My Dreams Came True...
Only four short weeks ago, my plane touched down in Brisbane Australia and I was greeted by a friendly face at the airport and taken out for the most wonderful breakfast. It was the beginning of 10 insane days.
After a beautiful 8 hour drive to Tamworth (don't worry, we were safe from fires) we settled into our room for the next 10 nights.
My first experience on "Peel Street" actually reminded me a lot of Broadway in Nashville. Sensory overload, music from every direction and a bazillion people everywhere you turn! It was nice to feel in a way that I was at 'home." The streets were filled with different stages, and buskers that were all right next to each other. I'm talking a couple feet from each other at the most!
The first performance I had was at the Pig and Tinder Box on Peel Street. The best part about this venue (besides the absolutely delightful salmon dinner) was that the stage was outside and most of the traffic on Peel Street had to walk by to get where they were going. It was a great venue for meeting new fans, as they could hear me all down the street. Before I started my first performance, there were already multiple fans lined up to meet me. It was a really nice feeling knowing that I already had people interested in my music, solely from radio play. (Thanks Australian radio!)
The next afternoon I performed the "Toyota Fan Zone Stage," which was a huge stage right in the centre of Peel Street. Every artist gets the chance to perform that stage throughout the ten day festival, including A-Listers. When the MC announced my name and that I was from Canada, before I even stepped on the stage, the whole crowd gave me a standing ovation. It was a pretty magical moment to have a standing ovation before I even played a single note.
The rest of the week went by quickly. Between media performances, interviews and trying to find time for snacks (because my life revolves around food), I had the opportunity to perform with Will Day and Col Finley on a number of stages. These band members learned my songs before I had even came to Australia and really had my back. We barely had a rehearsal before our first performance. I was lucky to be alongside such incredible musicians.
On Tuesday night, I was invited to perform at the International Showcase. I was one of about 10 acts that performed that night. I don't know how it happened, but I was placed on the stage before the headliners. Who were the headliners? All Nashville hit songwriters. Particularly, songwriters that I adore and admire. Phil Barton, Jason Duke and Jerry Salley. Do yourself a favour and look these writers up - you will for sure know one of their 1000 hits.
This performance will forever go down in my mind as one of my favourite nights of all time. The crowd was beautiful, the stage was unreal, the sound was out of this world, and I was surrounded by the best of the best. Little ol' me and my guitar... and 5000 people... how could it get any better than that?
During the week I not only surrounded by incredible musicians, but I was also enjoying the festival as a fan. I got to see Phil Barton, Jason Duke, Travis Collins, Jerry Salley, Lyn Bowtell, Natalie Pearson, Brooke Chivell, Kristy Cox and so many others shine on stage.
I can't even thank Tamworth enough for letting me be a part of the biggest festival in the southern hemisphere. My heart skips a beat and I just can't even wait for MORE when I think of the ten days I spent there.
Thank you for following my journey. If you'd like to watch the full performance during the international showcase check it out HERE.
I can't wait to bring you more music, more performances, more videos and be creative as heck for the rest of 2020. This girl is going to keep dreaming big...because so far, it's working out quite well.
Love always,
Danielle
