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Interview with
BROOK CHIVELL

(26th November 2025)

Interview by Dave Bruce

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Watch the whole interview below:

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BROOK CHIVELL –
Guitars, Country Roots & Finding His Own Way

Australian country-rock artist Brook Chivell has built a reputation as one of the most authentic voices on the scene — not just through his music, but through the way he shares his stories, his struggles, and his growth. We caught up for an open, candid and often very funny conversation about songwriting, fear, family, nerves, Nashville, bungee jumping, key-banging utes, and his new single “Like A Country Girl.”

“I’ve wanted to be an artist my whole life.”

Chivell remembers writing his first song at just six or seven years old. Music was in his blood long before he realised it.

“I didn’t know until later that both my mum’s mum and my dad’s dad were musical,” he says. “Dad never really played instruments, but we had this game growing up where he’d whistle a tune and my sister and I had to guess what it was. Without knowing it, we were developing our ear really early.”

Raised in Tullamarine — once the outskirts of Melbourne — his world was more Aussie rock than rural country. “It was Kiss, Guns N’ Roses, Foo Fighters. Country wasn’t really the vibe there growing up.”

But the roots were quietly growing.

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Stage fright, Lionel Richie, and learning the craft

Chivell wasn’t always the confident performer fans see today.

“As a kid, I was terrified of getting on stage,” he laughs. “Clammy hands, wanting to vomit… the whole lot. I’d get the lead or second-lead parts in school choirs, but I never caught the bug because I was so scared.”

He’s in good company — even Lionel Richie famously said he performed terrified for years.

“It gets easier,” Chivell says. “These days it depends on the gig. Big shows still give me butterflies. But the second I walk onstage, it disappears.”

10 years in a cover band — and accidentally writing country

Chivell cut his teeth playing in a Melbourne cover band throughout his 20s.

“Ten years of Jessie’s Girl and Video Killed The Radio Star,” he jokes. “You learn the tricks of the trade doing it over and over.”

He was writing original music too — but it wasn’t fitting the band’s direction.

“I kept bringing songs to the guys and they’d say, ‘Great song… but it’s too country.’ I didn’t get it. I didn’t do country. But my dad listened to it a lot, and I guess it seeped in.”

He wasn’t trying to write country — he was writing from the heart, and what came out was honest.

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Country rock, guitars and more than “three chords and the truth”

Ask Chivell what his sound is and he doesn’t hesitate.

“Country rock. There’s a lot of rock in what I do. I still think of myself as a guitar player first.”

And while country music often prides itself on simplicity, that’s not his style.

“Three chords bores the living daylights out of me,” he admits. “I like musical challenges — chord changes, bridges, elements that listeners don’t see coming. I don’t want everything to be the same four chords.”

Why fans connect — “It’s always the message”

In country music, storytelling is everything.

“For a long time, lyrics didn’t matter that much to me,” Chivell says. “They were just a way to let me play guitar. But in country, fans care deeply about the words.”

He now writes often with a close friend who’s a strong lyricist. “He gets the message out, and I tune it to what I want it to be.”

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New single: Like a Country Girl

Chivell’s latest release, “Like A Country Girl,” is pure country-party energy.

“It’s just a fun tune — a tribute to the young women who work hard all week on farms or rural jobs and then absolutely let loose on the weekend. BNS balls, paddock parties, key-banging utes… it’s wild.”

If you’ve never witnessed “key-banging,” Chivell explains:

“You rev the hell out of the ute, switch it on and off so it backfires, and it just goes bang, bang, bang until something explodes. It’s insane.”

At country gigs, he says, “The girls are always first on the dancefloor. That energy gets everyone moving.”

Albums, Spotify and the modern music landscape

Chivell has released two albums — though many fans may not realise it.

“The first is under The Brook Chivell Band on Spotify. The second I released in dribs and drabs, because dropping a whole album isn’t always the best strategy anymore. Algorithms prefer singles.”

While he loves full-length albums, he’s realistic about the digital age.

“My favourite songs were never the singles. They were album tracks that hit something in me. But these days, fans scroll fast. You’ve got to adapt.”

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Life, loss, and momentum

Earlier this year, Chivell released a song every month — until life intervened.

“My dog died of a heart attack right in front of me,” he says quietly. “It devastated me. The wheels fell off for a bit.”

He’s finding momentum again.

“I released a song last month, another this month, and I’ll drop one in December — probably Christmas Day for the fans.”

Not all will go to radio. “Everything costs money. But I want to keep feeding my audience.”

Collaboration, imposter syndrome & the struggle to ‘schmooze’

Chivell is open about something many artists hide — imposter syndrome.

“I’ve had it my whole life,” he says. “I’m terrible at schmoozing. I was raised to be seen and not heard, and breaking out of that is hard.”

But he’s getting better at leaning into opportunities.

“Collabs are huge in country music. I haven’t chased them — but I probably should.”

His producer is currently working with big-name artists, and Chivell sees that as a good sign. “It lifts everyone.”

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Fatherhood, Nashville & what’s next

Chivell has visited Nashville twice — once for seven weeks.

“Nashville isn’t just country. It’s everything. A massive creative melting pot.”

Back home, fatherhood has added a new layer to his writing.

“I’ve definitely got songs now that carry that feeling of being a dad.”

He has three or four tracks ready to record once his producer becomes available again.
And more touring is on the way, with shows across Queensland and down the east coast.

QUICKFIRE ROUND – BROOK CHIVELL

Craziest thing you’ve ever done? “Bungee jump.”
Topic you can talk about for hours? “Guitars. Any and all. Pedals, amps… especially electrics.”
Favourite pedal? “The Zen Drive.”
What do you like most about yourself? “I don’t give up.”
Favourite album? Appetite For Destruction – Guns N’ Roses.
Favourite artist? Keith Urban.
Favourite movie? “Either Bloodsport or Major League.”
Favourite place to visit? Nashville.
Favourite drink? Black Sambuca & Pepsi Max.
Favourite person in history? Buddy Holly.
Favourite venue? The Crowbar at Gympie Muster.
Favourite food? “I don’t like wearing them.” (Yes, he went there.)

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Final Word

Chivell’s journey hasn’t been straightforward — but it’s been real, and it shows in his music. He writes from the heart, plays with fire, fights through nerves, and keeps showing up. And maybe that’s why fans connect with him so strongly.

With “Like A Country Girl” out now, and more singles on the way, the next chapter of Brook Chivell’s country-rock story is set to be his biggest yet.

Stream the new single. Catch a show. And watch what happens next.

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Follow BROOKE CHIVELL
Website – Instagram – Facebook – Spotify

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Watch the whole interview below:

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Press Release 16th November 2025 (below) HERE

BROOK CHIVELL
celebrates the spirit of
“LIKE A COUNTRY GIRL”

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AMNPLIFY – DB