Shea Fisher Durfey wears many hats — mother, musician, songwriter, wife, entrepreneur, business owner, and barrel racer to name a few. Born in Australia, Shea began singing and competing in rodeo as a young girl. Her passions have been woven together from the beginning; she first focused on singing with the goal of performing the National Anthem at rodeos and would do so while also competing. A recording contract at 16, six No. 1 songs in Australia, a Nashville record deal, moving to Texas, marrying World Champion Tie-Down Roper Tyson Durfey, growing a family, building businesses, running barrels, and more have led to her current focus: rekindling her music career. Shea is preparing to launch a new album campaign in 2025, which will include music videos, three singles, and, eventually, a full album.
Western Roots
Growing up in Australia, rodeo and Western life weren’t central to the culture. Still, with her father, Eddie Fisher, competing in the PBR and her mother, Joanne Fisher, a champion barrel racer, Shea developed a love for all things horses and rodeo at an early age. She first became interested in country music while traveling to rodeos with her dad in the U.S. “My family lived in the U.S. for a couple of years, starting when I was 9. My dad was riding bulls with the PBR, and I remember traveling to rodeos with him and listening to 90s country. I fell in love with Shania Twain and Garth Brooks,” Shea recalled.
Back in Australia, Shea decided to try her hand at singing and playing country music. “I decided that I was going to start singing the National Anthem at rodeos because I heard that was how Reba McEntire was discovered,” she remembered.
Shea also started entering talent competitions in her early teens. It took many losses before she got a win, but when she finally beat her competition, she had the opportunity to perform on the main stage at a large festival in Australia. “That was my first real experience performing for a crowd,” Shea shared. “I was hooked.”
Her first big industry break came at 16. Shea was set to sing the National Anthem at a rodeo and decided to knock on the main music act’s bus door. Steve Forde, an Australian country singer, answered. Shea boldly asked if she could open the show for him, and it just so happened that the opening act was sick. Concertgoers rarely show up in time to catch opening acts, but Shea didn’t care. “There was no one in the crowd, but I had the best time performing on that big stage,” she recalled.
Taking a chance paid off. Forde asked Shea’s parents if they would be willing to let her open the rest of the shows on the tour, and they agreed. Forde also helped Shea write and record her first album. The album was self-funded, and their next task was to see if a record label would pick it up. In Australia, there are only a few major labels, making it difficult to get signed. Fortunately for Shea, a label liked what they heard and decided to add her to their roster. “Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would get a record deal at 16”, she reminisced.
Rodeo was still a priority in Shea’s life, and she was doing well at it. She had won a rookie breakaway title and was the first girl to qualify for the junior bull riding. The record label didn’t love knowing their new talent was crawling on bulls and asked her to put that aside for the time being. Shea continued competing in other events and singing but did hang up her bull rope.
Taking a Big Leap
Shea continued singing and performing in Australia into her early 20s. She had felt drawn to the U.S., with its love for rodeo and country music, and was offered the opportunity to make this dream a reality. She was at a rodeo when a life-changing call came through. “I was offered a record deal in Nashville right before I turned 21. I packed up and moved my whole world to the U.S., including my band and my manager.”
While this was a huge change, rodeo and her family’s time in the U.S. gave Shea an existing network and safety net. Three weeks after her first single was released on the new label, Shea’s streak of good fortune came grinding to a halt — the label shut down. This left Shea with a lot of decisions to make. “Everything looked great, and then the record label shut down. I definitely had to sit back and think about what my life could look like,” she remembered. “I knew I could go back to Australia, pursue music there, and make a good living. But I just felt like I wasn’t done in the U.S.”
Unwilling to give up, Shea started thinking about where she could go and how she would pay her bills. She liked Nashville but couldn’t see herself there long-term. When she lived in the U.S. as a young girl, Shea fell in love with the Lone Star State. “I’ve always had a calling to Texas,” she recalled. “When we lived here when I was younger, I felt like Texas was home.”
Shea made her way from Nashville to Texas, and her rodeo family was there to provide support while she figured out her next move. She spent time at Cliff and Dena Kirkpatrick’s house, as well as with Trevor and Shada Brazile. Her friendship with the Brazile family led to another big moment. While at Rodeo Houston, Shea was introduced to World Champion Tie-down Roper Tyson Durfey. It took a lot of persistence on Tyson’s part, but the two eventually started dating and were married. “I was a pain,” Shea laughed. “He probably messaged me for a year before I let him take me out to breakfast.”
The record label shutting down also pushed Shea to build a business that continues to support her family — Shea Michelle Buckles. Her family had established a contract with a metals manufacturer, and when Shea needed to figure out a way to pay her bills, she asked if she could take over that contract. Her father agreed, and Shea started cold-calling rodeo associations trying to sell trophy buckles. “At the time, it was just enough to pay my bills,” she recalled. “Today, we sell thousands of buckles.”
This was a life-changing, difficult time, but Shea chose to pivot and look for a new open door. “I do believe that everything happened for a reason. The American record deal got me to the States,” she reflected.
Since moving to Texas and marrying Tyson, Shea’s priorities have ebbed and flowed with her dedication to growing a family, running two businesses, competing in rodeo, and playing music. In addition to her talents in music, Shea is also known throughout the rodeo community for her unique Western style. When she had her first daughter, Shea quickly discovered that most of the children’s clothing on the market didn’t fit her style. She decided to do something about it, founding Shea Baby, a Western wear brand for children.
Shea designed the first line of clothes, ironed out the details of having the products manufactured, and then started selling online. After landing her first wholesale account with Cavender’s, Shea had to turn their garage into a warehouse for the time being. Since then, Shea Baby has expanded into Western wear stores across the country. As her three children, Praise, Risyn, and Tyen, have grown, Shea has adjusted and added to each collection. “Starting this was just a huge blessing,” she said. “We grew organically and had to embrace the growth as we went.”
The Next Chapter
With the family businesses running smoothly, Shea began feeling drawn back to music over the last year. Singing and songwriting have remained a part of her life, but promoting her music had to be set aside while she grew her family and businesses. Shea will be launching an entire album campaign in 2025, which will include the release of three singles, music videos, and, eventually, a full-length album.
Shea enjoys co-writing with other songwriters and has been collecting songs for the album for some time. Walker Hayes, one of her favorite people to write with, contributes significantly to the upcoming album. The first single to be released, “Take Me Back to Texas,” pays homage to Shea’s home state. The remainder of the album is similarly personal for Shea, who looks at songwriting with others as “the cheapest way to do therapy.”
Her decision to launch a new project was also spurred by her young daughters. Women are often held to unrealistic standards in the music business, with many believing their chances at a career are over after 30. Shea wants to show her daughters that anything is possible. “Times have changed, and I want women to see that anything is possible. I don’t want age to matter. This is something I want to do for myself and for my family,” she said.
Shea is also taking advantage of the freedom of not having a record label telling her how to pursue this next step in her career. “I had been signed to a major record label for 15 years of my career, and I no longer wanted to do that. I don’t want to be told what to say, wear, or sing. I get to do it on my terms,” Shea explained.
In preparation for the album campaign, Shea has been sharing more about her music and life on social media. Doing so has been met with significant enthusiasm and support. In four months, her Instagram following grew from 30,000 to 275,000, which Shea is taking as a sign that she is putting her energy into something important and impactful.
Like everything in her life, Shea didn’t want to only have one foot in the door on this new project. “I decided to hold myself accountable and flew my Australian video director over to shoot three music videos in September. I have a year’s worth of videos ready to release — I’m really doing this,” she said.
Shea and her family are also preparing for a big year in the rodeo arena. Tyson has shared his plans to come out of retirement and make another run at qualifying for the NFR. Like Shea’s endeavors in music, Tyson is motivated by sharing the journey with his children. The couple has a lot on their plate, which they are able to balance by working as a team. “We are very supportive of each other,” Shea shared. “It’s very important, especially living a busy life and being somewhat in the spotlight. You have to be very secure with each other and supportive, which makes it work.”
Shea is also going to be running her little palomino barrel horse, Itchy, over the next year. After gaining momentum last summer, Itchy slipped and fractured his hock at a rodeo. Surgery and rehab have a high success rate with this injury, but it put a halt to Shea’s plans last year. She hopes to run Itchy at Texas races over the winter, enter any summer rodeos that align with Tyson’s schedule, and move up the ranks enough to enter more rodeos in 2026. An NFR qualification is Shea’s ultimate goal. Itchy is fast, quirky, and athletic. “He has the biggest heart,” Shea shared. “He isn’t easy to ride, but he’s electric.”
Rodeo and the West are woven throughout Shea’s endeavors, from country music to running barrels, raising a family, and supporting Tyson. “Everyone has each other’s back, and it’s such a family,” Shea concluded. “I’ve always loved the Western culture. It’s really like nothing else.”
