Five top songwriters from Australia, all of whom boast an impressive record of achievement, played the Top Songwriter Showcase at Handy Music Festival on Friday 25th July. “It was an Aussie invasion like no other!” quipped Zena O’Connor of 2120 Music, who hosted the event.
Now in its 44th year, the annual W. C. Handy Music Festival is a ten day celebration of music held in Muscle Shoals which showcases local and national talent. Occasionally, international artists are booked to perform at Handy Festival and in 2025, this unique event was held which featured international talent unlike anything seen at previous Handy Festivals.
Alongside Shoals-based Australian artist Lucie Tiger, who acted as MC at the songwriter showcase, the lineup featured Sinead Burgess, Blake O’Connor, Imogen Clarke and Melanie Dyer. Each of these artists has won prestigious awards, achieved Top 20 ranking with their songs and albums, or both. Individually, their talent is impressive and to have these artists perform at the same event was memorable.
Four of the Australian artists who performed at the showcase have lived in Nashville for some years, except Melanie Dyer who relocated to Nashville from Australia only a few months ago. Lucie Tiger, who has been living in the Shoals for almost two years, supported the headline act North Mississippi Allstars with her band at the opening night Handy on the Plaza stage.
Perhaps it was their common Aussie heritage but the camaraderie and chemistry among the artists was spellbinding. Blake O’Connor added slide guitar licks to songs performed by Sinead Burgess and Lucie Tiger, who both contributed background harmonies for each other’s original songs, while Imogen Clark and Melanie Dyer also traded background harmonies, and guitar runs and fills to each other’s songs.
The event attracted a full house at Handy Festival with many audience members keen to see the international artists from Australia. The Top Songwriters Showcase at Handy Festival has previously featured Angela Hacker, who won the fifth season of the country music television competition ‘Nashville Star’, and Grammy-winner Gary Nichols.
The visiting Australian artists made a stop at FAME Studios and 2120 Music let them know about the Shoals Music Makers Recording Incentive program. While they currently record in Nashville, it’s possible that they are inspired by Lucie Tiger to record in the Shoals and are tempted by the incentive program which offers artists up to 30% reimbursement on recording costs for projects recorded in the area.
Sinead Burgess - Nashville-based Australian, Sinead is a singer, songwriter and producer who signed her first record deal at age 16. For her self-produced 2018 album ‘Damaged Goods’, Sinead wrote every song and played the bulk of the instruments, and she subsequently won the John Lennon Songwriting Contest [Country category] for a single from the album, ‘Praising God, Raising Hell’. In 2020, Sinead earned nominations for CMAA Australian Country Music Award for New Talent of the Year and Global APRA Music Award for Breakthrough Songwriter of the Year. Sinead has toured widely and supported artists James Bay, The Script, The Shires, Joe Bonamassa, and Don McLean, and she undertook her own headline tour of the UK in 2024. Sinead also has a radio program Garth Brooks’ global radio station, ‘The Big 615’.
Blake O’Connor - After winning the prestigious Toyota Star Maker award at the Tamworth Country Music Festival in 2019, Nashville-based Australian artist, Blake released ‘Everything I Feel’, which debuted at #8 on the ARIA Country Albums Chart (AUS equivalent to Billboard chart). His 2nd album ‘Finding Light’ reached #1 on ARIA Country Albums Chart. Blake has had four #1 CMT Australia music videos and in 2020, he won a CMAA Golden Guitar for QANTAS New Talent of the Year, and is a regular CMA Fest artist who also tours the UK and further afield. With his powerful vocals and versatile guitar skills, Blake has become an in-demand performer and session guitarist, with a full schedule of performances across the US.
Lucie Tiger - After winning Country Blues Song of the Year in 2021 for ‘Gasoline’ (recorded at FAME Studios) at the Tamworth Country Music Festival, Lucie has had eight singles on the Music Row Country Breakout Chart including ‘Found My Home’, which reached #20 on the Australian Country Music Chart as well. Her album ‘Alabama Highway’ reached #14 on ARIA Country Albums Chart (AUS equivalent to Billboard) and #10 on the Independent Albums (AIR) Chart, and her 2nd album ‘The Memphis Tapes’ debuted at #7 on the Independent Albums (AIR) Chart in 2022. Now based in the Shoals, Lucie is currently recording her fourth album. Before going solo in 2018, her band Tiger & The Rogues garnered accolades in her hometown, Sydney.
Imogen Clarke - Australian artist Imogen now calls Nashville home. Her latest album ‘Choking On Fuel’ is currently #15 on the ARIA Country Albums Chart (AUS equivalent to Billboard chart) in July 2025 and her earlier album ‘Love and Lovely Lies’ debuted at #34 on the ARIA Country Albums Chart. Imogen earned her stripes playing bars in Sydney and has since toured with Shania Twain, Steve Poltz, and collaborated with Colin Hay and Jim Lauderdale and many more. Imogen’s witty, melodic songwriting has been praised in the pages of The New York Times and Rolling Stone, and armed with a guitar, her songs feature her intensity, vulnerability, musical dexterity and vocal power which always characterize her compelling live performances
Melanie Dyer- An artist who grew up in the Australian countryside and started songwriting at age 12, Melanie now resides in Nashville. Her albums ‘Fresh’ (featuring a Morgan Evans co-penned title track) and ‘Between You and Me’ have earned her prestigious Golden Guitar nominations and the APRA Professional Development Award in Australia, and her ‘Memphis T-Shirt’ song saw Melanie cross over into the mainstream, spending 6 weeks at #1 on Australian Country Hot 50 Chart and earnt her an APRA nomination for Most Performed Country Work. Melanie’s songwriting talent has led to performances at the biggest country festivals around the world, including CMA Fest in Nashville to CMC Rocks in Australia.
Top Songwriters Showcase, July 25, 2025, at the Lava Room