Country artist Tami Neilson has just debuted the title single from her upcoming album ‘Neon Cowgirl’ - and this one features Kiwi legend Neil Finn.
The Canadian-raised, New Zealand-based singer-songwriter uploaded the now fourth track off the album to her official YouTube channel yesterday (8 July), along with a heartfelt caption explaining the meaning behind it.
“The Neon Cowgirl - towering over Broadway like the patron saint of heartbreak in downtown Nashville as she smiles coyly over her shoulder in red cowboy boots - watched me grow up.”
‘Neon Cowgirl’ represents a lifelong dream of chasing Nashville and country music. I’ve loved her my whole life, even when she breaks my heart over and over again.
The track’s music video release comes just days ahead of her album drop on 11 July.
This morning, Tami took to social media where she described her journey with Neil.
She said she wishes she could “time travel and play this song for past versions of myself”.
“The teenager was sleeping on the floor on a mattress after her family band had lost everything. She got a job at the makeup counter of a local pharmacy. Her small paycheque supported all five of them for a while,” Tammi wrote.
“‘Fall at Your Feet’ by Crowded House played multiple times a day through the pharmacy speakers. She sang the harmony quietly, feeling defeated and wondering if she’d ever be in music again.”
Tami also recalled a special memory of watching the Finn brothers live.
“The 27-year-old who sat in the audience with her brother Jay in the darkness of Toronto’s Massey Hall, listening to Neil Finn and his brother Tim sing ‘Disembodied Voices,’ a song about siblings. She grabbed Jay’s hand and they both cried, knowing she was moving across the world to New Zealand in just a few weeks,” she continued.
And two decades later, she’s sharing a stage with him.
“I walked through the doors of the Ryman Auditorium to fulfil a lifelong dream of performing on that stage for the first time. Neil had invited me to open for Crowded House - the Kiwis invading Nashville!”
“Jay was by my side, my husband and children in the wings, the Finns watched side stage, the audience were on their feet, and the Neon Cowgirl shone down on us all,” Tami finished.
With her ‘Neon Cowgirl’ tour heading to Auckland and Wellington later this year, who else is hoping to hear this iconic duo perform it live?
Love country music and want to listen to more tracks? Check out our Today's Country playlist.
