Jess Crossman Is Ready to Find the Good Kind of Trouble

Snowy Mountains country-rocker Jess Crossman is turning up the guitars and embracing her wild side with Good Kind of Trouble,

a cheeky new anthem for anyone who’s ever wanted to throw caution to the wind.

We all know her.

She’s the girl who walks into a room and somehow changes the energy without even trying. She’s a little wild, probably the first one onto the dance floor, rarely needs convincing when there’s a questionable idea on the table and seems to have mastered the art of not worrying too much about tomorrow.

She’s trouble — but the good kind.

That’s the character at the heart of Good Kind of Trouble, the latest slice of country-rock from Snowy Mountains singer-songwriter Jess Crossman. But while the song might have been inspired by “that girl”, Crossman reckons there’s probably a little bit of her hiding in most of us.

“Good Kind of Trouble is about ‘that girl’. The one who walks into a room and just lights it up,” Crossman explains. “She’s wild, free and always up for a good time, but I also think we all have a bit of ‘that girl’ inside us. The carefree side we sometimes wish we could let out a little more.”

Musically, Crossman gives that sentiment exactly the soundtrack it deserves.

Good Kind of Trouble starts firmly in cheeky country-rock territory before building towards a big rock finish, bringing together the country storytelling and electric-guitar energy that Crossman is increasingly making her own.

It also feels like a natural introduction to an artist who has decided it’s time to properly chase the career she’s been working towards for years.

Hailing from the Snowy Mountains of NSW, Crossman describes herself as a truth teller, and that idea sits at the centre of her songwriting. She’s interested in the bits of life that aren't always particularly polished — the heartbreaks and bad decisions, the funny moments, small-town stories, reckless nights and those things most of us have thought but might not necessarily be brave enough to say out loud.

The result is country music with some dirt under its fingernails.

Big vocals and electric guitars give Crossman’s sound its rock ’n’ roll edge, but underneath the volume there’s an artist who still puts the story first. Her songs are grounded in real life rather than some carefully constructed version of it, and increasingly, she’s leaning into a country-rock sound that feels like the most natural fit yet.

She’s already had the opportunity to test that sound on some pretty impressive stages.

Crossman has opened for The Beach Boys and shared stages with the likes of Daryl Braithwaite, Killing Heidi, Sneaky Sound System, 19Twenty and Hayley Jensen. In 2023, she reached the Top 50 of Australian Idol and has also been named a Top 10 finalist in Toyota Star Maker.

Her music has picked up support from ABC’s Saturday Night Country and Grass Roots, along with the Country Music Association of Australia’s New Music Friday programming.

But behind the growing list of musical milestones is another life Crossman has been living.

For the past five years, she’s worked as a paramedic.

Now, she’s taking a break from ambulance life and giving music her full attention, stepping into a new chapter that has been waiting in the wings for quite some time.

And perhaps that makes Good Kind of Trouble an especially fitting song for the moment.

There’s something liberating about deciding to stop standing on the sidelines and give yourself permission to chase the thing you really want. To turn the guitars up. Take a few chances. Make the occasional questionable decision.

Maybe even let “that girl” out every once in a while.

For Jess Crossman, that means country storytelling with big vocals, loud guitars and a rebellious streak — honest, gutsy, a little rough around the edges and sounding increasingly comfortable in its own skin.

After all, sometimes a little trouble is exactly what you need.

Especially when it’s the good kind.