Newcastle-born, Nashville-based singer-songwriter Grayson (aka Michael Edser) has released his first new song in two years, Unsolved Mystery.
It follows the release of his 2020 album Window Dreams and, before that, albums Somewhere in the Night, Chronology, Little Doors, and Broken Hearts & Broken Bones.
"I released an album and single in 2020 then the world got shut down and our industry was on pause. I wanted to wait a while for the next one until there was some normalcy," he tells Weekender.
The song is about love and loss and the unpredictability of life. It fuses country and pop and it's a far cry from the party-inspired single Beermuda Triangle.
"I love a great drinking song but Unsolved Mystery is definitely different and has a lot more depth," Grayson says.
"It's for anyone who's experienced unexpected loss. When we have a major unexpected loss we usually have a few mysteries to solve."
Grayson grew up in Kotara and attended St Francis Xavier's College at Hamilton.
"I've always loved music and as a kid I always dreamed of recording my own music and being able to play for a living," he explains.
"I used to play all over Newcastle and NSW and I loved a Sunday night on stage at The Beaches or a packed house on a Saturday night at Bar 121. They were good times."
He moved to Venice Beach, California, in 2011 and says being near the water made him feel "at home".
"Moving south to Nashville in 2013 was definitely - and still is - a culture shock," he says.
But it did open doors.
"It gave me the opportunity to star in the award-winning documentary 66 Days on Route 66, and I have two more singles on the way with IMA/Sony Orchard and then hopefully a new album next year," he says.
"I am also currently the music composer and producer for a new animated kids series call Skwishy which will be launched later in the year in the States."
Grayson, now a father of two boys, hopes to return to Newcastle for Christmas followed by the 2023 Tamworth Country Music Festival.
