The first song I ever sung on stage was ‘I am the garbage man’ from Playschool! Thanks Playschool. I still remember practicing it in the car before the show; I was even a perfectionist then! I was nervous as I was only about 4 years old. My Dad played guitar for me while I stood there wearing one of my favourite shirts….it had Snoopy on it holding a huge ice-cream.
Music and singing was in my blood from a young age (thanks to my Mum and Dad) but I never pursued it seriously until going fulltime with the band Alabaster Box in the year 2000. Believe it or not I was actually very nervous about it. I was definitely not one of the natural musicians that can just get up and be bold and confident on stage. It took a lot of work and grace from God for me to realize that He could use a girl like me. One who wasn’t always so confident. I think the fear of missing out on what God had for me was greater than the fear of what people thought, or the fear of failure.
The only way to get over a fear is to face it! I travelled extensively across Australia before moving over to the USA where we had some amazing opportunities as a Band. I think I can look back now and say ‘I guess I’m not so scared anymore’.
A lot of adventures and 10 or so years later has brought me to the place where I can now confidently write this album and share pieces of my journey through these songs. This is different to anything I have written before, but I’m so excited to really express a musical side of me that incorporates a bit of dramatic strings with a mood that is more reflective and devotional. I never thought this would actually happen, but here I am today hoping to continue to learn, grow and sing in such a way that can motivate eyes and hearts to be open into a deeper relationship with God.
Random facts about me and things I love!
- A secret passion of mine (that isn’t really secret anymore) is that I love to cook. Although I could NEVER go on Masterchef I have to say I’m pretty passionate about it and love how food (like music) can change someone’s mood!
- I love to travel and meet new people and learn new cultures. I also love to look at the architecture of different places where I travel to and learn the history behind it.
- I love hunting for antiques. As I would walk through these places and look at all the antiques, I would often wonder what story lay behind them…if only they could talk.
- My family is very important to me. I love spending time with them and we are all a bit crazy in some way so there is always bound to be a few laughs. But spending time at the beach with my boys (and fishing) is one of the best blessings in life that I will never take for granted.
