Kaylee Bell is a New Zealand singer-songwriter. In 2013, she won the Toyota Star Maker award in Australia. Bell opened for Brad Paisley on his World Tour NZ show late 2022, Kane Brown on his Australia and NZ Arena Tour November 2024 and was support act for Ed Sheeran on his Mathematics World Stadium Tour in 2023. Bell shot to fame on The Voice Australia performing her hit single "Keith" to coach Keith Urban. The song reached #12 on the US Billboard chart and was a certified Gold record in Australia and New Zealand.
Career Bell was born in Waimate in Canterbury, New Zealand and began singing at the age of four. She attended Craighead Diocesan School in Timaru. Bell won the NZ Gold Guitar Award at age 18 and moved to Australia four years later to pursue a career in country music. In 2013, she won the prestigious Toyota Star Maker award, which led to her releasing the single "Pieces" with fellow Australasian, Jared Porter. The song received substantial airplay in Australia and earned the duo an APRA Award for Best Country Music Song at the 2015 APRA Silver Scroll Awards and the overall grand prize at the US Unsigned Only Competition, marking the first time a non-American had won the latter award. Bell independently released her debut studio album, Heart First, in 2013 that included her first solo single of the same name. Heart First won Best Country Album at the 2014 New Zealand Music Awards.
In 2016 Bell released her breakout single "Getting Closer" a break-up anthem written with Morgan Evans, that charted on the New Zealand Heatseekers singles chart. Bell started reaching career highs on the Australia country music charts with the release of her singles "One More Shot", "Who I Am", "Keith", and "Wasted on You" in 2018 and 2019; these songs and "Getting Closer" were later repackaged as The Red EP in 2021. Bell's tribute to Keith Urban, 'Keith' went to #1 on The Music Network Country Chart where it spent 25 weeks on the chart. Three further one-off singles were released in 2020: "Light On", "Home", and "Be With You". In 2021, Bell released three collaborative singles "That Summer" with Josh Mirenda or Lepnani, "Before I Met You" with The McClymonts, and "Living Free" with Lindsay Ell, and announced that her second studio album, Silver Linings, would be released November 26, 2021. 'That Summer' featuring Kiwi Pop Artist Lepani had crossover success at NZ mainstream radio in 2021 being 'the most added single to radio' for the month of May on hard hitters ZM, More Fm and The Hits.' Bell was chosen as the face for Spotify's EQUAL global programme for Female Artists in Music where she was featured on a billboard in Times Square, New York, USA.
In 2022, she auditioned for The Voice Australia and all four coaches turned for her. After Keith Urban was blocked, she chose to join Jessica Mauboy's team. She was eliminated in the battle rounds.
In June 2023, Bell became the first independent Australasian female country singer to receive a gold certified single or EP, with The Red EP.
Bell's third studio album Nights Like This was released in March 2024.
Discography Studio albums Title Album details Peak chart positions NZPeaks in New Zealand: Nights Like This: Cowboy Up: Heartfirst Release date: 5 July 2013 Label: Rural Press Events — Silver Linings Release date: 26 November 2021 Label: Kaylee Bell (Independent) — Nights Like This Release date: 15 March 2024 Label: Kaylee Bell (Independent) 3 Cowboy Up Release date: 26 September 2025 Label: Kaylee Bell (Independent) 20
Extended plays + List of EPs, with selected details and peak chart positions Title EP details Peak chart positions Certifications AUS indie The Red EP Release date: 26 February 2021 Label: Kaylee Bell (Independent) 9 ARIA: Gold
Singles Title Year Peak chart positions Album NZHotPeak positions on New Zealand's Hot Singles Chart: "Keith": "That Summer": "Boots 'n All": "When Summer Rolls Around": "Nights Like This": "Good Things": "Life Is Tough (But So Am I)": "Ring on It": "Red Dirt Romeo": "Matariki Hunga Nui (Calling Me Home)": "Song for Shania": "Wake Me Up When It's Christmas Time": "Me for Me": "Heartfirst" 2013 — Heartfirst "Pieces" 2014 — East to West "That's What I Call Crazy" 2016 — "Getting Closer" — The Red EP "Next Somebody" 2017 — "One More Shot" 2018 — The Red EP "Who I Am" — "Keith" 2019 22 "Wasted on You" — "Light On" 2020 — rowspan="3" "Home" — "Be With You" — "That Summer" 2021 17 Silver Linings "Before I Met You" — "Living Free" — "Same Songs" 2022 — Raised Like That "Small Town Friday Nights" — Nights Like This "Christmas Tree Farm" — "Boots 'n All" 2023 20 Nights Like This "When Summer Rolls Around" 13 "Nights Like This" 37 "Good Things" 21 "Life Is Tough (But So Am I)" 2024 41 "Where Were You" — "Cowboy Up" — Cowboy Up "Say the Dance, Boots 'n' All" 2025 — Wiggle Up, Giddy Up! "Ring on It" 29 Cowboy Up "Red Dirt Romeo" 30 "Matariki Hunga Nui (Calling Me Home)" 21 "Song for Shania" 30 Cowboy Up "Wake Me Up When It's Christmas Time" 40 rowspan="2" "Me for Me" 2026 21 "—" denotes recording that failed to chart or was not eligible to chart.
Notes
Awards and nominations 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.
! |- | scope="row" rowspan="1"| 2024 | rowspan="1"| "Same Songs" (with James Johnson) | rowspan="1"| Most Performed Country Work of the Year | |rowspan="1"| |- | scope="row" rowspan="1"| 2025 | rowspan="1"| "Good Things" | rowspan="1"| Most Performed Country Work of the Year | |rowspan="1"|
Country Music Awards of Australia 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. They commenced in 1973.
! |- | rowspan="1"| 2022 | (unknown) | (unknown) | | rowspan="1"| |- |rowspan="3"| 2023 || "Small Town" (with James Johnston) || Vocal Collaboration of the Year || ||rowspan="3"| |- |rowspan="2"| Silver Linings || Contemporary Country Album of the Year || |- | Album of the Year || |- |rowspan="2"| 2024 || "Boots 'n' All" (directed by Shae Sterling) || Video of the Year || ||rowspan="2"| |- | Kaylee Bell || Female Artist of the Year || |- | rowspan="2"| 2025 || Kaylee Bell || Female Artist of the Year || || rowspan="2"| |- | "Beer in a Bar" (with The Wolfe Brothers) || Vocal Collaboration of the Year || |- | rowspan="4"| 2026 || Kaylee Bell || Female Artist of the Year || || rowspan="4"| |- | rowspan="2"| Cowboy Up || Contemporary Country Album of the Year || |- | Album of the Year || |- | "Cowboy Up" (Kaylee Bell, Brooke Singer, Jol Mulholland) || Song of the Year ||
Country Music Association Awards The Country Music Association Awards (CMA) are an annual American awards show honouring the best in country music. Bell has received two nominations.
| 2022 | rowspan=2|Kaylee Bell | rowspan=2|Global Country Artist Award
| 2023
Tamworth Songwriters Awards The Tamworth Songwriters Association (TSA) is an annual songwriting contest for original country songs, awarded in January at the Tamworth Country Music Festival. They commenced in 1986. Kaylee Bell has won one award.
| 2010 | "The Seed" by Kaylee Bell and Lance Coassin | Amateur Contemporary Award
References