The McClymont sisters reveal the secret to their success

COUNTRY music stars The McClymonts have seen big changes to their lives in recent years. But through it all, the sisters have always been there for each other.

The McClymonts (from left, Brooke, Sam and Mollie) at the Stellar fashion shoot. Pictures: Harold David

SAM McClymont walks onto the set and her sisters are silenced.

Compliments tumble out of Brooke and Mollie for their stunning sister, who’s rocking a KITX top and skirt.

“You look amazing! You look like Brigitte Bardot, I’ve got goosebumps. That’s smokin’. Ridiculous!” the pair gush over the top of each other.

Samantha McClymont wears H&M blazer, KITX top. Picture: Harold David

The three country musicians are Stellar’s fashion models for the day and loving it, relaxed in front of the camera and girlishly excited about their outfits.

A month out from the release of their fifth album, Endless, the opportunity to indulge their love of fashion and see themselves through other people’s eyes is a rare treat.

The typically take-control sisters let go for the shoot, never even thinking to ask what they’re wearing — much to their own surprise.

“This is not about being The McClymonts, so you put us in what you want us to wear,” Brooke says. “It’s great fun — it’s like we’re dressing up as characters. Can we do this more, please?”

The arrival of Mollie and husband Aaron Blackburn’s son, Ned, 11 months ago, has necessitated a shift in the family/career balance of the McClymont camp.

Mollie took four months’ maternity leave before they embarked on their 10th anniversary tour last year.

Brooke McClymont wears Ginger & Smart coat, Veronika Maine skirt, Senso shoes. Picture: Harold David

Pre-planning their touring and recording commitments around family (Brooke returned to the stage eight weeks after the birth of her daughter, Tiggy, with musician husband Adam Eckersley four years ago) required the women to be honest about their needs.

That meant they recorded most of Endless near Brooke’s home on NSW’s Central Coast, with her sisters travelling up from Wollongong, where Sam lives at Mollie’s house until her pilot husband, Ben Poxon, finishes his posting in America.

The McClymonts: (from left) Brooke wears Kate Sylvester coat, Veronika Maine shirt, Ae’lkemi dress, Skin shoes. Sam wears Carla Zampatti trench coat, H&M shirt, Senso shoes. Mollie wears Acler vest, top and skirt, Senso shoes.

“We’ve had to get more comfortable with each other to ask for that time to ourselves. We weren’t, early on; it was all about the career. We had high expectations of each other,” Brooke admits.

“It changed when Tiggy came along; I realised I can’t do everything.”

The sisters have rallied to cover for each other when one needed time out.

Their titanium-strength sibling bond means they’re on the phone “10 times a day” and have regular catch-ups to “hang out with the kids”, Sam says.

Mollie McClymont wears Ginger & Smart dress and boots, Georgia Alice corset. Picture: Harold David

Brooke jokes they are too happy to write country laments, so Endless is full of “lust love songs” as well as “beautiful love songs”, including a duet with Ronan Keating and the title track, which is a dedication to their husbands.

Perhaps the album’s most telling track is its first single, House, a reflection on their career after its first decade. With 10 Golden Guitars and two ARIA Awards, The McClymonts are loved and respected in Australia and to them, that means everything.

There is no desire to chase fame and fortune in the US as other opportunities beckon at home, with Sam proving adept at television as the host of last year’s Farmer Wants A Wife, and Brooke making her acting debut in the recent film Spin Out.

“[This song] is about us celebrating 10 years in this industry and being happy with what we’ve got. For once we’re not going, ‘What’s the next goal?’” Sam says.

Brooke jumps in with the last word, as all older sisters do.

“We are loving this moment we are in. We’re still touring, we’re still making albums and we’re in control of everything we do. The older we’ve got, it’s all about us three; we come first and everything has to fit around that.”

Endless is out now. For tour dates, visit themcclymonts.net.au.

Originally published as The McClymont sisters reveal the secret to their success