Earlier this year Barnett was making her way around international music festivals, playing spots at Glastonbury, Coachella, Lollapolooze and Pickathon, just to name a few.
But it's her upcoming solo dates in Australia that have got the singer really excited.
Barnett and her band have been busy on the Australian music festival scene, however, the upcoming tour will mark Barnett's first headline shows in her home country. "I think it's cool because we haven't played our own Australian shows, really ever.
"We've done a couple of support tours. We did Something For Kate and Big Scary and I did a Billy Bragg support tour, but these are (our) first (headlining) shows so it's kind of exciting."
Inspired by bands such as The Go-Betweens, The Saints and old Australian musicians like Midnight Oil and Paul Kelly, Barnett's music style is a mix of folk, rock, with hints of old school punk.
But it's Barnett's spoken-word singing is what makes her music so distinctive.
"I only started singing a couple years ago and I was always so nervous about singing. I took some singing lessons and I was really bad at them, so I think the only way that I could sing was (to) literally sing in my own voice, 'cause that's the how I'm comfortable with singing. If I try and sing how I think people are supposed to sing then I just get nervous, and I can't do it."
Barnett is best known for her song Avant Gardener, a rambled retelling Barnett's experience of going into anaphylactic shock during an Australian heatwave.
"Yeah (it's a) totally true story. It was pretty crazy. It was really scary." Barnett said about the song.
"When I wrote the song I was looking back on it, so it was kind of funny ... well, I saw the funny side of it."
Watch the music video for Avant Gardener by Courtney Barnett:
App users: Tap here to watch the video
Avant Gardener features on The Double EP: A Sea Of Split Peas a compilation of her two EPs I've Got a Friend Called Emily Farris and How To Carve A Carrot Into A Rose.
"I didn't think I would be putting those two EPs together and releasing them around the world, but at the time, when I did the first EP, I only had enough songs and enough money to make something that big."
Barnett released the records under her own independent label, Milk! Records.
Milk! Records acts more like a collective of musicians than a label. It grew organically after Barnett made the label to go along with her music, with the hope that people would take her more seriously.
"And then it just grew. Friends kind of came on board and yeah, it's kind of turned into a semi-real thing."
In the beginning, August Milk! Records released a limited vinyl compilation A Pair of Pears (with Shadows) which includes artists signed to Barnett's label: The Finks, Jen Cloher, Royaston and Fraser A. Gorman.
The compilation also features Barnett's catchy tune Pickles from the Jar, a song that came out of a jam session and was made up on the spot in the studio.
Listen to Pickles from the Jar by Courtney Barnett:
So what's next on the agenda for Courtney Barnett? The singer revealed that she was in the recording studio back in April and will release a new album early next year. But for now Barnett is focusing on her tour, heading to Australia, the US and Europe after her Auckland gig.
Courtney Barnett
September 17: King's Arms, Auckland
- nzherald.co.nz
