Tamworth singer-songwriter Owen Smith is set to turn heads
and spark a few laughs with the release of his new single Upper
Class Bogan, out July 11. The track was co-written with Golden
Guitar winner Matt Scullion during the 2024 CMAA Academy of
Country Music, and captures Owen’s sharp wit and
down-to-earth take on Aussie culture.
“I was driving through Sydney and saw a Porsche four-wheel
drive. I thought, ‘Who goes out and thinks they want a sports
car that can fit 12 kids and six dogs in it?’” Owen said. “That’s
where the idea of Upper Class Bogan came from — people who
have made it big and yet choose to live their best bogan lives.
They're driving a fancy Porsche or Mustang while having fun
trashing the neighborhood.”
When the song idea came up in a co-writtng session at Academy, Matt didn’t hesitate.
“I went through my list of ideas, and we landed on that Title. Matt told me he liked it so much that if I wasn’t
singing it, he would.” The pair wrote a tongue-in-cheek, hook-laden country track that quickly found its feet.
Owen said it was during the first live performance within the Academy that he knew the song had something
special. “I couldn’t keep a straight face. I looked over and saw Academy Director Lyn Bowtell laughing her head
off — that’s when the penny dropped. Seeing people’s reactions made me realise we were onto something.”
The song featured at The Academy’s Graduation Concert in January 2024 with students from across Australia,
NZ and Nashville joining Owen on stage sporting Hawaiian shirts borrowed from Academy General Manager
Roger Corbett and Dobe Newton of The Bushwackers.
Recorded across several locations, Upper Class Bogan features Dobe Newton on spoons, Matt Scullion on
vocals, Simon Johnson on bass and production duties, Brad Bergen on guitar and drums, and Gabi Louise on
fiddle. Owen recorded his vocals in Tamworth, while Matt and Dobe recorded from home. A homegrown clip
was also filmed in Tamworth, featuring a bunch of Owen’s mates bringing the bogan energy to life. “I shot the
clip myself and got a bunch of random mates to be bogans — everyone was putting in 100%.
It was all shot in
Tamworth and we had a lot of fun through the process.”
Owen describes Upper Class Bogan as a breakout moment. “I feel like this song is turning things up a notch.
I’ve started building a fanbase and community, and this just takes it further. I believe it will resonate with a lot
of Australians — I love being able to reflect on our culture, and that’s a big part of what this song is.”
The Upper Class Bogan music video will be released in the weeks following the single release.