dance, brought it all together. We went to this beautiful spot and filmed it out there, and it was like the cool we couldn't have got a better day for it, too. Like the sunset was perfect, there was dust flying off their boots. It was like the coolest thing in the world. So I'm so glad you liked that one. Yeah, everything came together. It makes a great video. Funny story on the day we were getting swooped by a plover the whole time. You're in Australia, love plovers, magpies, they were all at us. They didn't want us in that rodeo arena.
Cheryl Lee:Do you have any snakes, poisonous spiders, rogue kangaroos, drop bears, country in Australia? You were actually born in a small country town, Coonamble in New South Wales, with a population of not even 3,000. What and when did you realize that country music was your thing or was it always gonna be? Are your parents musical? Is it in your genes?
Speaker 2:Yeah, no. I mean, I think it was in my genes, but there was no musical person before me. But I think what was in my genes was like the passion for country music. And my mum and dad were just big music fans. My mum, particularly country music, and my dad, you know, loved country music too, but loved everything from the Eagles all the way through to the classic rock stuff as well. But they just yeah, raised me on really good music and and took me to shows. They would go to shows and everything. So I think they definitely like instilled that passion and inspiration, I guess, to to want to do something like that. But I honestly I think it's gotta be in you to be persistent enough to make a career like this work. It's it's obviously like it's basically like owning your own business, you know, there's nobody else to do it for you, and you've got to wake up every day and make it happen. So I think I don't know what it was that gave me that just constant drive. It's like from the moment I wake up in the morning to the moment I go to sleep at night, all I think about is country music. And I think what adds to that is that my husband, Jeremy, you know, plays guitar in my band, makes all my music videos. He's incredibly creative. I always say, you know, I won the female artist of the year, but it's really me and Jeremy won the female artist of the year because he's a big part of everything that I do. But we wake up in the morning and we go, all right, we've got to do the video for this today, we've got to do the recording for this, or whatever it is. It's a full-time obsession, passion, and everything in between. And I love it.
Cheryl Lee:You may obviously make a very good team. Sorry, that was one of my children just popping. I didn't even see. Do you guys have any children?
Speaker 2:No, we don't. We have a nephew, he's three, he is the coolest kid in the world. He comes to a lot of my shows and he becomes almost like a mascot, you know, head-to-toe in the Max Jackson merch. He loves his music, so maybe he'll be a performer. He does like to perform Dancing Queen as well.
Cheryl Lee:Any other hobbies? I know this is your passion, but when you're not singing and performing, is there anything else that you love to do?
Speaker 2:You know, I really love just I love classic things. So I I really love art. Like now that we have our house, I love trying to find art that I love. And we go, we love going like vintage shopping or you know, antique shopping and things like that. So I guess yeah, that would be a hobby. I keep saying, I think I'm gonna start painting myself, and I don't know what it is in me that makes me have any sort of confidence in the fact that I would be good at it. But I'm like, that's something I would like to do more of in the future, is maybe try and start doing my own, you know, art pieces and things like that. But you know, music takes up a lot of our time. But the cool thing is that music is a hobby. As much as it's a full-time job for us too, we just still have so much love and passion for listening to music, going and seeing music ourselves, and also the music that we make. So we definitely love spending a lot of our time doing that.
Cheryl Lee:It's great when you can marry your passion with your work, and then you never work a day in your life, right?
Speaker 2:That's it, and I really do. I love what we do, and and we all do. We're so lucky in our band. Everybody is so, you know, in music for the right reasons, and it's it's a good crew that we get to hang around with for sure.
Cheryl Lee:That makes it even better. We mentioned that you've just come off Tamworth. I think would that be the biggest country music festival in Australia?
Speaker 2:It's definitely the longest. You know, I'd say it's got the most people rolling through town in 10 days that could possibly roll through town at a festival, and I've been the ambassador for the festival for the past three years. So yeah, so that's been really, really cool as well. Obviously, like I mean, I don't know if they ever had, but they hadn't had an ambassador for the festival before they asked me to do it. And so I was very honored that, you know, the Tamworth Regional Council and and the festival had entrusted that role in me. But as you can tell, I love the chat, and I I really do love Tamworth. So much of my, you know, the most exciting things of my career have happened in Tamworth, whether it be from being a little kid, going there with my family and being inspired to do through to doing things like the Academy of Country Music myself when I was younger and learning so much about the industry, and then winning Toyota Starmaker, and then doing my first shows, and then through to sell out shows, and then winning golden guitars. It's it's a really special place for artists, and it's one of the only festivals in Australia where there is a stage for everybody, and I think that that's really, really cool.
Cheryl Lee:About a dozen of my friends went over and I had such FOMO.
Speaker 2:It's very fun. Just start planning for 2027. That's exactly right. So you'll obviously be back again next year. Definitely be in Tamworth in 2027. I love kicking off the year in Tamworth, putting on my show, and we do something really special as well in Tamworth that's like very unique to it, which is I do a VIP breakfast. The VIP ticket holders at my show come to a breakfast the next morning after, and we do it at this secret location, but it's like a beautiful property outside of town, and like they've got farm animals, and we get to hang around and have breakfast together, and I sing a couple of you know acoustic songs and all of that, and just spend a bit of like quality time together. So I really love my time in Tamworth and I can't wait to get back again.
Cheryl Lee:I love that you do that, and like you say, what a way to kick off the year. I really appreciate that you've spent a little bit of time with us in the Zoom room out of your busy day. We wish you all the best with the new album Dangerous in Denim. Pre-order it now. It's out on the 13th of next month. Any chance of a Dangerous in Denim tour? Absolutely.
Speaker 2:Yes, the dates are coming. We are so excited to tour this music around Australia and make sure that we can get into, you know, as many spots as we possibly can. So definitely keep an eye on my social media. I'm always on there, hopefully entertaining people and making them laugh and smile and all those good things, but keeping you informed about what's happening. So that's at Max Jackson Music is the place to find everything. And you can head to my website, is where you'll find all the pre-orders for the vinyl and CDs, which is maxjackson.com.au.
Cheryl Lee:Thank you for that. Is that a scoop? Did you hear that first here? There's a tour coming. Tour coming. Yes, this is the place to find out everything important right here with you, Cheryl.
Speaker 2:Thank you.
Cheryl Lee:That's right. Thank you again. And look, you enjoy the rest of your day, you and your lovely husband. And if I don't see you in Adelaide on your tour before, yes, hopefully. I'll see you next year in Tamworth.
Speaker 2:I'll see you down at the Yes, for sure. No, I think we'll be coming your way for sure. Thank you so much, Cheryl. I appreciate your time.
Speaker:You are listening to Still Rocking It, the podcast with Cheryl Lee.
Cheryl Lee:As mentioned, country music. Is definitely experiencing a massive resurgence at the moment. And this lady's got a lot to do with it. Without any further ado, let's hear the golden guitar number one single of the year, Little More Country.
Cheryl Lee:You're with Cheryl Lee, that radio chick. Thank you so much for joining me on the Still Rocking Up podcast. Hope to catch you again next time. Get out when you can, support Aussie music, and I'll see you down the front.