Australian folk singer/songwriter Kim Churchill has a new song which offers up a sincere dose of encouragement.

Showcasing Kim’s gentle and heartfelt songwriting, “Hobbies” is a grounding track, cutting through the noise of society’s expectations.

With a landscape of soft acoustics and sweeping strings, it liberaes with lines such as, “you don’t have to be found by your 30s” and “you don’t have to be good at your hobbies”.

Kim talks through the deeper meaning behind the track.

“I was enjoying a quiet autumn day in Montreal… having a little scroll on my phone,” he says.

“Fortunately the algorithms mainly show me artworks, animals doing cool stuff, and different kinds of self-help posts.

“I was moved by a poignant quote. It was written across a cute watercolor painting of a green tree frog, wearing boots and holding an umbrella.

“She was stating confidently, ‘you don’t need to be good at your hobbies.’

An amphibian epiphany

“I felt inspired and compelled to write a song based on the little frog’s epiphany. And half an hour later, ‘Hobbies’ was written.

“It felt so liberating to expand on the idea and put into words all the things I realised I didn’t have to ‘do’ or ‘be’.

“You don’t have to be cool around your heroes.

“You don’t have to look good in the morning.

“I knew I loved the song and its power to help us learn what, of society’s many pressures, are the important ones.

“And what we can actually just gently let go of.

“I hope it inspires others to check in with themselves in this way too.”

A true troubadour

Raised in the coastal town of Merimbula, Kim enjoys life on the road.

He is currently van-lifing around Europe and ready for a new wave of adventures this year, with more music and shows already on the horizon.

Landing on the scene in 2009, Kim’s laidback folk style has struck a chord across the globe.

He’s played at Glastonbury Music Festival, Montreal’s International Jazz Festival and South By South West, along with a stack of home-grown festivals.

And he’s been crowned Australia’s National Youth Folk Artist of the Year, and nominated for the National Live Music Awards Roots Act of the Year.

Last year, Kim returned with his seventh-studio album “Dawn Sounds”, highly praised by the industry and fans alike.

Hitting home runs with singles “Fighter”, “Please Come Home (feat. Steph Strings) and “Go Try Fall”, Kim has wrapped up his biggest regional tour to date, before an impressive run of international shows across Europe, the UK and Canada.

Listen to “Hobbies” by Kim Churchill.