Courtney Keil Let's Pretend

Heralded as "one of the most exciting talents in Australian country music" by Beat Magazine, and recently crowned 'Best Female Vocal' at the 2023 Australian Country Music People's Choice Awards, Courtney Keil has once again lived up to her reputation with the release of her latest single, 'Let's Pretend'. The track precedes the release of Courtney's long awaited debut album The Good Kind (out February 24) and is available for pre-order now.

'Let's Pretend' was born from an early morning zoom co-write between Courtney, acclaimed Nashville-based songstress Sally Barris, and producer Rod McCormack. The trio have proved to be a reckonable creative force, crafting the latest of the NSW Central Coast based singer's catchy bops.

The result of their latest collaboration is an emotive tale about risking it all for true love. ''Let's Pretend' is a vulnerable, heartfelt conversation between a mother and daughter about meeting someone new and hoping he is the one," explains Courtney. Its verses wrestle a parent's hard-learned wisdom with the unbridled optimism of youth. "Sometimes you just have to pretend that it will all work out."

The mid-tempo, slow burn is saddled with tones from the country music playbook, both new and old. "[It was] recorded in The Music Cellar on the Central Coast (by Rod McCormack), woven together with some of my favourite classic country sounds," recalls Courtney. Yearning electric guitar riffs collide with the unmistakable sound of dobro to provide a subtle bed for Courtney's honey-dipped vocal. The sound is reminiscent of a 90s ballad, à la Faith Hill or Shania Twain, yet also possesses a sensibility akin to modern day hits.

Since releasing her gripping debut single 'I Just Wanna Hold You' within the maw of COVID-19 in 2020, Courtney has enjoyed a swift ascent. The aforementioned single garnered a semi-finalist position in the International Songwriting Competition (ISC) and was named in the Top 40 of the Vanda and Young Global Songwriting Competition, while 4 of her singles hit #1 on the iTunes Country Singles chart. All of her singles have featured on Apple Music editorial playlists, and she has consistently achieved chart positions on the Country Hot 50 airplay chart, the most recent being 'Hard Place', which took out the #21 spot. 

Beyond the streams, Courtney has been popping up on stages around Australia. She's opened for Aussie favourites, The Whitlams, supported Andrew Swift and Angus Gill and performed at a string of shows in Gina Jeffreys and Tania Kernaghan's Girl Night Out Tour at the Tamworth Country Music Festival, NQs Rockin' Country and Savannah in the Round.  Courtney will launch her upcoming debut album, The Good Kind, with a live show on February 23 at The Sunken Monkey, Erina.

Courtney Keil has once again delivered a heartfelt track worthy of spinning on repeat. While it falls in line with Courtney's joyful brand of hopeful love songs, her performance on 'Let's Pretend' is markedly more vulnerable. Listeners certainly won't have to pretend to fall in love with this instant classic.

www.courtneykeil.com