Gympie’s Caitlyn Shadbolt releases new album Bloom & Surrender

Inspired from reflections through the past years of pandemic slowdowns, Gympie’s homegrown musician Caitlyn Shadbolt releases new album Bloom & Surrender this Friday.

Gympie's homegrown music starlet Caitlyn Shadbolt releases her third album Bloom & Surrender on Friday, June 9, 2023.

This week Caitlyn Shadbolt, the much-loved ‘girl from Gympie’, releases her third album, Bloom & Surrender, a reflection of her creative growth and artistic evolution over the past decade.

The album is inspired from time spent at home, sitting and pondering her life over the past few years as the covid pandemic slowed everything down.

“We’ve all spent a lot of time at home in the past few years, so I found I was writing different music,” Ms Shadbolt said.

“I wanted to record them all, but also make them have their own moments.”

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The album is structured with two sides, showing both the extroverted and introverted sides of Ms Shadbolt’s personality, reflections and range of musical style.

Gympie's homegrown music starlet Caitlyn Shadbolt releases her third album Bloom & Surrender on Friday, June 9, 2023.

The album is deeply personal, recorded with her partner, Matt Smith, in their newly built home studio.

The intimacy comes through the music through a variety of upbeat and fun moments to songs of reflective confidence and questioning.

“This time around my partner and I actually co-produced the record at our home studio, it was a big creative jump,” Ms Shadbolt said.

“So I’m excited just to share with people what we’ve come up with all by ourselves.”

From an X Factor 2014 contestant to a CMC Award for Best New Artist (2016), to signing on to ABC Music in 2017, Ms Shadbolt’s rise to fame has always been grounded in her hometown of Gympie.

For the past decade, her hometown has watched with pride and pleasure her growth into songwriting and stardom.

“Everywhere that I play, I always ask if there's anyone from Gympie in the crowd, and there always is,” Ms Shadbolt said.

“I’m proud that’s where I’m from (Gympie) and you can generally always find people that are also from Gympie.”

Caitlyn Shadbolt has hit milestones in her ever-evolving musical career, from X Factor contestant to CMC award winner. She now releases her third album Bloom & Surrender.

Fans will get a chance to hear her play on August 24 at the Gympie Muster in Amamoor after a string of shows along the east coast of Australia.

The Gympie Muster holds a special place in Ms Shadbolt’s heart, and she has attended it since she was 12 years old.

She was a Gympie Muster Ambassador alongside Adam Brand in 2015.

“I generally enjoy walking around with a chip on my shoulder: ‘Yep, I live here.’ The experience every year is just amazing,” she said.

Ultimately, the best compliment she says she receives is people finding connection to her songs and lyrics.

“But also, it would be great if it went to number one, and I got to tour and open for Taylor Swift and make a million dollars,” she said.

For more info on where to listen to Bloom & Surrender, buy tickets to Caitlyn Shadbolt’s shows, or merchandise, visit her website here. 

The album will be available from Friday, June 9, 2023.