Kirsty Lee Akers

Kirsty Lee Akers
BornAustralia
GenresCountry
OccupationSinger-songwriter
InstrumentVocals
Years active2007–present
LabelsCompass Bros., Sony Music Australia, Social Family Records
Websitekirstyleeakers.com

Kirsty Lee Akers (born 1990) is an Australian country singer-songwriter.[1]

Career

Akers performed in public for the first time at the age of three years and recorded her first EP in 2006, at the age of 16. She funded that recording with the money she made busking on the streets of Tamworth, New South Wales.[1] Akers graduated from the CMAA Academy of Country Music.[1]

In 2007, at the age of 18, Akers won the Star Maker Award at the Tamworth Country Music Festival and signed her first record deal and released her debut studio album, Little Things the same year.[2] Akers reflected saying, "I used to write my own songs but I had maybe one original song on my first album which was really strange for me at the time because I only ever sang my own songs, but the label [Compass Bros.] at the time wanted me to record different songs, and when I look back now I wish I had that support to record my own music."[2]

In 2010, Akers cut ties with Compass Bros. and released music independently. Her third album Naked was released in April 2011 and was nominated for 3 Golden Guitar Awards - Best Female Artist, Best Music Video, and Best Vocal Collaboration.[1]

In early 2015, Akers signed a new deal with Maven/Sony Music Australia and in April 2016, released Burn Baby Burn.[1]

In July 2018, Akers released Under My Skin which peaked at number 29 on the ARIA Charts.[3]

In 2021, Akers competed on the seventeenth season of television series The Block with her husband Jesse Anderson.[2]

In April 2022, Akers released her sixth studio album, and first on her own label, Rider Records, which she launched in 2021 with husband Jesse Anderson and manager Perrin Finlay-Brown.[2] The album debuted at number 11 on the ARIA Charts.[4]

Discography

List of studio albums, with release date and label shown
Title Album details Peak chart positions
AUS
[3][4]
Little Things
Better Days
  • Released: 2009
  • Label: Compass Bros.
  • Formats: CD, digital download
Naked
  • Released: April 2011
  • Label: Kirsty Lee Akers
  • Formats: CD, digital download
Burn Baby Burn
Under My Skin 29
Wild
  • Released: 15 April 2022
  • Label: Rider Records (RR00001
  • Formats: CD, digital download
 11

Awards and nominations

AIR Awards

The Australian Independent Record Awards (commonly known informally as AIR Awards) is an annual awards night to recognise, promote and celebrate the success of Australia's Independent Music sector.

Year Nominee / work Award Result Ref.
2009 Better Days Best Independent Country Album Nominated [5][6]

APRA Awards

The APRA Awards are held in Australia and New Zealand by the Australasian Performing Right Association to recognise songwriting skills, sales and airplay performance by its members annually.

Year Nominee / work Award Result Ref.
2017 "Burn Baby Burn" (Kirsty Lee Akers, Trey Bruce) Country Work of the Year Nominated [7]

CMA Awards

The Country Music Awards of Australia is an annual awards night held in January during the Tamworth Country Music Festival, celebrating recording excellence in the Australian country music industry.[8]

Year Nominee / work Award Result (wins only)
2007 Kirsty Lee Akers Star Maker Award Won [2]
2008 "Little Things" by Kirsty Lee Akers Maton New Talent of the Year Won
2021 "True Blue" (with Amber Lawrence, Aleyce Simmonds and Dianna Corcoran Vocal Collaboration of the Year Won

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "Bio Media". kirstyleeakers. Archived from the original on 21 January 2022. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d e Leeson, Josh (18 November 2022). "Kirsty Lee Akers eyes off more TV time to build music career after The Block". Newcastle Herald. Archived from the original on 27 June 2022. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  3. ^ a b "Australian Album Chart > Kirsty Lee Akers". australian-charts.com Hung Medien. Archived from the original on 25 April 2022. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  4. ^ a b "ARIA Top 50 Albums Chart" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. 25 April 2022. Archived (PDF) from the original on 23 April 2022. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  5. ^ "AIR Nominees". 19 October 2009. Archived from the original on 18 September 2020. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
  6. ^ "History Wins". Australian Independent Record Labels Association. Archived from the original on 10 March 2016. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  7. ^ "Country Work of the Year". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) | Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS). 2017. Archived from the original on 5 April 2017. Retrieved 5 April 2017.
  8. ^ "Golden Guitar Award Winners". country.com.au. Archived from the original on 19 April 2021. Retrieved 25 April 2022.