Winner of the 2022 Best Country Music Song Award for 2022 is Jenny Mitchell‘s stirring track Trouble Finds A Girl feat Tami Neilson written by the alt-country artist who hails from NZ’s home of country music, Gore, along with Tami Neilson, Chris Wethey and Tali Jenkinson (Vallé).

The four collaborated on the song at an APRA Songhubs songwriting camp held in Ōtautahi. It was inspired by Mitchell and Neilson’s personal experiences working in the industry as well as the work of Stuff journalist Alison Mau in investigating #metoo claims within the local music industry. Discussing their own experiences, and wanting to advocate for change, Trouble Finds a Girl came to life in the songwriting session.

“It’s for my little sisters, who I hope to be able to guide and educate as they make their way through the music industry. It’s for the world in general, and any person who’s ever felt unsafe, inside the entertainment industry or not,” says Mitchell.

Neilson is of course a multiple-NZ music awards winner across a variety of genres, and Jenny Mitchell won the 2019 Tūī for Best Country Music Artist with her ‘Wildfires’ album. She joined an ebullient Neilson on stage to perform Trouble Finds a Girl at Auckland’s Winter Best 2022 festival on the night of the announcement (Saturday, June 18) before going on to play her own gig at Kumeu Live.