Raised on a sheep farm in regional Australia to playing Glastonbury Festival, Fanny Lumsden has taken the long road to the world stage.
A 2x ARIA, 10x CMAA and 3x AIR Award-winning artist, Fanny built her career the grassroots way: playing hundreds of Country Halls across rural Australia and independently releasing critically acclaimed, award-winning albums that have helped redefine modern Australian country. That relentless touring spirit paired with songwriting that balances heart, humour and razor-sharp observation has shaped one of the most electrifying and uplifting live performers in the genre today.
After her Glastonbury debut in 2023, Fanny and her band have returned to the UK and Ireland five times in two and a half years, playing a string of festivals including The Long Road Festival, C2C and Beautiful Days, earning a Top Ten highlight spot from Entertainment Focus, who praised her undeniable connection with British audiences. Country In The UK called her performance “the most uplifting set you will see all weekend,” while she was also selected for live coverage by BBC at Belladrum Festival.
Back home, she’s just as unstoppable. Fresh from an extensive European tour, Fanny flew straight into opening arena dates on Paul Kelly’s Antipodean Tour alongside Lucinda Williams, cementing her reputation as “the hardest working woman in showbiz”. She was also handpicked by Rob Thomas (Matchbox Twenty) to support three sold-out shows at Sydney’s Enmore Theatre.
In 2025 alone, she headlined major Australian festivals including Bluesfest, Savannah in the Round, Tamworth Country Music Festival and Big Red Bash.
2026 kicked off with Fanny’s first national capital city headline tour, a UK headline tour plus her intimate solo tour ONLY FANS: Story Club special. August included performances at the Darwin Festival, the Mundi Mundi Bash and the Blackall Tambo Circus Carnival with an additional date at the Yours and Owls Festival in Wollongong, NSW.
In addition to her music career Fanny is a volunteer firefighter, a farmer working on her family property in the Snowy Mountains in between tours, and a documentary filmmaker. Fanny was named the Australian of the Year locally for her work in arts and culture, serves on the Sound NSW Board, runs her own record Llbel and production company, Red Dirt Road, with her husband, Dan Stanley Freeman with whom she shares two small children, and has featured across television programs from Spicks and Specs, Rockwiz, Play School Showtime, and Backroads on ABC.
“..harnessed the greatest attributes of Gillian Welch and Dolly Parton” – The Music
“…Lumsden trusts in the song, not the rules” – Bernard Zuel
“Leaves absolutely no doubt what a breath-taking voice Lumsden has” – Rolling Stone
“She’s quite the force of nature on stage, gathering fans – even seen-it-all folk programmers – wherever she goes. If she doesn’t break through to major stardom outside her homeland, it’s unlikely to be for lack of trying.”
-Songlines
