Growing up in western Sydney, this year’s Toyota Star Maker winner, Rachael Fahim, first heard country music thanks to her parents’ music collection.
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She now follows in the footsteps of Amber Lawrence and a previous Star Maker winner Travis Collins, who come from the big smoke to make their mark on country music.
“I just [found myself] falling into the country genre, mainly because people would tell me, ‘you have such a country voice’,” Fahim said.
“I wasn’t too sure what that meant at first, but I can tell this is where I sit, and this is what I love doing.”
Her country credentials were on show for all to see during Sunday night’s final when she performed a haunting version of the Dolly Parton classic Jolene.
Fahim joked that she had been singing so long, the first words she ever spoke as a toddler were probably song lyrics.
At age eight she started singing lessons, later spent some time on the talent quest circuit, and has already recorded several singles.
During her teenage years, she turned to songwriting after being bullied at school by a group of girls.
“It wasn’t fun at all, and I think music was a great outlet for me. I was able to write songs, I was able to put my emotions into something.”
Fahim said Star Maker needed to be the next step in her career, which is what prompted her to enter.
“The amount of opportunities you get from such a prestigious competition like Toyota Star Maker, you can’t get anywhere else.
“I entered two years ago, and I thought I was ready, and I wasn’t looking back now.”
After giving it a miss last year, she returned triumphantly on Sunday.
“I did feel ready this time, and felt really positive about it.”
Since she first made the Star Maker grand final in 2015, Fahim said she had learnt a lot and felt she was a completely different person musically, compared with the 19 year old who first took to the Star Maker stage.
“I’ve matured as a person, and as an artist,” Fahim said. “The amount of things I have learnt in two years, to me, I’m a completely different person musically, and as Rachael.”
That has included picking up an instrument and learning to play guitar.
“Now I can play four-hour gigs back in Sydney, and I can play my originals, and play other songs I like, it’s awesome.”
Looking to the year ahead, Fahim said what she was most looking forward to was the touring, but in the meantime, she will be kept busy with appearances during the rest of the festival.