LAUREN: As an artist on the rise, what is one thing you are most excited about and one thing you are most afraid of happening in your career?
VANESSA DELAINE: My album ‘Runaway’ was released on iTunes December 2015. It hit the Blues Charts and No #18 USA, No #15 The Netherlands, No #23 France and Botswana and it stayed on the Blues Charts for 3 weeks. It was such a surprise and it made me realize what a small world it is and how music can reach far beyond our own little world. I started to get excited about the potential of my music. I began touring in Australia and my guitarist and I have just started his second and my third tour for the year. I am so delighted, inspired, and deeply touched by the beautiful compliments I receive and I am excited about sharing my heart and soul through music with more and more people. With my song 'Moon Blues', it was a last minute decision to include it on the album as I was giving my producer a CD of songs that we could select from. I just accidentally found the lyrics that morning. I quickly sang it into my iPhone and added it to the CD. The reaction of both my guitarist and producer to the song was priceless and this has turned out to be a favourite for many. I would also like to say I am so delighted to have also won Best Country/Blues Song (Akademia July 2016) for my song ‘Long Gone’. I don’t believe there is anything to be afraid off. I am already living the life I dreamed and I just keep dreaming up more and more things I want to do.

LAUREN: Your song 'Moon Blues' is receiving a positive listener response on radio. What was your initial reaction when you first heard your song playing on radio?
VANESSA DELAINE: I think I might have been talking on the phone at the time and almost dropped the phone to get to the radio to listen. It is such a delight to hear my song playing on the radio and I am so grateful for the opportunity. I am so happy that people are enjoying this song.

LAUREN: What was the inspiration behind your debut radio single?
VANESSA DELAINE: I wrote this song in 1996. At the time I was studying Contemporary Music Performance and I had to write a blues song. I’d never written a blues song before and so I just decided I would write something that was along the lines of ‘how blue can you get?’. I still remember the moment the words ‘Climb to the Moon’ came to me and I remember thinking ‘that is really cool’. It was then that the song started to get a voice of its own and I am still amazed at how cool the lyrics are. As I said, I forgot that I’d even written it and so I have been blown away by the response it has had and really enjoy playing it live with my guitarist.

LAUREN: It is often said that great art arises from difficult experience. Is there something in your life experience thus far that you would describe as the ‘catalyst’ or ‘fuel’ for your desire to create music?
VANESSA DELAINE: Quite often I hear musicians talking about how their parents always encouraged them to fulfill their dreams and I think about how easy that must be. Although I came from a musical family, I was born in the 1970’s where people didn’t encourage you to follow your dreams. My mother said I needed to get a real job instead of doing music because that wouldn’t pay the bills. I started singing in front of people at 11 years old, but back then dreaming about being a singer was discouraged so I kept my dreams to myself and did what I was told. I did have a real job for many years, and then one day I was in a car accident that left me unable to walk for quite a few months as I had injured my back. Playing my guitar and singing became the catalyst for my recovery. Nine months later I had written and recorded my first album which won a few song writing awards. I went on to study ‘Contemporary Music Performance’ as an adult and enjoyed playing music for quite a few years until I got married and had children. Then I didn’t touch my guitar for 7 years. As my 40th Birthday approached I decided to sing at my party. I was incredibly nervous but went ahead and did it. I was totally blown away by the response of family and friends, many who had never heard me sing before, but I don’t think I was ready to get back up on the stage at that point. When I moved to the country the following year, I had a stall at a local Country Market, selling hand-made items and one day I asked the manager why nobody was playing music at the market. She asked if I knew anyone who could and without even thinking about it, I said I would do it. Now here I am, 45 years old and travelling around Australia singing my own songs from my Top40 Album. I've won two international song writing awards and my music is played on radio around the world so I am very proud of myself. Not only that but my family are very encouraging and also very proud of me. It was almost as if I had to let it go of the music to get it back. I was told by a very wise person once that this is my gift. I think I had to learn it for myself and now that I am back doing what I love, I will not be stopping anytime soon.

LAUREN: How would you characterize yourself as an artist/musician? (Ex. Down-to-earth, serious, fun-loving, complicated…)
VANESSA DELAINE: As an artist/musician, I think I am a little bit of everything: down-to-earth, serious, fun-loving, complicated. Some of my songs are very serious and others are fun and people love to chill out to my music. I do take my music very seriously and I like to have fun. I think my producer said he had never had anyone as organized as we were when we walked into the studio. We produced the album a lot quicker than some of his other singers because we knew exactly what we wanted to do.