When US country music superstar Luke Combs pointed at Lane Pittman from the stage during his 2019 Australian show, the then-12-year-old thought life could never get better.
More than six years later, Pittman has opened for the American icon on two national tours and is set to perform at Stagecoach Festival, the world's biggest celebration of country music.
"I've had so many full-circle moments," he told AAP.
Raised in Tamworth, the heartland of Australian country music, Pittman first burst onto the national stage when - on a dare from his high school friends - he auditioned for reality TV show The Voice.
Then aged 15, he sang a cover of Combs' ballad Even Though I'm Leaving.
The song details the relationship between a father and son, spanning the narrator's childhood to an emotional denouement over the death of his dad.
It meant a lot to Pittman, who lost his own father in a car accident when he was 11.
"Music kind of became a way for me to just bury my head in the sand in something I was really passionate about," Pittman said.
"My dad loved country, my grandparents are a big, big country family.
"In a weird way, if my dad didn't pass, I'm actually not even sure I'd be here today."
Pittman's performance on The Voice went viral, and every member of the show's judging panel wanted him on their team, including Australian country royalty Keith Urban.
Though the teenager would later be eliminated in the semi-finals, Combs had seen his audition and invited him to open for the Australian leg of his 2023 tour.
Since then, Pittman's stature has only grown.
He won the Golden Guitar for New Talent of the Year at the 2025 Tamworth Country Music Festival, was invited to open for Combs on another tour of Australia and New Zealand and is set to headline his own shows across NSW, Queensland and Victoria.
In April, he will be the only Australian on the bill to perform at Stagecoach in California alongside megastars like Post Malone, Pitbull, Journey, Cody Johnson and Teddy Swims.
But before he jets off, he's delighting in playing at his hometown festival.
He recalls being aged five and watching Australian country music duo The Wolfe Brothers playing at the local Big W, and years of spotting music
"Tamworth is the most bustling city in Australia for 10 days, and then becomes a desert for the other 355 days," the 20-year-old said.
"It's one of those magical times of year where anybody who's anybody in the country music industry is in town.
"You never know who you're going to see."
On Thursday, he paid homage to the festival's casual spirit, taking to the streets for a late-night performance at Hissy Fits Cafe and unveiling his new EP Miss You in the Morning.
Pittman will also be hoping to win a Golden Guitar for Single of the Year for his song Amen for the Weekend.
The festival culminates with the 2026 Golden Guitar Awards on Saturday night.
AAP travelled with the assistance of Tamworth Country Music Festival
