Rising Country-Pop Artist Karra Rhodes Unveils Her Debut Album Hometown Therapy

An exciting new talent on the scene, Karra is an accomplished songwriter with a special flair for pouring her candid emotions and heartfelt melodies into every song and lyric, her experiences feeding into each song to deliver music that resonates with authenticity and depth. Not afraid to tackle subjects many artists avoid, on HOMETOWN THERAPY Karra’s writing spans the raw truths of domestic violence, mental health, identity and resilience, offering listeners both vulnerability and strength.

Produced by acclaimed Welsh Producer Greg Haver (Manic Street Preachers, Melanie C, Opshop, The Chills), the album Hometown Therapy is a body of work that lays everything bare – the struggles, the healing, the identity battles – all are told with strength, heart and unapologetic honesty. This is an album which delivers more than just heartfelt ballads and country-pop, blending Karra’s storytelling with gritty, country-rock songs that hit as hard as they heal.

Karra says: “Every line in this album means something. Writing it was my therapy, and now releasing it is about giving that same healing back to listeners. A lot of the topics in the album are unspoken in daily life. We tiptoe around them, despite the fact that so many of us experience them. I see so much strength in people who are going through, or healing from, experiences such as mental health struggles, violence, or just pressure, and I wanted to capture that. I wanted to put these experiences into songs that give strength.”

Previously released singles off the new album are ‘Why Can’t I Love You Less’; ‘Burn It Down’; ‘See What She’s Worth’; ‘Tell Me Mama’; and most recently, the title track ‘Hometown Therapy’. Now with the album release, the focus track is ‘Painting It Perfect’, a cracking country-pop tune about putting up an emotional façade to disguise one’s true feelings or situation.

“This song is about making sense of the fact that I every time I am struggling, or at what I think is my worst version or the lowest points, it is when people think I am doing my best or achieving great things. So often, when I’m struggling, I’m probably at the same time painting on the biggest smile and painting everything as perfect. I feel like most people can relate to that”, explains Karra.

A lawyer, mother of two young children, and now country-pop artist, Karra has never planned on being in the spotlight, least of all with a microphone. Now she is proving that sometimes the very things we fear most can become the source of our greatest strength. With her words and her songs, Karra is ready to reveal, comfort, soothe and heal, a bold step forward encapsulated with her debut release.

Giving back is also a meaningful and important element of Karra’s journey, and with Hometown Therapy she plans to donate 100% of proceeds of both her album release show at Christchurch’s Rolling Stone on 15 November, and all streaming royalties from her album for one year to domestic violence charity Shine. Karra’s music publishers Big Pop Publishing have also stepped up to the plate to join in on giving back, and will match any royalties donated by Karra as an extension of her support of domestic violence victims and her pledge to Shine.

Says Karra: “On a really personal note, Shine were literally the ones who helped lead me out of a very dangerous and horrible situation, so it’s my turn to try and raise money to give back and show them just how far their work goes into getting people out of those situations. Also every day in my line of work as a family lawyer, I am often working with domestic violence victims, so it just feels right that this is what I want my music to do, it kind of connects everything in a full circle.”

Joining Karra at her album release charity fundraiser show will be country-rock acoustic duo Goodnight Goldy and talented 11-year-old country singer Cleo Fitzgerald, the 2025 Junior Overall Winner at the NZ Golden Guitar Awards.

Living proof that you can chase every dream, the accomplished songwriter, mother, and lawyer works hard at balancing family, a legal career, and nurturing a growing musical journey – all of which has not been easy, but for this determined young woman, has been worth every moment. A standout addition to the county-pop landscape, Karra is ready to carve her path in the industry, her perfect amalgam of magnetic tunes and highly relatable lyrics clearly makes her one to watch.

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