Everything Kasey Chambers and Shane Nicholson touch turns to gold – even a divorce.
The decorated country music collaborators and former lovers had not written a song together since they separated in 2013.
But on Saturday night, their reunion ballad The Divorce Song won song of the year and single of the year at the 2026 Country Music Awards of Australia, bringing their total career Golden Guitars to more than 40 between them.
“I don’t think we thought we’d be standing up here together again,” Chambers told the Tamworth ceremony.
“I want to thank Shane for this song. You are still one of my favourite singer-songwriters in the entire world – you weren’t for a few years there, but you’re back.
“We hadn’t written a song together since the divorce and it’s really special you took a chance on me.”
Chambers and Nicholson married in 2005 and have two children together.
In 2008, Chambers released her first collaboration album with her then-husband. It debuted at number one, was certified platinum, and won the couple five Golden Guitars at the 2009 awards show.
Her second collaboration with Nicholson in 2012 won the ARIA Award for best country album.
In some ways, the birth of The Divorce Song was easy.
“The writing of this song we did via text message, so we didn’t tempt fate,” Nicholson said.
“It seriously took us an hour, but in reality it took us probably close to 10 years of living, learning and growing to write this song.”
The couple have continued to co-parent and maintain that they “do divorce pretty good”.
Chambers’ album Backbone also won alt country album of the year at Australia’s peak country music awards.
Though she was the most nominated artist at Saturday’s Golden Guitars – with nominations in 13 categories – country-rock duo The Wolfe Brothers swept the awards, winning five Golden Guitars including for album of the year.
“I’ve got a mantelpiece, and with this, it will be full,” Tom Wolfe said, before winning another two Golden Guitars.
Male artist of the year and new talent of the year went to 27-year-old Wade Forster, a self-professed cowboy who turned up in a suit decorated by children at Ronald McDonald House.
“I worked my ass off for it. I didn’t want to leave a stone unturned and I lived in my car to be able to sit here today – holding two of them,” he said.
Max Jackson went back-to-back, winning female artist of the year, while Fanny Lumsden took home the award for video of the year.
GOLDEN GUITAR WINNERS 2026:
FEMALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR
* Max Jackson
MALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR
* Wade Forster
ALBUM OF THE YEAR
* Australian Made – The Wolfe Brothers
SONG OF THE YEAR
* The Divorce Song – Kasey Chambers featuring Shane Nicholson
SINGLE OF THE YEAR
* The Divorce Song – Kasey Chambers featuring Shane Nicholson
VIDEO OF THE YEAR
* Look At Me Now – Fanny Lumsden
ALT COUNTRY ALBUM OF THE YEAR
* Backbone – Kasey Chambers
TRADITIONAL COUNTRY ALBUM OF THE YEAR
* Start All Over Again – Brendan Radford
HERITAGE SONG OF THE YEAR
* Australian Made – The Wolfe Brothers
VOCAL COLLABORATION OF THE YEAR
* How Many One More Times – The Wolfe Brothers with Zac & George
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