5.Maggie

Since a young age Maggie was just a carefree, fun-loving girl who sung around the house before discovering she had a real talent.  She then decided to take it to the next step by getting professional singing lessons and the rest is history. Her style of music is described as a mixture of Pop/R&B/Soul and is inspired by the real things close to her heart by writing and singing about her own life stories. To Maggie, life is music and one of the reasons she gets up in the morning – it all just comes natural to her. One of her greatest accomplishments to date would be moving to Nashville from a small town in Ontario, Canada not knowing anyone and she has managed to jumpstart her musical career and has written 5 songs since she arrived. She now focuses on building her career, bringing out her debut album and also discovering the world by going on tour.

4.Steph

Steph was born a natural star and already had her first gig by the age of 4 where she lip synched on a German TV Christmas special.  Over the years she was encouraged to take voice lessons and begun her musical escapade where she performed pop, jazz and classical music. She is inspired by so many musical genres and artists such as Lauryn Hill, Feist and Ella Fitzgerald but her mainly focuses on easy listening pop with a jazz and soul influence. When Steph sings, she hopes her audience is able to connect with her mentally and makes them feel at ease or even have a dance with her unique raw melodies and soulful sound. She has had the chance to play overseas in Thailand in jazz performances whilst finishing her studies there. She has also been headlining a night at Dizzy nightclub with the Roger Clarke quartet which she found was an absolute thrill. Right now she is focusing on recording some new original tracks and getting her EP out as well as getting a band together to tour.

3.Chanel

Chanel is a talented R&B/Soul artist from the UK who has always been exposed to and had a love for music since a very young age. Since childhood she has admired the talent of her father who was a drummer in a local band and soon wanted to follow in his footsteps. Over the years she has worked on developing her singing and writing skills to perfect it to a tee to become the artist she is today. She has worked with well reputable producers and artists and has even recorded her very own video clip. Currently now she is working on some new material for her second album and continue promoting her music whilst on tour in London.

2.Crystina

Crystina always knew from a very young age she would be on stage singing her heart out and 8 years ago, she started to sing professionally.  Since then she has sung at festivals, parties, events etc. Her musical range makes her a versatile artist and can mold into multiple genres such as pop to classical music. Her atmosphere and everything that she goes through is her number one inspiration and motivation towards her music.  She hopes her audience is able to capture her emotions and see that there is always a good ending, there is hope and destiny and there is always a positive to a negative. She is an artist who doesn’t follow anyone, is a singular soul which makes her unique and the colour of her voice sets her apart from any other artists out there. Her current goal is completing her album and then in time start singing with her band and going on tour.

1.Katrina

Katrina was always fascinated with music for as long as she remembers – at the tender age of 6 she had already written her very first song. First and foremost, she is a songwriter who writes pop, folk and country music, dabbles in R&B and her own individual style of music is best described to be contemporary/country pop.

She is a fun-loving caring artists who isn’t afraid to push through boundaries to deliver what her fans want in her own quirky way and hopes to serve as a good role model by spreading the message of belief in oneself. Katrina has been influenced by an array of artists over the years who have motivated her such as Shania Twain, Sheryl Crow, and Merril Bainbridge.  When she first started playing guitar she was moved by The Dixie Chicks and Kasey Chambers which then led her to artists like Patty Griffin, Ryan Adams and Joni Mitchell. Her most distinguished accomplishment so far is being honoured with an APRA (Australasian Performing Rights Association) Development Award – it is a nationally recognized award for songwriting. Along with the award, she received $12 000 which went towards the development of her career, a Gibson SG and also an online tuition at Burklee Music College. Currently Katrina is recording her debut album and is still reaching for the sky for her career.

INTERVIEW

1. How long have you been singing for and how did you get started?

Looking back to my childhood I’ve always been fascinated by music. I sang along to the hymns at my own christening at just a couple of months old and stated writing my first song at age 6.

I first hit the stage at a local talent quest at just 11 years old singing my first completed original song and playing my first steel string guitar. I remember standing up against a microphone as my guitar didn’t have an input.

2. Describe the style of your own music.

For many years it’s been a battle to “box” my music. I am firstly a songwriter and write pop, folk, country and have every tried my hand at RnB. As an artist this can be very confusing, not knowing which path I should take.

After a trip to Nashville in May, my “genre” really became clear. I am a contemporary/ country pop artist and have made it my goal to broaden the Australian country music fan base, by reaching out to a larger audience.

3. What are some of your greatest accomplishments and most memorable gigs/memories in your musical career?

In March 2009 I was awarded an APRA Professional Development Award which is a national recognized award for songwriting. I received $12,000 to go towards the development of my career, a Gibson SG and online tuition at Burklee Music College.

I spent the month of May writing songs for my debut album in Nashville. The town was mind-blowing.  I would love to settle there one day.

4. What are some of your inspirations in music?

When I was 8 or so, my friends LOVED the Spice Girls and the Hansons etc. As much as I tried I just didn’t enjoy that music as much as I liked Shania Twain, Sheryl Crow and Merril Bainbridge. It was when I started playing guitar and watching people’s gigs, I started learning the Dixie Chicks and all the old classics. I fell in love with Kasey Chambers’ honesty in her songs when I was 13 and that lead me to people like Patty Griffin, Ryan Adams and Joni Mitchell. I listen to top 40 songs and to hear the “hooks” and to sharpen my craft.  I’m so open minded inspiration comes so easy with any style as long as it stimulates my mind.

5. How do you want your audience to perceive your music, what is your message?

I don’t have a message in my music. I think the most important thing is to be a good role model and be true to yourself. I only every write songs that I believe in, so I hope my music will encourage younger listeners to get to know who they really are and believe in themselves.

6. What makes you different to any other artist?

I would like to think that I am different from other artists because I’m real. I go to the extra effort to reply to messages on MySpace and thank my supporters for their help. I’m more then happy for supporters to be a part of my world and share the fun adventures with me by blogging and creative YouTube videos.  I push the boundaries of my genre of music and I’m not afraid to take risks. I always listen to what my supporters want and try to deliver that in my own quirky way.

7. What are some of you future goals in and out of the music industry?

I am currently recording my debut album.  My dream is for it to be the most talked about debut album of all time in Australian Country Music.

To win national recognized awards like Golden Guitars and ARIAs would totally rock my world.

It would be awesome to have my songs played in movies, TV shows, commercials and main stream radio.

I will forever be striving to be the best I can possibly be and hopefully inspire others to do the same.