focusinterview.
EMMA Dykes
Former Camden Haven girl Emma Dykes has a connection to the country - both the lifestyle and the music. Her debut single, Footprints,
achieved some amazing accolades, and her new CD, Pay it Forward, shares many of the wonderful stories and experiences Emma’s managed to cram into her 29 years. These days, Emma calls Inverell home …
i Emma. Tell us about where you grew up ... I grew up on acreage in the Camden Haven. As a kid, my younger brother and I were always outside running around, riding bikes and building things and making the most or “our road”, that led up into the mountain. We lived a rural lifestyle on the coast, which was amazing. You call Inverell home these days. What do you most like about living in this area? I first came to Inverell as a new graduate nurse, straight from university. I completed my first two years of nursing here and loved it. I travelled around a lot, working in a number of other hospitals, but never found one quite like this one. I feel Inverell keeps calling me back. After being sent here on a short agency contract, I decided it was time to unpack my suitcase for a while and took a permanent parttime position. It is when I’m in the country that I feel most at home. I have always had a longing to live on the land myself and I love the lifestyle, friendships and experiences that the life out here brings. I lived for a few years in Weipa, Cape York, where the mateship and community of country was very strong. I absolutely loved it. Inverell is my middle ground. It is close enough to home, and Tamworth, to be central to everything I need, both musically and for the soul. When were you first introduced to country music? I grew up listening to country music at home. My mum played albums from the Australian artists like Beccy Cole, Gina Jefferies, Troy Casser-Daley, Lee and 66 greater port macquarie focus.
Tania Kernaghan, Graeme Connors and Adam Brand. What's your background as a singer/ songwriter? It started as a child; I loved to sing. I used to find songs I connected with lyrically and melodically and sing them at home as if I was singing them on stage … I went to singing lessons for a whole year and the teacher never heard me sing once; I was way too shy. Eventually I got enough determination to overcome the nerves, and I started to sing a little at school. I studied music for my HSC; however, after I graduated from school I went to university and began my career as an emergency nurse. For the next ten years I didn’t do anything musical. It wasn’t until I started playing and singing around the campfire and at friends’ BBQs in Cape York that music found its place in my life again. I finally had time and was in a position with a lot more maturity and life experience, to make my music mean something. This is when I started experimenting with songwriting - the first of which was Footprints. You've achieved some terrific success with some of your songs, including Footprints. What acknowledgements have you received, and what was the inspiration behind its creation? I was lucky enough for Footprints, my first song ever written, to make it to the Top 30 of the country category in the Australian Songwriting Competition! It was an absolute honour to attend the awards night in Sydney at the Orion Theatre of the Stars with my mum, Suzanne, as my guest. Footprints is an emotional song that was
inspired by the disappearance of little William new single Man of The House. It is the story Tyrell from the Kendall area. Having grown of my pop. Pop was my idol, the centre of our up at Kew, the news of this hit close to home family and a true blue gentleman who kept my and seeing as I was in Cape York at the faith in true love and finding that one special time, Footprints was my contribution to the man. He and my nan had something amazing community from afar. that shone through our family. It is also dedicated to a lovely What's next on your agenda? indigenous family that I I am still always taking notes worked with in the Bauxite from life and jotting down Mine in Weipa, who lost ideas for the next song I their son to an accident write. That won’t stop, I lived for a few years on the beach at around and of course in the York , that same time. I was future that means I will in Weipa , Cape hip and where the mates emotionally touched by be itching to record y untr community of co the loss of both boys, again and share the .I was very strong and Footprints is me rest with you all! ” it. d absolutely love wishing them home to But for now, I have their families. a series of eight release Describe some of the venues booked as part of an tracks on your debut CD, Pay Album Launch tour. I have plans it Forward … to attend the Americana Festival in I often refer to my music as being like Nashville later this year to take this small my photo album. Each song has a story town girl’s music over the big blue sea … behind it, and each one comes from my Where can we purchase Pay it Forward? experiences and lessons as I have travelled As well as the online stores iTunes through life. I have managed to fit a fair bit and Googleplay, my album and other into my 29 years! merchandise is available on my website Old Hands, which was a finalist in the UK www.emmadykes.com and this also offers Songwriting Competition, putting in the top links to my Facebook page EmmaDykes Music, 1-2%, is written with an old fashioned view of Twitter and Instagram. the value in experienced hands as compared to I would love people to like modern technology. Two Birds, a semi-finalist my Facebook page, as this is where I post in the UK Songwriting Competition and written the majority of exciting news and upcoming with Arna Georgia, a fellow CMAA Academy events. You can also follow me on Instagram graduate, is my version of a sad love song that and Twitter and above all, please come to meet country music is known for; it seems to be a me at my gigs. Come say hi, and grab a signed given that this should be included on a country copy of the album while you’re there. album. Thanks Emma. Probably a personal favourite of mine is the Interview by Jo Robinson.
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