We catch up with 2026 Best of the Buskers winner Jessica Holbrok

From hundreds of artists registered to busk during the Tamworth Country Music Festival, only ten are chosen by public vote to perform in front of a crowd and vie for for the judges to crown them Best of the Buskers.

Queensland artist Jessica Holbrok is still getting her head around winning the gong in January this year.

“When they called my name as the winner, it didn’t feel real at first,' she says. ”It was a very surreal and emotional moment for me.

“I’ve always dreamed of making music my full-time career, and that moment felt like a really big step toward that dream becoming a reality.”

Holbrok's music has drawn comparisons with some of Taylor Swift's earlier work, so we asked if there was any chance her sound would evolve in a similar direction to Swift's?

“(Swift)'s been such a huge inspiration for me… to even be compared to that era of her music is really special,' Holbrok says. “In terms of my own sound, I definitely feel rooted in country at heart.

“That said, I’m also really open to letting my sound evolve naturally over time. I think it’s important to grow as an artist and not put yourself in a box.”

Her musical future is looking incredibly exciting, including playing the QLD Music Trails Outback Sounds event in Mount Isa in May.

“To be on that lineup with some incredible names in Australian country music is just a dream,” she says.

She is also looking forward to touring interstate for the first time.

“I’ve never ventured beyond Queensland to play gigs besides Tamworth, so I’m excited to be able to take my music on the road this year.”