Close to 500,000 streams; a nomination for Country Song of the Year at the QLD Music Awards; a nomination for Alt Country Album of the Year at the Golden Guitars; a self-booked, 20-date headline tour. Listen: if your 2019 was half as formative as Hayley Marsten's, you're doing okay.

Marsten has just released the title track off her album Spectacular Heartbreak, which debuted at #5 on the iTunes Country Album Chart and, as previously mentioned, picked up a cheeky Golden Guitar nomination. And cheeky is actually a good way to describe Marsten. Her writing is equal parts heartfelt and humorous, her sass only outdone by her singing. As Jolene: The Country Music Blog put it, she 'may still be a young artist but this album is the work of someone who is far past the stage of emerging. She has emerged, with glorious honesty and self-awareness and, above all, the ability to produce music that is bittersweet, poignant and engaging.'

'Spectacular Heartbreak' may have fallen into the Alt Country category but make no mistakes, it's a track carved out for commercial success. Speaking about the process of creating it, Marsten says that 'I had spent so much time writing about all the hurt and sadness that had inspired the album that I was feeling disappointed and regretful, but writing this song made me come to terms with everything and realise that I don't want to be scared to open my heart in case it doesn't work out. So instead I focused on the stuff that happens on the other side of heartbreak, the spectacular stuff.'

The track was produced by Matt Fell at Love HZ Studios along with the rest of the album. It's a 'cohesive and assured document of loss, acceptance and self-reflection,' says Country Update Magazine, and 'the work of an artist erupting from a chrysalis, flexing her powers and looking forward undaunted.'

Aside from Marsten's mammoth headline tour, she's also recently supported music heavyweights like Fanny Lumsden and Troy Cassar-Daley and has a number of festivals under her oversized belt buckle. This year is shaping up to be another massive one for Marsten and while the song, she says, 'celebrates being fearless enough to have your heart broken so spectacularly,' it's clear that she's touched enough hearts through music to make hers whole again.

Marsten will be launching the 'Spectacular Heartbreak' single at Brisbane's The Milk Factory on February 7.