Tyla Rodrigues - Honky Tonk Healing on the way to Groundwater Country Music Festival

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A packed bar, a tiny country town, and a song that somehow pulls strangers to the middle of the room. That’s the feeling Tyla Rodrigues chases, and it’s the heartbeat of her latest single, “Honky Tonk Healing.” We jump on Zoom with the 22-year-old Australian country music artist to unpack how those early nights in pubs and local venues shaped her love of traditional country storytelling and that classic honky tonk sound that makes you forget everything for a minute. 

We also talk Groundwater Country Music Festival in Queensland, the free beach country music festival that keeps winning people over. Tyla explains why the vibe feels unmatched, why “country curious” listeners matter, and how returning each year feels like a family reunion with an all-killer lineup. If you’ve ever wondered how a festival can grow a scene, this is a real-world blueprint from someone living it. 

From songwriting to big-stage momentum, Tyla shares how she learned to write by keeping it simple and honest, inspired by raw projects like The Marfa Tapes. Then we get into a career highlight that still feels surreal: an Amazon Original duet with US country artist Braxton Keith, how it came together organically, and why they both landed on the same No. 1 song choice. We zoom out even further into touring life, opening for Dylan Gossett, and the shock of finding huge country music crowds at CMA Fest in Nashville and C2C in Berlin and London. 

If you love modern country, live music stories, and the craft behind songs that find their people, hit play. Subscribe, share this with a country fan (or a country curious friend), and leave us a review so more listeners can find the show.

What's Tyla Rodrigues up to at the moment?  Let's find out!

Get out when you can, support local music and I'll see you down the front!!

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