James Johnston Channels Alan Jackson on New Single

Australian country star James Johnston has dropped his latest single, “I Oughta Know Better”, a spirited nod to ’90s-era Alan Jackson classics with a modern twist.

The track is the newest taste of his second album Where You’ll Find Me, out October 24th via Warner Music Australia.

“This song is the mix between my old self and my new self,” Johnston said of the new track. “The truth is, being a father to two boys means less wild nights out with mates, but every once in a while, be it with old friends or when my wife and I sit on the deck with a bottle of wine, it often starts with ‘let’s just have one’ and often ends with a headache in the morning. I wanted to make a drinking song that wasn’t necessarily happening at a club. If you’re passed your wild clubbing years but still don’t mind getting loose every once in a while, you’ll resonate with this song.”

The track signals a broader shift for Johnston as he steps into what he calls his “international era,” marrying glossy, festival-ready hooks with a raw, emotional centre. Where You’ll Find Me looks set to push his music far beyond Australia’s borders, reflecting a career that has already seen him take his music from viral TikTok clips to shows alongside US heavyweights like Kip Moore.

The album’s release will be supported by a sprawling run of shows that wind through city theatres and regional strongholds alike, including stops in Brisbane, Mareeba, Perth, Hobart, Darwin, and Canberra.

It caps off a whirlwind run for Johnston, who this year scooped fan-voted Countrytown Awards for Entertainer of the Year and Male Artist of the Year, and returned to South Africa to claim Song of the Year for his cross-continental hit “Country Is For Me” with Appel. His debut record Raised Like That set the pace, going platinum, racking up more than 134 million streams, and becoming the longest-running No. 1 on the ARIA Australian Country Albums Chart.

With six No. 1 radio singles already under his belt, two Golden Guitar Awards, and an ARIA nomination, Johnston has quickly cemented himself as the face of a new wave in Australian country.