Wade Forster

Wade Forster doesn’t just sing country music—he’s lived it. Born, raised, and still working on a cattle station deep in the Queensland outback, his life has been built on dust, hard work, and long days in the saddle. A professional rodeo cowboy, he’s spent years on the circuit, chasing buckles, riding hard, and living the kind of stories most country singers only write about.

Music was always there—blaring through truck speakers, rattling off tin roofs, or belted out the back of a Gooseneck. But it wasn’t until 2017, when he moved to Mount Isa for a refrigeration job, that he decided to buy a guitar—just a $50 find off Marketplace. Teaching himself to play in his free time, he started sharing rough covers online. People told him he had a good voice, but rodeo always came first.

Then, in 2021, a simple cover of Tyler Childers’ Oneida changed everything. It racked up views fast, and for the first time, Wade wondered if music was more than just a pastime. With winnings from a few hard-earned rodeo checks, he booked time at Simon Johnson’s Hillbilly Hut Studio and recorded his debut album, The Beginning.

The album doesn’t dress things up or shy away from the hard stuff—depression, loss, love, and the struggles of rural life. Wade sings about the things most blokes in small towns don’t talk about out loud—the quiet battles, the moments that knock you flat, and the weight that doesn’t always lift. His songs aren’t poetry—they’re real stories, told with the kind of honesty that makes you feel like you’re living them right alongside him.

The album dropped with little fanfare and no big marketing push. Instead, Wade got to work—building a following the same way he built his life: through grit and persistence. He drove eight hours just to play for $60, took every rodeo slot he could, and kept showing up. Before long, his name was spreading beyond the outback. In 2023, he made his first trip to Tamworth for the CMAA Senior Academy of Country Music, setting a goal: return next year and crack the top 10 of Toyota Star Maker.

He did more than that. In January 2024, Wade Forster became the 44th winner of Toyota Star Maker, launching him onto the national stage as one of Australia’s most exciting new country voices.

The defining moment of Wade’s journey so far came when his two worlds—music and competitive rodeo—collided in the best way possible.

When American country superstar Cody Johnson mentioned in an interview that he wanted to win a rodeo buckle in Australia, Wade sent him an open invitation. Days later, the two were riding side by side in team roping and steer wrestling at a Townsville rodeo. Cody returned the favor—inviting Wade to perform in front of 25,000 fans at Rod Laver Arena during Luke Combs’ tour.

That moment cemented Wade’s reputation—not just as a singer, but as the real deal. A cowboy with the voice and stories to back it up. The friendship with Cody led to more doors opening in the U.S., including an invitation to compete in The COJO Championship Event in Texas taking part in The Open, the 12.5, the 10.5 Businessman’s Roping and the Celebrity ProAm.

But perhaps the most unbelievable part of Wade’s story wasn’t happening in Australia—it was happening 15,000 kilometers away, in America.

The moment it became undeniable was July 2024, when Wade put on a free pop-up show in the legendary Fort Worth Stockyards, Texas. Expecting to play for a handful of curious passersby, he was instead met with 300 fans—some who had driven five hours just to see him. They sang along to every word. These weren’t casual listeners. These were real, die-hard fans.

Without a record label, without industry backing, and without ever setting foot on a U.S. stage, The Beginning found its way across the world. A cowboy from outback Queensland, living 15 hours from the nearest major city, had somehow built a fanbase on the other side of the planet.

By January 2025, Wade’s momentum had turned into a movement. He joined forces with one of his favorite Texas bands, The Lowdown Drifters, for The Low Down Under Tour, an American co-headline run that became another defining moment in his career. The tour wasn’t just a string of shows—it was a statement. From the sold-out Cain’s Ballroom in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to the historic walls of Gruene Hall in New Braunfels, Texas, every night felt like proof that Wade wasn’t just breaking into the American country scene—he was charging through the front door.

Fans latched onto his no-bull, straight-talking songs—stories about hard times, heartache, and the kind of life you don’t usually hear told this honestly. By the end of the tour, one thing was clear: the ‘Aussie Cowboy’ wasn’t just visiting—he was here to stay.

What started as a grassroots movement from an outback Australian rodeo cowboy had spread across borders, racking up over 40 million global streams—an unheard-of feat for an independent Australian country artist.
Through it all, Wade remains exactly who he’s always been—a rodeo cowboy first, a singer-songwriter second, and a man whose stories are best told in a saddle or a song.

His music isn’t just about country life. It is country life. The highs and the heartbreak, the dust and the dreams, the fights and the faith that keep a man going. And as long as there are steers to wrestle, highways to chase, and songs left to sing, he’ll keep telling his story—one verse at a time