IT was a trip to the Tamworth Country Music Festival that sealed the deal for rising talent Chelsea Berman.
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The 19 year old made her way north-west for her first country music festival in 2014, and that’s where it all began.
“I started out in jazz because my first singing teacher was a jazz singer,” Berman said.
“Then it changed to musical theatre and then pop.”
It was her mother who suggested she travel to Tamworth to check out the country music scene and undertake a little busking.
“I didn’t know much about country, but I listened to a lot of people, and all those concerts in the big park,” Berman said.
“I thought ‘wow this is great’.
“That was when my love for country blossomed.
“I had always liked country, but I had never experienced it to that extent that you get at Tamworth.
“From then on it’s just been country.
“And from then on I have wanted to go back every year.”
Berman said it was the narrative element of country songs that she liked the most.
“Most of the songs are so well written, and they all have such good stories,” she said. “I feel like some songs you listen to and can’t connect with them.
“Country songs are so easy to connect to and you can understand what the artist is going through and why they wrote the song.”
Her career began at just 14 performing in the duo Just Between Us. They played at restaurants, markets and went busking.
They released an EP Somedays of original material.
In 2016 she took the plunge and went solo.
She is influenced by modern country artists such as Kelsea Ballerini, Maren Morris and Kacey Musgraves.
“They are all kind of different, pop country, soul country and kinda pop country,” she said. “But I definitely do prefer modern country, but I love the classics as well.
“Modern pop-country is more my style.”
This week she will make the pilgrimage back to the country music capital to launch her five track, debut EP, Better Than Ever.
It was recorded in a Sydney home studio and produced by Simon French.
It will be available on iTunes, Spotify and other streaming media sites from January 18.
She will perform at the Tamworth Country Music Festival where she will launch Better Than Ever at the Family Hotel on January 26 at 12.30pm.
A Newcastle launch is in the pipeline, stay tuned for details.
Follow Chelsea on Facebook: facebook.com/chelseabermanmusic
Personal website: chelseabermanmusic.com
