Cowboy Up: Kaylee Bell on Fear, Fame & Nashville Hustle
From On the Record with Poppy Reid by Curious Media
January 28, 2026 · 56 min · Season 1 · Episode 12
About this episode
Kaylee Bell discusses her journey from New Zealand to Nashville, the challenges of being a female country artist, and her personal health struggles.
In this episode, Kaylee Bell opens up about the long road behind her so-called “overnight success” from growing up in New Zealand where country music didn’t exist on the radio, to becoming one of the region’s biggest modern country exports. She talks candidly about spending nearly two decades grinding without guarantees, being told releasing a tribute song could be “career suicide,” and why trusting her instincts even when the industry pushed back changed everything. Kaylee breaks down how songs like Keith and Cowboy Up came to life, what interpolation really means, and why fan connection now matters more than gatekeepers. Beyond the music, this conversation goes deep into the realities of being a female artist in country music the double standards, the business side no one teaches you, and the pressure to look perfect while holding everything together. Kaylee also shares her deeply personal health journey, years in and out of hospital, being told she might never have children, and the emotional shock of discovering she was pregnant right as her career reached a new level. This episode is about resilience, risk, self-belief, and redefining success on your own terms proving that…
People in this episode
Guest: Kaylee Bell
Topics covered
- country music
- female artists
- resilience
- health journey
- Nashville
Keywords
- overnight success
- music industry
- fan connection
- self-belief
- redefining success
Mentioned in this episode
Products: Keith, Cowboy Up
Books & works: Cowboy Up, Fear, Fame & Nashville Hustle, Keith
Places: New Zealand
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