ELLA HARTWIG

From a remote Far North Queensland town, to national stages across Australia, Ella Hartwig is an award winning country-folk artist. 2026 holds her third Queensland Music Award Nomination and her CMC Rocks debut. Following a sold-out first run of the physical-only release of her debut album “Take Me South” during her Australian National Tour, growing demand for digital access has been met with the digital deluxe edition. The record features a bonus fan-inspired track created from listeners’ online comments, highlighting Ella’s close connection with her audience. The lead up to the full album has been met with singles, most notably “Western Star’, where the track was embraced by Daimler Trucks, featured on Country Music Television, and premiered exclusively on Scenestr Magazine. She’s graduated the CMAA Australian Academy of Country Music, sponsored by Toyota Australia, and participated in Brisbane City Council’s QUBE Effect. Suitably, the Cape York Weekly described her as continuing “to make Cooktown proud after being selected for two prestigious Australian music development programs” and “Cooktown’s Ella Hartwig says connection is the most important thing as she climbs up the country music ladder”. Hailing from Cooktown, Far North Queensland (Australia), Ella’s musical journey began in her early years and quickly garnered international recognition for her songwriting talent. For songs she wrote at the age of thirteen, she had already earned two Queensland Music Award nominations. At the cusp of adulthood, Ella made a pivotal move from the remote Far North to the City of Brisbane, determined to start her full-time music career at just nineteen. The bold move, nearly 2,000kms from her hometown, sparked the fuel for “Take Me South”. Hartwig’s further wins include snagging a spot in Listen Up’s Semi-Final Songwriting Competition for the album’s single “Backup” in 2024, and a slot as a finalist in the Gympie Music Muster’s Talent Search. After launching her first single at age fifteen, Ella released her debut EP in 2019, supported by Arts Queensland. This earned her further acclaim, including multiple Queensland Music Award nominations and other songwriting wins for tracks like "Can’t Ask You to Stay" and "Staged Reality." Described by Scenestr magazine as possessing an "earthy, powerful, robust voice that instantly captures your attention… surging like a storm-ravaged river," Ella’s sound is often compared to the likes of Missy Higgins, Noah Kahan and Melissa Etheridge.