Kat Harlton
Lead Photo: Ian Laidlaw
Australian singer-songwriter Pete Murray makes his long-awaited return to Canada this August for a run of intimate acoustic performances across Western Canada, including stops in Victoria, Calgary, Edmonton, Kelowna, Whistler and Coombs.
A household name in Australia, Murray has sold more than 1.2 million albums, earned 17 ARIA Award nominations, garnered over 230 million career streams and achieved four consecutive #1 albums. Outside his home country, Murray remains something of a hidden gem known for crafting heartfelt songs that have resonated with audiences for more than two decades.
The Canadian dates come on the heels of his acclaimed 2025 album, Longing, which debuted at #1 on the Australian ARIA Albums Chart and marked his first fully independent release in over twenty years. Fans attending the show will also have the opportunity to experience songs from Acoustic Roots, a special stripped-back collection available exclusively at Pete Murray’s live shows.
I had the opportunity to chat with Pete about his latest release, what he hope fans connect with and what’s next.
Kat: Can you talk about the inspiration behind your album Longing?
Pete: My goal was to create a timeless album that is great from start to finish, with no weak moments. This album was written and recorded over about 10 years. They were a bunch of songs that I was working on for other albums that didn’t make those albums because they were either not right for those albums or they were unfinished. I just kept adding them to a folder on my computer called ‘Unfinished’ until one day I opened it up and went “These songs sound fantastic together,” so I finished them off and made the ‘Longing’ album.
I think when you have an album that is written over ten years, you get something powerful and meaningful.
Kat: What do you hope fans take from it?
Pete: The feedback from my fans in Australia has been incredible. A lot of them are saying it’s their favorite album of mine, or they love it as much as my first album ‘Feeler’ which was massive in Australia. This is always a good sign if fans are loving your latest work as much as the old catalogue. I would hope Canadians will also love this album as much as the Aussies did.
Kat: What do you find is the most challenging part of your creative process?
Pete: The writing of the songs is the most challenging. It’s easy to write an ok song, but it’s a challenge to write great songs that stand the test of time.
Kat: Your album Acoustic Roots Vol 1 is a special stripped-back collection available exclusively at your live shows. Why did you choose not to make it available on streaming platforms?
Pete: I have never recorded a pure acoustic album before, so as I was about to do my first ever solo acoustic tour in Australia, I had the idea to record one and make it only available to buy at the live show. This would make the album special for those fans who came to the shows and also create demand for the sale of the album because you could only buy it at the show.
I sold loads of these albums. I must say this album sounds amazing and has some really beautiful versions of my songs on there which also helped the sales. Also, the old school word of mouth helped sell it too, as fans were saying they loved it.
Kat: With over 1.2 million albums sold, four consecutive #1 albums, and 17 ARIA Award nominations to your name, you’ve reached some remarkable milestones. Is there one moment or achievement that stands out as a career highlight?
Pete: It was a special moment when my song ‘Opportunity’ became the most-played song on commercial radio in Australia in 2006. This included all international songs. For a song that is just acoustic and vocal, it was amazing to be the top song that year, including a lot of international big hit songs.
The song ‘Opportunity’ was pretty special lyrically and inspired a lot of people to do things they wouldn’t normally do. I’m very proud of this song.
Kat: And please tell us what is next for you?
Pete: When I was signed to a major record label for 20 years, my music was never released overseas. This was extremely frustrating to me to be so successful in Australia, but not be allowed to have my music heard around the world.
Now that I’m free from the major label, my goal is to get my independent music heard around the world.
Connect With Pete:
https://www.instagram.com/petemurraymusic
https://www.facebook.com/petemurray
https://twitter.com/PeteMurrayMusic
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBo-FqMxOebDJkofRt_SDOA