Coral Renee is a name I suspect you will hear more of if, like us, you love country music. She has just released her debut album, and one of our friends in Australia nudged it our way. It grabs attention as a fine piece of modern country pop for 2026, so I have jumped in – got Anna-Louise to do the review and had a chat with Coral about her album “Pink is My Colour” and her life in music.
For an introduction to Coral before we review the album, here is our exclusive interview.
For those who may not know a whole lot about you, can you introduce yourself to our readers? know you are an Australian country pop singer who is starting to make a few waves – but fill us in!
Coral: Hi! My name is Coral Renee and I’m a country/pop artist from Sydney, Australia. If you’ve never seen me before, people often refer to me as ‘the girl in pink’ or ‘the pink cowgirl’, because I have bright pink hair, and I’m always wearing something pink! I started singing from the moment I could talk, with songwriting and guitar not following too far behind. It’s always been my dream to be a musician, and after finding my place as an artist a few years ago, I started to release my music at the end of 2024. I have now released 5 singles and recently my debut album ‘Pink Is My Colour’. I have performed at country music festivals around Australia, been a finalist in multiple talent searches, and been awarded for my songwriting. My main goal as an artist is to invite listeners into a world that celebrates individuality and embraces authenticity, where you’re encouraged to step outside the box and live unapologetically, free from society’s expectations.
Listening to tracks like “Pink Is My Colour” or “Masquerade,” you clearly like narrative storytelling in your music.
Coral: I often write my music in a narrative structure to unfold the story throughout the song. Storytelling is the key to country music, what makes it different, and how it emotionally connects with listeners. Personally, I don’t usually write poetry but I have tried it in the past and enjoyed writing sonnets. I do appreciate reading poetry, and have actually based some of my songs on my favourite poems. For example one of the songs on my new album “You Owe Me This (I Owe You That)” is a twist on the poem ‘‘The Sun Never Says’ by Hafiz. I normally begin songwriting with an idea for the hook line or title of the song. I’m a very pop based writer, so I like to build around the most important and catchy bit. I find that I already associate a melody with the hook, so I pick the guitar chords that match. I then either build the chorus around this, or start the first verse depending on what I have more ideas for.
I’ll turn to “Masquerade” as I found it interesting, an intimate and personal track. Can you fill me in a bit about it, is it a favourite of yours too?
Coral: “Masquerade” is one of my favourite songs too! This one is very special to me as it is actually one of the first country/pop songs I had written, and it’s the song that made me realise my place as an artist. My main message in my music is to embrace who you are, and to never feel like you have to hide behind a mask, or pretend to fit in. ‘Masquerade’ encapsulates this, and it’s the reason why I am the type of artist that I have become. As a Fun Fact, on the same day that I wrote this song, I went on to write another song that night, which was “The Devil Wears Cowgirl Boots.” These are now my two Tamworth Songwriters Association, award winning songs – So that was a pretty good day of songwriting!
I enjoyed the video for “The Devil Wears Cowgirl Boots,” I do like Tarot images for example and thought it was effective playing the devil card down for example. Where was that filmed? And was the video your concept?
Coral: Thank you so much! “The Devil Wears Cowgirl Boots” music video was extremely exciting to film and a super fun concept to create. I filmed it with my good friends Josh and Tracy Beveridge, who are the amazing videographers and photographers running ‘Roaming Creatives’. I already had a vision for this video so I created a storyboard with the different ideas and shots I wanted to film. I grew up in dance, and one of my best friends is a professional dancer, so she helped me cast the perfect group of heels dancers for the video. I’m passionate about different creative fields working together, and it was an absolute pleasure to have Keisha, Riley, and Ona as part of my project. We filmed at a beautiful venue called ‘Jerry Sent Me’ on the Central Coast, which had exactly the look I had imagined for the video. I had the idea to use tarot cards as a way to follow the development of the story visually. A card is pulled in each verse in the following order: ‘The Fool’, ‘The Devil’, and ‘Death’. It’s a three card tarot spread representing the past, present, and future which I aligned with the characters in the song.
We do cover Australian rock music off and on and have a few contacts down under, what is the country scene like down there? And what got you into the country, were you the girl in trouble in school for singing down the corridor ?!
Coral: The country music scene is a really tight-knit industry in Australia. Pretty much everyone knows each other, and if you don’t know someone yet, you’re probably one friend away from meeting them! It creates a great community, and it’s awesome to be able to travel to country festivals around Australia and see your friends/fellow artists. Growing up I loved listening to country music. It started with country/pop like early Taylor Swift, and then developed into artists such as Carrie Underwood, Miranda Lambert, Luke Combs, and Lainey Wilson. When I was little, I was always singing and playing guitar around the house – I never wanted anything other than to be a musician. When I first started gigging and songwriting, I fell into more of the indie genre, because I didn’t know how to write country without it just being about beer and trucks! In 2023, I attended the Junior Academy of Country Music which introduced me to the Australian country music scene, and many of my friends who are emerging artists just like me. Being a city girl, I was initially a little bit scared to go to the program without a country song, so I wrote ‘Masquerade’. Once writing this song and attending the academy, I found a place in my music where I felt like I belonged, and I continued developing that into the artist I am today.
What can you share with us for the year ahead? Are you playing live at all to support the album?
Coral: In the coming year, my goal is to keep performing Live and travel through the country music festivals around Australia. I also aim to be a part of the country music talent searches that happen throughout the year. Another goal of mine is to start performing with other musicians, working towards forming a backing band. This year I will also be continuing to focus on writing for myself and for other musicians. The cherry on top would be to get back into the recording studio with some of my new music!
Do you have a talent or interest that might surprise those who know you (a hidden love for grunge or Star Wars for example)
Coral: Something funny that might surprise you is I really like the Grinch. He’s one of my favourite characters and I have lots of Grinch themed decorations to put up at Christmas. To tell you a secret; I might have even written a song about it!
A fun question. It is late at night, and the tour bus breaks down. The wind is howling outside, and the rain is rushing down. A lonely cottage (with electricity) awaits, no one is inside. What book and what film will get you through the night?
Ooo that’s a fun one! I think my choice of movie would be ‘Step Up’ and my choice of book would be ‘The Hunger Games’ by Suzanne Collins.
I enjoyed that chat! And now let’s turn to the review for you all –
“Pink is My Colour” was released on February 27, it is out on all platforms now.It has seven songs and runs to just under 28 minutes.
“Pink is My Colour” opens up the album with a celebration of the color pink! It is an introduction to Coral, a marker to her sound. It slips into the lane of a teen movie soundtrack, perfectly fine, with a chorus hook you hum along to.
“You Owe Me This (I Owe You That)” has an interesting beat and moves more to country pop with a bit of spice. As a song, it has a feel of summer festivals and a simple dance beat. It’s one of those tracks the crowd sways along to and enjoys—music with a smile.
“The Devil Wears Cowgirl Boots” – the first two tracks set the scene nicely, but this track shows why we were interested in Coral Renee. This is a country with some angst and attitude, a narrative and a swagger. As a drink this is more of a bourbon and I liked it.
“Masquerade” changes direction and brings us a story narrative that got me paying attention to the lyrics. This is a breakfast-radio track, one to listen to as you’re getting ready for the day or driving along in the early morning sunshine.
“Buy My Daddy a Bass Boat” has an interesting title. It’s a pleasant slice of country pop—perfectly enjoyable without rocking the boat.
“Country Girl in a City World” sees Coral telling her story. It is melodic, accessible and a good driving song. It is the type of track you would hit the open road with.
“Live in a Country Song” closes this debut album with a confident flourish from an artist who is just getting started, laying down her marker in style and sound.
Coral Renee’s Pink Is My Colour is an opening chapter not a final word. It’s bright, melodic country pop with personality, storytelling, and just enough attitude to make you curious about what comes next. If this debut is anything to go by, the “pink cowgirl” from Sydney is only just getting warmed up. And if you like your country music with hooks, heart, and a splash of colour… well, Coral Renee might just be your new favourite discovery. Put it this way: if you see a pink-haired cowgirl climbing the country charts in 2026 — don’t say we didn’t tell you first.
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Stream music from Coral Renee here.
Artist website here
By Lorraine Foley
and
Anna-Louise Burgess (review)
