Katie Jayne’s first shoey came with a detail the crowd didn’t know: the boot was full of Coke Zero.
For the past two years, the Hunter Valley country artist has been quietly sober while touring, playing rowdy shows and carrying on with the kind of nights people might assume required a drink. Now she’s letting everyone in on it.
Her new single ‘Beer & Broken’, out now through RTC Records, puts that experience into a country song about drawing a line and enjoying what comes next. It also opens the door to a forthcoming concept record with a title that tells you exactly where she’s heading: Drinkin’ Songs (About Not Drinking).
The party carried on
There’s a fair bit of drinking woven into country music: the heartbreak at the bar, the Friday knock-off, the raised glass when the band gets going. Katie’s story makes room for the person who still wants the music and the company, but has decided the booze can stay behind.
“I wrote ‘Beer & Broken’ from the perspective of someone who has spent plenty of nights in bars, made plenty of questionable decisions and eventually realised that being wasted wasn’t the way I wanted to spend my life.”
Katie Jayne
She’s equally clear about the spirit of the song.
“There’s no sadness or shame in this song. It’s about drawing a line in the sand and having a bloody good time on the other side of it. I can still two-step, raise a little hell and have a laugh with the best of them.”
Katie Jayne
Katie co-wrote ‘Beer & Broken’ with Michael Paynter and Michael Delorenzis, the production team known as MSquared, who also produced the track. The release introduces a project she’s been creating privately over two years, alongside the very public business of getting on stage.
Two years with a secret
The Coke Zero shoey is a funny detail, but the uncertainty behind it will be familiar to plenty of people. Katie wondered whether she would still enjoy herself, and whether everyone else would notice she wasn’t drinking.
“I was worried at first that I wouldn’t have fun or that people would notice me not drinking, but it turns out I can party with the best of them and no one even noticed!”
Katie Jayne
She’s sharing the new chapter in partnership with national charity Sober in the Country. Katie is a member of its rural online peer support network, the Bush Tribe, giving the release a personal connection to the organisation and the people it supports.
At the heart of it is a question she says she once asked herself:
“Can I still be country without a drink in my hand? ’Cause the answer is absa-bloody-lootly.”
Katie Jayne
A busy year for the Hunter Valley singer
This new chapter follows Katie’s debut album, Your New Favourite Country Artist, released in January 2026. It debuted at No. 3 on the ARIA Australian Country Albums Chart and No. 20 on the ARIA Country Albums Chart.
Her path there includes graduating from the CMAA Academy in 2017, reaching the Toyota Star Maker Top 10 in 2022 and being named National Country Rising Star at the Tasmanian Independent Country Music Awards in 2024.
She has also shared stages with artists including Brad Cox, Amber Lawrence, James Johnston, Casey Barnes and Travis Collins, with appearances at Gympie Music Muster, Deni Ute Muster, Tamworth Country Music Festival and Meatstock. The high-energy shows and five-piece band were already part of her working life while this more personal record took shape.
That’s what gives ‘Beer & Broken’ its story: Katie has already spent two years finding out that the shows, the laughs and the good nights can carry on. Now she’s putting her name to that experience and sharing it with anyone who’s been wondering the same thing.
Listen to ‘Beer & Broken’
‘Beer & Broken’ is out now, released 9 October 2026 through RTC Records. Listen on your preferred platform.
Keep up with Katie on Facebook, Instagram and Spotify.
