For country artist Tori Darke, her first BIGSOUND showcase has been everything from exhilarating to slightly daunting. Having previously attended the festival as a fan and to support friends, stepping onto the BIGSOUND stage herself has been a very different experience — one filled with packed rooms, industry eyes and plenty of encouragement.
Fresh from two showcase performances, international shows across the US and UK, and the release of her empowering new single ‘Who I Am (Without You)’, Darke is embracing what comes next. With a five-track collection arriving in October and plenty more Australian shows on the horizon, BIGSOUND marks another exciting chapter in an already fast-moving year.
Futuremag: How has BIGSOUND been going for you so far? You’ve had two showcase performances this week. Has performing at BIGSOUND lived up to what you expected?
Tori Darke: BIGSOUND for me has been an incredible experience. I’ve been to BIGSOUND before to support friends and to see some of the conferences, so to be invited to play this year was really amazing. It’s been an absolute whirlwind and I’m so stoked to be here.
Performing here, I didn’t really know what to expect, but seeing all the rooms — not just my own showcases — full of people has been something that I never expected. There’s been so much support and such a responsive audience. With every song there were people cheering, clapping and whistling, which is really encouraging.
It’s a little daunting being here knowing that you’re playing for your industry. It’s not just playing for fans who already know and love your music. There could be label people or people from all over the industry in the room, and you never know what they could do for your career.
There’s definitely that factor of thinking, “Oh, I’ve got to put on a really good show and you never know who’s watching right now.” But all in all, both of my showcases were phenomenal. I had so much fun, my band were absolutely on fire, and the response and feedback we’ve had has been amazing.
Futuremag: Is there anyone you’ve seen at BIGSOUND who has really stood out to you?
Tori Darke: Piper Butcher was phenomenal. I actually saw her last night before my showcase. I’ve seen Piper around the country scene for a long time and I’ve seen her play in Brad Cox’s band as well, so I was really looking forward to seeing her live set.
I absolutely adore her. She was incredible. Her whole band was amazing, her songs were great, and she just looks so effortlessly at home on stage. It was really refreshing to see someone so talented who just seemed so at ease. I loved watching her and I can’t wait to see her perform again.
Futuremag: You’ve also had an incredible year internationally. What have you learned from taking your music overseas?
Tori Darke: That there are fans all over the world. I never thought there would be people in places like Wisconsin, Nashville and Essex in the UK who knew my songs.
It’s a whirlwind. Having people write the songs on their phone, do the Snapchat thing and ask me to sing a particular song — I never thought that would happen. I’ve worked really hard to build a career and a fan base here, so going to the other side of the world and having people know who you are and know your songs is really special.
The one thing I’ve definitely learned is that music is global, and the opportunities it can take you to are really quite incredible.
Futuremag: Do you think that global connection is part of what makes country music so powerful right now?
Tori Darke: Absolutely. Music is like a universal language. No matter what language you speak, people always come back to it because they feel something.
I think that’s why country music is really having a moment right now. There are so many stories in country music. You can write about heartache, where you’re from, your crappy day that you had — it’s just so relatable. There’s such a story there, and I think that’s why country music is really connecting with audiences globally.
Futuremag: Your new song ‘Who I Am (Without You)’ was written with Morgan Evans in Nashville. How did that song come together?
Tori Darke: The song started from being post-breakup and being on the other side of it. Morgan and I were just talking and thought, “Alright, well, let’s write a song about how good life is now without that person holding you back and really dimming your light.”
It’s about finding yourself again and finding the smile that you kind of lost during that relationship. I think so many people have been there or have felt like that before, so the song was a really important one for me to share.
Life without that person is actually a lot better.
Futuremag: Has performing that song live been empowering for you?
Tori Darke: Very. It’s just like, “You know what? I feel like I’m absolutely glowing right now.” I feel like I’m in my best era yet.
Being able to sing that song on stage is very anthemic and empowering. To sing it for audiences and feel like you’re just chanting, “Hey, life is great,” is kind of a cool message.
Futuremag: Did writing the song help you find that sense of empowerment?
Tori Darke: Definitely. Writing it helped me find me again. I like to think of songs as therapy because you can write a song and get all of your feelings out on paper. Then the more you listen to it, the more you start to believe in yourself and who you are, where you’re headed, where you want to be, how you want to get over something or how you want to feel about something.
Futuremag: What do you hope people take away when they hear ‘Who I Am Without You’?
Tori Darke: I want them to take away that you are capable of taking control of your life again. There’s that empowerment of being on the other side of something and going, “Oh wow, life doesn’t have to stop just because a relationship ended.”
Futuremag: What usually comes first when you’re writing — a lyric, melody, concept or something else?
Tori Darke: It happens differently every time. Sometimes I’ll get a lyric idea or a melody idea and voice memo it into my phone, then come back to it later and go, “Oh, I had this idea.”
Other times it can be a concept that I want to write about and I start with the lyrics. I think the cool thing about writing music is that it can come to you in so many different ways. You just never know how it’s going to happen.
When the inspiration is there, you kind of just go with it and follow it where it goes. There’s no right or wrong and there’s no real method behind how I write a song. It’s just where the inspiration starts — let’s follow that and see where we land.
Futuremag: You’re heading into a huge run of Australian festivals through to October. What are you most looking forward to about getting back on the road?
Tori Darke: I absolutely love being on stage, but the best part about it is seeing those people in front of you having a good time, singing the songs that you’ve written and just getting amongst it.
The biggest thing for me is that I love having fun on stage. It never feels like work for me. I’m just looking forward to performing to some new crowds and meeting some new people along the way for the rest of the year.
Futuremag: What do you love most about being part of the country music community?
Tori Darke: I think country music is kind of like a family. It’s a real community.
The one thing I’ve always loved about being in country music is that you feel like everyone is a friend or family. You build some really strong bonds with other artists, fans and people in the industry that you meet.
I think everyone’s really there to support each other and lift each other up and always be like, “Hey, how can I help?” You don’t always see that in music.
It feels like it’s less competitive and much more supportive and encouraging. It’s always, “What can I do to help raise you up?” rather than, “What can I do to tear you down?”
Futuremag: Is there something about you as an artist that people might not immediately realise from listening to your music?
Tori Darke: Probably that I’m Australian! I think that’s a big thing.
Listening to a lot of different country artists, you do pick up a bit more of an American accent rather than an Australian accent. A lot of Australian artists, including myself, are probably a tiny bit Americanised in the way we sing.
So a lot of people might not even realise that I’m actually Australian.
Futuremag: If you could share a stage or collaborate with any artist, who would it be?
Tori Darke: I think I’d love to share the stage with Lainey Wilson. I feel like she’s the type of person that you’d be instantly best friends with, and she could teach you so much. You would learn so much from being in her presence or sharing a stage with her.
Futuremag: What are you most excited about for the rest of 2026?
Tori Darke: I’m really excited for my EP to come out in October. I’ve got a collection of five songs that I’ve been wanting to share for a little while, so to finally have them out in the world in a couple of weeks is scary but exciting.
It’s kind of like opening your diary and being like, “Okay, have a listen and let me know what you think.” I’m really excited to share the songs with my audience and see what their reaction is.
Futuremag: Finally, what’s one of the biggest lessons you’ve learned throughout your career so far?
Tori Darke: It probably stems back to that whole idea of being kind to yourself. Don’t beat yourself up because sometimes you’re going to fall down. The best thing you can do is get back up rather than go, “Oh, I’m not good enough. I’ve got to quit.”
I don’t think that’s ever an option. It’s more like, “Okay, cool. How do we fix that? How do we do better? How do we pick ourselves back up?”
How do we learn from something rather than quit from something?