Hayley Jensen
In-game article clicks load inline without leaving the challenge.
Hayley Jensen (born 7 January 1983) is an Australian singer and songwriter who became known after placing fourth on the second series (2004) of Australian Idol.
In 2018 Jensen released the album Turning Up the Dial which became her first to enter the ARIA top 100. Jensen's fourth Breakin' Hearts (2021) and Country Soul (2025) continued that success.
Early life
Hayley Jensen was born in Albury, New South Wales, but has lived in Canberra for most of her life. Before entering the Australian Idol competition, she studied Jazz vocals at the ANU whilst completing year 11–12, and then went on to study Economics and Management at the University of Canberra.
2004: Early career and Australian Idol
In 2004, Jensen auditioned for Australian Idol. She did not progress from her hometown of Canberra, but travelled to Sydney to try again and was successful.She was selected for a spot in the Final 12 and continued in the competition for a number of weeks, eventually placing 4th.
| Australian Idol performances and results (2004) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Episode | Song | Result |
| Audition | Through to the Theatre Rounds | |
| Theatre Rounds | "Anyone Who Had a Heart" | Through to top 30 |
| Top 30 | "Angel" | Through to live shows |
| Live show 1: Australian Made (Top 12) | "Weir" | Saved by Public |
| Live show 2: Pop (Top 11) | "Left Outside Alone" | Saved by Public |
| Live show 3: The '60s (Top 10) | "To Sir, With Love" | Saved by Public |
| Live show 4: Disco (Top 9) | "If I Can't Have You" | Saved by Public |
| Live show 5: Contestants' Choice (Top 8) | "Release" (George song) | Saved by Public |
| Live show 6: Beatles (Top 7) | "Yesterday" | Saved by Public |
| Live show 7: The '80s (Top 6) | "I Feel the Earth Move" | Saved by Public |
| Live show 8: RnB-Soul (Top 5) | "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" | Saved by Public |
| Live show 9: (Top 4) | "It Had to Be You" / "Nature Boy" | Eliminated in 4th position |
2005-2013: Post- Idol activities
After Australian Idol, Jensen formed her own record label (White Dove Music), released a solo album, Note to Self and released a number of singles. She performed for Coalition Forces in Iraq, for the Prime Minister on a number of occasions, and at entertainment centres around Australia.
In March 2010, Jensen co-founded alternative pop/rock band Seasons with drummer Peter Wright and guitarist Sam Young. The band released their debut EP A Moment of Clarity on 15 April 2011. In late 2012, Seasons changed their name to Silver Cities, and released their first single, "Lights" was co-credited to Jensen. They toured as a supporting act for Evermore on their Hero National Tour. In November 2013, Hayley and her band received an award for their single "Lights" at the 2013 Australian Independent Music Awards.
2014-2015: The Voice Australia
In 2014, Jensen auditioned for the third season of the Australian version of The Voice. She performed the song "Freefallin" in her audition chose to join Kylie Minogue's team. She was eliminated in the Battle Rounds.
| The Voice performances and results (2014) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Episode | Song | Original Artist | Result |
| Audition | "Freefallin" | Zoë Badwi | Through to Battle rounds |
| Battle Rounds | "Roar" | Katy Perry | Eliminated |
In 2015, Jensen joined Casey Donovan, Doug Williams and Darren Mapes, in a concert celebrating the songs and life of Burt Bacharach. In December 2015, Jensen was announced as a finalist in the 2016 Star Maker award.
2016-present: Return to country music
In January 2016 Jensen released the country single "The One". She subsequently released the single "I'll Always Love You" and "Young Years" which was followed by the album Past Tense & Present Peace.
In 2017, Jensen signed with Social Family Records and in November 2017, released the single "Summertime Soundtrack".
In May 2018, her third studio album Turning Up the Dial was released. Jensen toured the album across the south east coast of Australia before heading to Manchester to perform as a headline international act at Buckle & Boots Country Music Festival and to Canada in 2019 to perform at Calgary Stampede.
Early 2020 Jensen released a version of Sarah McLachlan's "Angel", the song which got her to the top 12 in Australian Idol, this time as a duet with Australian Country Artist Beccy Cole.
With most of her shows and touring cancelled in 2020 due to COVID-19, Jensen wrote and produced music with Canadian producer Troy Kokol at Reluctant Cowboy Records. The first new single "Breakin' Hearts" was released in August 2020 as a radio single both in Australia and Canada and made it to number 2 in the Music Networks' Country Hot 50 chart.
In October 2021, Jensen released her fourth studio album, Breakin' Hearts.
Throughout 2024 and 2025, Jensen released singles "Stomping Ground", "Outskirts", "Dirt Rich" and "Giddy Up Cowboy". At the 2025 Independent Country Music Awards, Jensen won Best Song and Best Video.
In August 2025, Jensen released her fifth studio album Country Soul which peaked at number 14 on the ARIA Charts.
Discography
Albums
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| AUS | ||
| Note to Self | Released: 16 September 2007 Label: White Dove Music (DOVE001CD) Format: CD, digital download | — |
| Past Tense & Present Peace | Released: 3 February 2017 Label: White Dove Music (DOVE005) Format: CD, digital download | — |
| Turning Up the Dial | Released: 11 May 2018 Label: Social Family (SFR0063) Format: CD, digital download | 52 |
| Breakin' Hearts | Released: 22 October 2021 Label: Social Family (SFR0128) Format: CD, LP, digital download, streaming | 25 |
| Country Soul | Released: 29 August 2025 Label: White Dove Music (DOVE007) Format: CD, LP, digital download, streaming | 14 |
Singles
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| AUS | |||
| "Alive" | 2006 | 68 | Note to Self |
| "Stronger" | 2007 | — | |
| "Waste Away" | 2008 | — | |
| "Lights" (with Silver Cities) | 2012 | — | Lights (Silver Cities album) |
| "What You Waiting For?" (with Silver Cities) | 2013 | — | |
| "The One" | 2016 | — | Past Tense & Present Peace |
| "I'll Always Love You" | — | ||
| "Young Years" | — | ||
| "Summertime Soundtrack" | 2017 | — | Turning Up the Dial |
| "Saturday Night" | 2018 | — | |
| "Forever Won't Be Long Enough" | — | ||
| "This Love" | — | ||
| "Next Big Thing" | 2019 | — | |
| "Turning Up the Dial" | — | ||
| "Angel" (featuring Beccy Cole) | 2020 | — | Breakin' Hearts |
| "Breakin' Hearts" | — | ||
| "Fireworks" | — | ||
| "Just Gonna Party" | 2021 | — | |
| "Karma" | — | ||
| "Really Shouldn't Drink Around You" (with Dan Davidson) | — | 6 Songs to Midnight | |
| "Better Than That" | 2022 | — | Breakin' Hearts |
| "Flirtin'" (with Petric) | — | Non-album single | |
| "Shake My Bones" | — | Breakin' Hearts | |
| "Four Boots" (featuring Clayton Bellamy) | — | ||
| "Bring It On" | 2023 | — | Country Soul |
| "Rock Bottom" | — | ||
| "Welcome Back Summer" | — | Non-album single | |
| "Stomping Ground" | 2024 | — | Country Soul |
| "Outskirts" | — | ||
| "Dirt Rich" | 2025 | — | |
| "Giddy Up Cowboy" | — | ||
| "Country Soul" | — | ||
| "Burn It Down" | — |
Awards and nominations
Country Music Awards of Australia
The Country Music Awards of Australia is an annual awards night held in January during the Tamworth Country Music Festival. Celebrating recording excellence in the Australian country music industry. They commenced in 1973.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Hayley Jensen | Star Maker Award | Finalist | |
| 2022 | Hayley Jensen | Female Artist of the Year | Nominated | |
| 2023 | Hayley Jensen | Female Artist of the Year | Nominated | |
| 2026 | Country Soul | Contemporary Country Album of the Year | Nominated | |
| Album of the Year | Nominated |
Music for a New Generation Awards by Planet Country with Big Stu & MJ
The Music for a New Generation Awards was a country music aware program as part of Planet Country with Big Stu & MJ radio show. They ran from 2015 to 2018..
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Hayley Jensen | Australian Female Artist of The Year | Won |