Growing up, country music singer Max Jackson was steered towards two very different career paths — country music or swimming.
A 2024 Golden Guitars favourite in two categories, Jackson said it was a trip to her doctor in the central western New South Wales town of Coonamble that narrowed her life choices.
“Both singing and swimming came from the same reason, which was that I was a really bad asthmatic when I was little,” she said.
“My mum got me diagnosed at three months of age. She took me to Sydney to the asthma clinic, and two of the main things they suggested were to swim and to sing.”
Jackson’s parents enrolled her in swimming and music lessons as a child, and she took both activities seriously.
“I was hardcore into swimming. I was like ‘I’m going to the Olympics. I’m going to be like Leisel Jones’,” she said.
“I was also into singing. I had a guitar and I was writing songs from a really young age.”
Juggling the early starts for swimming training, schoolwork, and singing until nine o’clock at night at local bowling clubs eventually became too much.
During high school her mum said she had to pick just one.
“My mum said to me, ‘Do you want to tour the world? Or do you want to swim up and down a black line for the rest of your life and not really know where in the world you are?'” Jackson said.
The right choice
Since ditching the pool and embarking on a music career she has won the prestigious Star Maker competition at the 2022 Tamworth Country Music Festival and received nominations for multiple Golden Guitar awards.
But it was initially thanks to Newcastle’s vibrant music scene that Jackson took her music to the next level.
Her family moved to the area, and it was at dedicated country music nights at local bowling clubs where she learned how to play in a band and talk to an audience.
She was guided by the best, securing singing lessons with 10-time Golden Guitar-winning country music artist Lyn Bowtell.
Jackson also cut her teeth under another country music icon, Gina Jeffreys, which led to her first official song release as part of The Apprentices.
She developed a deep love of songwriting, and has travelled to Nashville regularly for almost 10 years to work with writing partners.
It was during a guided meditation during COVID-19 lockdowns when she decided to put her hat — and guitar — in the ring for Star Maker.
The competition that launched the careers of Keith Urban, Lee Kernaghan, and Beccy Cole among others, was about to do the same for her.
Riding the wave
When she won it opened a lot of doors — recording more music, playing to bigger audiences, and growing her team.
She is now represented by Stephen White Management, joining the likes of Kernaghan and The Wolfe Brothers.
A record deal with ABC Music will see her first release as part of the new team, with Little More Country already sitting atop the charts as number one on Australian Country Radio for two weeks.
To promote it, Jackson has released country covers of popular rock and pop songs on social media, with some going viral reaching millions of people.
On Saturday night she is back at the place where so many memories have been made for her, the Tamworth Country Music Festival.
This year, Max Jackson is up for Female Artist of the Year and, for the second time, New Talent of the Year.
She gets to share it all with her husband and fellow musician Jeremy Minett whom she married in September 2022.
He recently left The Viper Creek Band after seven years to work with his wife full-time as her guitarist and music director.
“It’s really cool to have the love of your life standing next to you while you’re doing that,” Jackson said.
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