On the Record with Poppy Reid

Over the past decade, Morgan Evans has quietly built one of the most globally successful careers in Australian country music from Newcastle to Nashville, with chart-topping hits, over a billion streams, and sold-out tours across the world.

In this episode of On The Record, Morgan revisits a defining chapter of his journey: his 2018 album Things to Drink To.

The record marked a turning point debuting at #1 in Australia, breaking into the US Billboard 200, and featuring standout tracks like Kiss Somebody and Day Drunk. But behind the success, Morgan was navigating something far deeper.

Written in the aftermath of losing his longtime manager and mentor, Morgan opens up about the grief, pressure, and personal challenges that shaped the music and how the album carried a kind of “stubborn optimism” even as life was unravelling.

With distance and perspective, this conversation explores:
What that album really meant at the time
What wasn’t possible to say back then
The reality behind success, fame, and creative pressure
And how Morgan sees that chapter of his life today

If you’re new here, I’m Poppy Reid, and this is On The Record where we revisit pivotal releases with the artists who lived them.

This is Morgan Evans. On The Record.

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Emotion. Connection. Creation.

In this powerful conversation, Danish duo Roya open up about what it really takes to turn raw emotion into music that connects with millions. They also take us behind the scenes into just how their hit song “Cruise” was created. This is not just a story about songs. This is a story about feeling.

From their first meeting that felt like “the missing part” of their lives, to the moment they realised they couldn’t give their music to anyone else, Roya share how vulnerability, instinct, and trust shaped their journey.

They speak candidly about:
• The moment Roya was born; and why there was “no turning back”
• Turning heartbreak into music in real time
• Why being an artist feels like “walking around the world with one layer less skin”
• Creating songs that hurt… but also heal
• Overthinking vs trusting the process
• How letting go led to their biggest breakthrough
• Building a deep creative and emotional connection

This episode goes beyond music. It’s about emotion, identity, and creating from a place of truth.

Watch till the end; because what they reveal about where their songs come from will change the way you listen to music.

Poppy Reid is dressed by American Apparel.
Shop the looks at https://www.americanapparel.com.au/

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From pub gigs in Dublin… to sharing stages with Ed Sheeran and Lewis Capaldi.

In this episode, Aaron Rowe opens up about the moments that changed everything; from a chance encounter in a bar to finding his voice as an artist in a global industry.

This is a conversation about more than music. It’s about identity, honesty, and what it really takes to be heard.

Aaron speaks candidly about:
● The night that led to meeting Lewis Capaldi
● How a single introduction connected him to Ed Sheeran
● Why authenticity matters more than making “perfect” songs
● Turning real conversations into music
● Writing from emotion vs discipline
● Growing up in Dublin and hiding his passion for music
● Irish identity and its influence on his sound
● Friendship, humility, and staying grounded in the industry

This is not just a story about success. It’s about finding your voice, and having the courage to use it.

Watch til the end as one question reveals what kind of career he truly wants.

Poppy Reid is dressed by American Apparel.
Shop the looks at https://www.americanapparel.com.au/

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Reinvention. Tenacity. Joy.

In this powerful conversation, Marcia Hines opens up about what it really takes to survive and thrive in the music industry for five decades.

From litigation battles and career pauses, to creative risks, artistic instinct, and trusting the unknown; to the emotional weight of storytelling and what it truly means to stand on stage and give joy.

She speaks candidly about:
Why “reinvention is everything”

The truth about how hard the music industry really is

Talent vs tenacity

Creative risk and longevity

Grief, resilience, and singing through heartbreak

Mentoring young artists in the age of fame

The real meaning of being a storyteller

This is not a nostalgia interview. This is about evolution, purpose, and staying present.

Watch till the end as the final question changes everything.

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In this episode, Kaylee Bell opens up about the long road behind her so-called “overnight success” from growing up in New Zealand where country music didn’t exist on the radio, to becoming one of the region’s biggest modern country exports.

She talks candidly about spending nearly two decades grinding without guarantees, being told releasing a tribute song could be “career suicide,” and why trusting her instincts even when the industry pushed back changed everything. Kaylee breaks down how songs like Keith and Cowboy Up came to life, what interpolation really means, and why fan connection now matters more than gatekeepers.

Beyond the music, this conversation goes deep into the realities of being a female artist in country music the double standards, the business side no one teaches you, and the pressure to look perfect while holding everything together. Kaylee also shares her deeply personal health journey, years in and out of hospital, being told she might never have children, and the emotional shock of discovering she was pregnant right as her career reached a new level.

This episode is about resilience, risk, self-belief, and redefining success on your own terms proving that you can chase big dreams, speak up, become a mother, and still do meaningful, creative work.

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