Loren Ryan became the 43rd winner of Toyota Star Maker in January 2023 following her performance at the final, held at the Tamworth Country Music Festival.
Loren is a proud Gamillaraay woman making a profound effect on the industry by combining her love of music and her traditional language, writing original songs and translating well-known Australian songs into her native tongue. Her version of Flame Trees, recorded with the blessing of Cold Chisel, has over 427k streams (as at June 2023).
In 2020, Loren released her single Yilalu which premiered live on ABC News Breakfast and ABC’s New Year’s Eve Live TV Special 2020. Flexing her diversity and musical talents Loren’s home-grown nature landed her a spot on the Indigenous Lullabies Project alongside Emily Wurramurra and Emma Donovan, releasing a children’s album Songs for Charlie through ABC Music in February 2022. In 2023, she was invited to be a guest host on Playschool where she was in the studio acting, singing and dancing in a full episode for an upcoming season of the show on the ABC Kids TV channel.
Loren’s performance highlights reflect times like sharing the stage with Troy Cassar-Daley, performing a duet on the main stage at the 2017 Gympie Music Muster with Jessica Mauboy and harmonising with Kelly Rowland on The Voice AU and touring with Australian hip-hop MC and producer URTHBOY.
Her voice can touch on zealous, limitless, and with conviction all in a line resonating over modern-acoustic grassroots, country sound. It’s an alluring blend, like Chris Stapleton meets Beyonce.
Suddenly is Loren’s first single as the Star Maker winner and one of the songs which saw her win the Star Maker competition. It’s a moving song about her five-year-old daughter Charlie.
Her Star Maker year includes performances at Victoria’s St Kilda Festival, a celebration of First Nations music, culture and community; the Saltwater Freshwater Festival, and her first international adventure to the 50th CMA Fest in Nashville, Tennessee where she’ll perform on the Spotlight Stage and at the Sounds Australia Showcase, and festivals including Hats Off To Country Festival in her hometown of Tamworth, the Gympie Music Muster, Deni Ute Muster, Groundwater Country Music Festival, Savannah In The Round and Cruisin’ Country.
Star Maker is Australia’s most prestigious and longest running search for a country music star and Loren’s name has been added to a long list of successful alumni including Keith Urban, Lee Kernaghan, James Blundell, Travis Collins, Kaylee Bell, Blake O’Connor and Max Jackson.