Australian singer-songwriter Kasey Chambers released a live, banjo-led cover of Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” on July 29, 2022. She said she had admired Eminem’s songwriting for years and had imagined performing the song on banjo long before lockdown gave her time to learn its lyrics and write a melody.
Why Chambers chose “Lose Yourself”
In her July 29, 2022 release announcement, Chambers said, “Eminem has been one of my favourite songwriters for many years.” She explained that she is drawn to writers who put fearless emotion into their lyrics, and that she had wanted to create a banjo version of “Lose Yourself” for years.
Lockdown gave her time to learn the lyrics and write a melody for the performance. Chambers described the result as unusually meaningful to her: “I can honestly say it’s the most I’ve ever connected to a performance of a cover song in my life.” Both statements appeared in the official release announcement.
From festival debut to a live release
- March 2022: Chambers debuted the cover at the inaugural Wildflower Festival, according to NME’s contemporaneous report.
- During the 2022 tour: She performed it at festival appearances and on the 17-date Behind the Barricades tour, as reported by NME and the official announcement.
- July 29, 2022: Chambers released the live recording. Her official announcement says it was captured at the final tour show, at the sold-out Civic Theatre in Newcastle.
The official announcement says the video accompanying the release was assembled from footage contributed by fans. It also says standing ovations and applause during the tour, and the audience response, helped prompt the release; that is the artist’s account of the reception, not a measured audience survey.
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How the cover was described
NME characterized the version as bringing “a unique country flair” to Eminem’s song and described it as an eight-minute cover. Those are the outlet’s descriptions, rather than an independently timed duration or a technical analysis of the arrangement. The official announcement identifies the performance as being on banjo.
The available reporting supports a clear contrast in approach—a live, banjo-led interpretation of a song Chambers admired as a writer—but does not establish details such as the cover’s key, tempo, recording setup, or a note-by-note comparison with Eminem’s original.
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Release details
The release date and live recording context are documented in Chambers’ July 29, 2022 official announcement; NME published its report the same day. These details describe the release history and do not establish where the recording is currently available to stream.
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