What if Jolene stopped being the woman everyone warned about and decided to tell the story herself? That’s the spark behind Loren Ryan’s new single “WILD ONE” — a darker turn from an artist who has never been easy to put in one country-music box.
Released on 25 September, “WILD ONE” takes the familiar name from Dolly Parton’s classic and imagines a very different balance of power. Ryan calls it a villain-origin-story anthem: this time, Jolene holds the cards. As she puts it, “She’s untamed, hard to catch and in total control.”
That’s a better hook than another vague promise of a big new sound. There’s a character here, a point of view, and a mischievous question at the centre of it: what happens when the woman in somebody else’s song gets to make her own rules? The single is available in an explicit version and a radio edit, and Ryan’s team says it will feature on her forthcoming debut album.
Another side of Loren Ryan
Ryan is a Gamilaraay artist from the Tamworth region who won the 2023 Toyota Star Maker and was nominated for the 2024 Golden Guitar New Talent of the Year award. Her work reaches well beyond one lane: she contributed to the children’s album Songs for Charlie, has brought language into her music, and recorded a version of Cold Chisel’s “Flame Trees” with the original creators’ blessing.
On her triple j Unearthed page, you can also trace the country, pop and R&B threads through songs such as “WHERE YOU BEEN”, “BOUNTY” and “LOVE ACTUALLY”. “WILD ONE” feels like a new chapter in that wider story, with a tougher character stepping into the spotlight.
Hear it live
Ryan is on the Strummingbird Newcastle lineup for Saturday 17 October 2026; the release announcement names it as the song’s official live debut. She is also on the bill for CMC Rocks QLD 2027 at Willowbank Raceway, 19–21 March 2027. Two sizeable stages for a song about a woman who won’t be held back.
Listen to “WILD ONE”
Listen on Spotify (explicit version), then tell us what you make of Loren’s new direction around the campfire. Follow her on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
