Amber Lawrence Has a Hankering for a Little Old-School Country

There's something about a good old-fashioned country duet that never really goes out of style. A little heartbreak, a little humour, a bit of honky-tonk swagger and two voices having fun with a song.

Amber Lawrence has found all of that on I've Got A Hankering, teaming up with William Alexander for a cheeky take on modern romance with one foot firmly planted in country music's past.

Fresh from playing to a sold-out crowd at the Deni Ute Muster, Amber Lawrence is keeping the momentum going with a new video for I've Got A Hankering, a fan favourite from her eighth studio album, Suburban Cowgirl. It's a wonderfully playful slice of retro country, mixing the familiar sounds of old-school honky-tonk with the rather less romantic world of online dating. And if there's something slightly ridiculous about looking for love through a phone while singing like you've wandered into a Nashville dance hall in 1965, that's exactly where the fun lies.

Lawrence has never been afraid to bring a little humour into her music, and the chemistry with William Alexander gives the song an easy, infectious charm. It's the sort of tune that would sound perfectly at home coming out of an old jukebox, with a bouncing rhythm, a touch of yodelling and enough country twang to get a few boots moving across the floor.

“I've Got A Hankering has continued to be listed as a fan favourite, so I just had to make a video,” Lawrence says. “Hankering is a cheeky, retro country love story about online dating. I just love the old-school vibes mixed with cheeky dating themes! And having William Alexander sing on it was an absolute treat!”

The accompanying video, created by Pavlo Shpylovyi, takes the song's slightly offbeat sense of humour and runs with it. Rather than going for the usual country music imagery, it plays out like an old fuzzy felt board, complete with floating half-guitars, a river and a few watchful sheep. It's colourful, deliberately quirky and doesn't take itself too seriously, which makes it a pretty good match for the song.
But behind the fun there's a bigger story unfolding for Lawrence, one that has taken more than two decades to arrive at its latest chapter.

Her album Suburban Cowgirl is both a celebration of where she's come from and a fairly confident statement about where she finds herself today. After 21 years of making music, six Golden Guitar Awards and countless kilometres travelling Australia's country music circuit, Lawrence has made a record that embraces all the different parts of her life without feeling the need to explain them.
And the title tells you plenty.

“I'm from Mascot,” she says. “I love country music. I love telling stories. I always was the Suburban Cowgirl. It just took an album to make it official.”

It's a good reminder that country music has never really belonged exclusively to people who grew up on farms or spent their lives behind the wheel of a ute. At its heart, it's about stories, relationships, family, heartache, humour and the things that happen to ordinary people. You don't need a paddock outside your window to understand any of that.

For Lawrence, Suburban Cowgirl also reflects a stage of life where she's become more comfortable balancing the different things that matter to her. There's family, work, music, ambition and the occasional desire to forget about the responsibilities for a night and simply enjoy yourself.

“This album is the moment of life I'm in,” she explains. “I'm allowed to feel guilty and chase my dreams at the same time. I'm allowed to go out with the girls. I wanted people to hear this and realise — you're allowed to do that too.”

Australian audiences have clearly connected with it. Suburban Cowgirl debuted at number one on the ARIA Australian Albums Chart, Australian Country Albums Chart and Australian Vinyl Albums Chart, while also reaching number three on the overall ARIA Country Albums Chart. That's an impressive achievement for any artist, particularly one who has spent more than two decades building a career through touring, songwriting and the sort of loyal audience that doesn't always show up in the headlines.

And that might be the most interesting thing about Amber Lawrence. She's been around long enough to know exactly who she is, but she's still finding ways to have fun with it.

From the big crowds at Deni to the smaller rooms where country music really comes alive, Lawrence continues to do what she's always done — get out on the road, connect with people and tell stories they recognise in their own lives.

With I've Got A Hankering, she's simply added another one to the collection.

A little old-fashioned country charm, a modern dating problem and a reminder that sometimes music doesn't need to be complicated to make you smile.

Amber Lawrence — Upcoming Shows

Friday October 23 - Trinity Sessions, Adelaide SA
Saturday October 24 - Greg Cooley Wines, Clare Valley SA 
Sunday October 25 - Murray Delta Juke Joint, SA 
Friday November 6 - Paterson Hall 
Sunday November 8 - Melbourne Mantra Studio and Kitchen Bar
Saturday November 28 - Launceston Country Music Festival, TAS 
Sunday November 29 - Martians Bar - Deans Marsh VIC 
Friday January 22, 2027 - Tamworth Country Music Festival - Tamworth Town Hall
Saturday March 6, 2027 - Duke of George - Fremantle 
Sunday March 7, 2027 - Lyrics Underground - Perth 
March 25, 2027 - 15 nights - Singapore to Sydney - Country Music Cruise