When a delegation from Tamworth visited Nashville in June 2013 to sign the sister-city agreement at the Country Music Hall of Fame, Clare Bowen spoke at the ceremony.
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But you may be surprised to learn she has never visited Australia’s country music capital.
That will change in July when the Australian actress and singer, who has made her name playing a fledgling country music artist in the hit TV series Nashville, plays live at West Tamworth Leagues Club’s Blazes auditorium.
It is the second time Clare has returned to Australia to play a string of concert dates.
With her debut album just about ready to drop, and filming almost wrapped up for Nashville’s fifth season, the diminutive star spoke to Talkin’ Country over the phone from her home in Nashville.
She gained prominence playing the role of young singer Scarlett O’Connor on Nashville.
Over the five years the show has run, there have been guest appearances from a lot of country artists in Nashville, including Zac Brown, who Clare sang with in one episode.
“Reba was so sweet, Vince Gill is like the nicest person on the planet, Steve Buchanan, the executive director of the Opry, he was on the show playing himself,” Clare said.
“Brad Paisley has been the show, gosh, Kip Moore. We’re just so grateful for their acceptance.
“The fact that we have all these people wanting to be on the show makes us feel very much accepted.”
Now Clare has recorded her own music, with her debut album full of stories from her own life, and from the lives of people she cares about.
That is evident on Love Steps In, her first solo single released earlier this year, which Is a tribute to her younger brother, Timothy, who spent all of 2016 fighting end-stage cancer.
When writing the songs for the debut album, Clare wrote with other artists, including Timothy and her fiance Brandon.
The new release is different from what we see Scarlet O’Connor perform on Nashville, with Clare saying the album is truly her, when asked about the difference between her character’s music and her own.
“We’re different because we’re two different people. It’s funny, because it’s like sharing a body with someone, sometimes it’s Scarlet’s turn to walk around in this thing all day,” she laughed.
“I thankfully have far less dramatic life than her. She’s been through a lot.”
Tickets are now on sale for her Tamworth concert, at West Tamworth Leagues Club’s Blazes auditorium on Tuesday, July 11.
