Kaylee Bell is the Waimate-born country singer behind “Keith” and the album Cowboy Up, and as of October 2026 she is engaged to her partner Nick Campbell, mum to a son, James, and writing a new album after the longest touring break of her career.
Her comeback was set for the Groundwater Country Music Festival on the Gold Coast (16 to 18 October 2026), her first gig in about three months. “Every time I play live, I’m always reminded how much I love it,” Bell told Scenestr ahead of the festival, adding that the new songs come from a mother’s point of view: “I’m writing songs from that perspective for the first time.”
Who is Kaylee Bell engaged to?
Bell’s partner is Nick Campbell. The couple got engaged on Christmas Day 2025, Countrytown reported in January 2026. So for anyone searching for Kaylee Bell’s husband, the accurate answer is fiancé: we could find no public report of a wedding as of October 2026. Campbell keeps a low profile, and his job and age are not public.
Kaylee Bell’s son James
Bell and Campbell’s son was born on 22 January 2025. “Welcome to the world, our little cowboy,” she posted, adding “After a bit of a journey, we have our happy and healthy wee man ready to see the world,” as Rova reported at the time. In a May 2026 column she named him as James, who had “just turned one” and had already been on the road with her. That makes him one year and nine months old as of October 2026. Beyond what Bell has shared herself, details about her son are private.
How old is Kaylee Bell and where is she from?
Bell was born in Waimate in South Canterbury and went to Craighead Diocesan School in Timaru. She has not published an exact birth date; public reference records give her birth year as 1989 or 1990, which puts her at 36 or 37 in 2026. Her height is not public.
She started singing at four, won the NZ Gold Guitar Award at 18 and moved to Australia four years later. Today she splits her time between New Zealand, Australia and the United States, and in 2026 she began working in the UK and Europe too.
Kaylee Bell’s songs, from Keith to Cowboy Up
These are the songs that shaped her career, in the order they mattered most.
- “Keith” (2019): a love letter to Keith Urban that went to number one on The Music Network country chart and stayed on it for 25 weeks. Jelly Roll later heard her sing it side stage in Australia and invited her up to perform it with him.
- “Cowboy Up”: the title track of her September 2025 album, which reached number 20 in New Zealand.
- “That Summer” (2021, with Lepani): her highest-charting single on the NZ Hot Singles chart, peaking at 17.
- “Me For Me” and “Once In A Lifetime” (May 2026): a double single. “Once In A Lifetime” was written for her set at the first concert at One New Zealand Stadium in Christchurch, and the video was shot that night.
- “Boots ‘n All”, “Good Things” and “Ring on It”: three more NZ Hot Singles entries, peaking at 20, 21 and 29.
Her 2024 album Nights Like This reached number 3 in New Zealand, and The Red EP (2021) made her the first independent Australasian female country artist with a gold-certified release.
Did Kaylee Bell win The Voice?
No. Bell auditioned for The Voice Australia in 2022 and all four coaches turned their chairs. Keith Urban was blocked, so she joined Jessica Mauboy’s team, and she went out in the battle rounds. Her career was already well established by then, and the bigger wins came afterwards.
| Year | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | NZ Music Awards, Best Country Album (Heartfirst) | Won |
| 2015 | APRA Best Country Music Song (“Pieces”, with Jared Porter) | Won |
| 2023 | CMA Global Country Artist Award (US) | Won |
| 2023 | Golden Guitar, Vocal Collaboration (“Small Town”, with James Johnston) | Won |
| 2024 | Golden Guitar, Female Artist of the Year | Won |
| 2025 | Golden Guitar, Vocal Collaboration (“Beer in a Bar”, with The Wolfe Brothers) | Won |
| 2026 | Aotearoa Music Awards, Album of the Year and Best Country Artist (Cowboy Up) | Nominated |
At the 2026 Aotearoa Music Awards on 28 May she was also nominated with Rob Ruha and Troy Kingi for “Matariki Hunga Nui”. That category went to Stan Walker, and Album of the Year went to Marlon Williams, ahead of Bell and Lorde.
Kaylee Bell tour dates and next shows
As of October 2026 there is no new New Zealand headline tour on sale. Her next confirmed date is the Tamworth Country Music Festival on 22 January 2027. Her biggest Kiwi show this year was the opening concert at One New Zealand Stadium at Te Kaha in Christchurch on 16 May 2026, when she played before Six60 and Synthony in front of a sold-out crowd, NZ Music Month reported. “I wanted something to mark the night, something that would outlive it,” she said of the song she wrote for it. We will add any new NZ dates to our NZ concerts guide when they are announced.
Frequently asked questions
Is Kaylee Bell married?
Not as far as has been publicly reported. She has been engaged to Nick Campbell since Christmas Day 2025.
Who is Kaylee Bell to Keith Urban?
She is a fan, not a relative. Urban is the subject of her 2019 hit “Keith”, and he was one of the coaches who turned for her on The Voice Australia in 2022.
What is Kaylee Bell doing now?
She is writing her next album and was booked to return to the stage at Groundwater on the Gold Coast in October 2026, with Tamworth next in January 2027. No release date has been announced.
What did Kaylee Bell do with The Wiggles?
She was part of a Wiggles album that was nominated at the 2025 ARIA Awards, and she presented at the ARIAs alongside them.
Where is Kaylee Bell's hometown?
Waimate, in South Canterbury.
