With just over 120 days until the second Winton Way Out West festival, four time Aria Award winner Amy Shark was revealed as heading the line up of talented musicians.
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The Gold coast born and bred star is best known for her four time platinum single ‘Adore’ which was released in 2016.
Amy chatted to the North West Star about the Winton festival, her motivation behind her music and more last week.
“It’s a big job to head a festival, you really need to bring your A-game,” Amy said.
“I haven’t done too many festivals in my life but I always get really excited by the look of the line-up and this one looks like its going to be an incredible show.”
Amy has travelled to Mount Isa when she worked for the Gold Coast Titans as their video editor but has never been to Winton.
“We would head out to Mornington Island and Doomadgee where we would shot video in the Indigenous communities but I’m looking forward to going to Winton to entertain and to listen to Missy Higgins sing.”
Amy is a big Missy Higgins fan, the last time she saw her perform was at a ‘gig at the Tivoli many years ago’.
“She’s in the line up so I’d love to meet her. She’s golden.”
The theme of the 2019 festival is to raise awareness about the drought and to support farmers and rural towns.
RELATED STORIES: Winton Way Out West is up and running
Amy said she’s like everyone else who hears about the drought.
“It comes up a lot in conversation and I feel sorry, you know, because you can’t help Mother Nature, I really feel for the people of the land.”
She hopes that even for an hour the farmers can just forget about it, have a beer and listen to some music.
“If I can be a part of helping them then that’s awesome.”
The reason I write is because its like a therapy session. I cherry pick moments I’ve experienced in my life.
- Multi Aria Award winner Amy Shark
Her debut album Love Monster won her the Album of the Year at the 2018 Aria Awards, along with Best Female Artist, Best Pop Release and Producer.
The musically contemplative and soulful singer calls her music gritty alternative pop, with a mix of guitars, hip hop and 90s sounds.
Her songs speak to her listeners’ as they relate to pivotal life moments.
“Everything I write is auto-biographical,” she said.
“I don’t understand how people can write songs about issues they haven’t gone through, I find that really bizarre.
“The reason I write is because its like a therapy session. I cherry pick moments I’ve experienced in my life.”
Amy said everything has to hit her very hard in the heart to write a song.
“If I connect to people or a place by becoming emotionally invested in them, then I’ll write.”
Throughout it all, the 32-year-old has managed to stay down-to-earth and relatable, despite fast becoming a sought out artist in Australia and overseas.
In May next year Amy has locked in gigs at the Hordern Pavilion at the old Sydney Showground and Melbourne’s Margaret Court Arena.
The 2017 Winton's Way Out West festival saw the population of the town swell to nearly 10 times with more than 6500 people from across Australia making the outback journey.
The festival is on 25-28 April 2019.