Hayden Phillis—

Emerging Australian country artist Hayden Phillis unveils his gripping new single, Stick Poke Tattoos, an energetic, roots-driven country rock release that blends gritty storytelling with magnetic emotional honesty. The release marks the first taste of Hayden’s forthcoming second album.

For Hayden, the song came together in an unusually organic way, sparked by equal parts musical inspiration and real life unfolding in real time.

“I wrote the chorus right after seeing Tyler Childers in concert,” says Hayden. “I’d gotten home late and wanted to play something up tempo that still had a bit of darkness about it. So, I pulled up voice memos and while playing saw my friend had been messaging about rather problematic behaviours from a girl he was casually dating and just reading through the story of what was going on with him was enough to spark the song idea.

“After that I kept adding to it whenever something new would happen with him or with someone else and eventually those stories came together, and I finally ended up with Stick Poke Tattoos, the tale of my friends’ failing relationships and their fears that came with it.”

While still only early in his career, Hayden’s rise across the Australian country scene has been rapid. A three-time graduate of the CMAA Academy of Country Music, he first found recognition busking on Peel Street during the Tamworth Country Music Festival before building momentum through a string of acclaimed releases from his debut album Too Young.