Abi Muir, Anais Campbell, Leanne Tennant, Lady Valiant: Cairns up and coming musicians

The Far North has no shortage of talent when it comes to homegrown musicians. Meet the top performers here.

The Far North region has no shortage of talent when it comes to homegrown musicians.

The list includes 24-year-old Royston Sagigi-Baira, a Cape York man who won Australian Idol earlier this year.

From an acoustic indi-pop duo, a four piece rock band to a homegrown pop sensation meet the 10 up and coming musicians wowing the Far North.

Abi Muir recently participated in Road to Nashville, a global music competition for emerging singer/songwriters, earning her a trip to the iconic city.

Abi Muir

Abi Muir, 19, says taking part in local music programs saw her open for Australian music sensation Dami Im.

Originally from Scotland, the retail worker moved to Cairns with her family at 11 years old.

At 15, her mother entered her in a singing competition at the Paramore Dinner Theatre at the Cairns Casino.

“I was so scared to do it but I ended up winning the competition which was crazy. Then I started busking and doing bigger gigs at the Tanks and stuff,” Miss Muir said.

Miss Muir, who opened for Dami Im at this year’s Cairns Summer Sounds, said she was contacted by Cairns Regional Council.

“They reached out to me because I’d done a few gigs for them before so of course I said yes,” she said.

Miss Muir said Covid-19 had impacted much of the music scene for the duration of the pandemic, but a lot of work was going back into the arts and shows around the region.

“I’ve noticed council driving more shows and festivals, and I’ve been invited to more gigs than ever before. They’re offering so many different gigs and opportunities for us,” she said.

Miss Muir said she was now looking at recording her debut album and hoped to release it later this year.

Cairns artist Anais Campbell said the Cairns music scene was refreshing compared to the industry in Sydney and the UK where she previously lived previously.

Anais Campbell

Popular Cairns artist Anais Campbell said the Cairns music scene was refreshingly different compared to other cities she has performed in such as London and Sydney.

“I lived in the UK for a bit and the plan was to make music there. I got one single produced and did one live performance and then everything completely shut down,” Ms Campbell said.

“It wasn’t the experience I had hoped for.

Ms Campbell moved back to her family’s home in Brisbane before following them to Cairns two years ago.

“I thought, I’ll give it six months, and then I ended up loving it,” she said.

Ms Campbell said there were more opportunities to perform in Cairns than Sydney and London as venue managers were more likely to “give you a go”.

“I find it quite refreshing here because a lot of venues are willing to help or offer assistance to artists to get their foot in the door, which can be quite different to other locations,” Ms Campbell said.

“The opportunity pool up here is huge because there’s not as many musicians but there are so many opportunities given.”

She said one of the challenges about having a smaller pool of original musicians had restricted her collaboration efforts.

“I thrive from collaboration so I was looking for opportunities and people to write and record with.

“I found there were a lot less options or it was harder to find people. I’ve since started meeting people through radio and press opportunities,” she said.

Despite the challenge, Ms Campbell said she was now performing more than she ever had and was making enough money to become a full-time musician.

Cairns duo Jade and Clara aka Poetic Chaos have released their latest single Watered Down on Thursday March 9.

Poetic Chaos

Finding a songwriting collaborator has not been a problem for Cairns-based acoustic indie-pop duo Poetic Chaos.

Jade Schuck and Clara Satzke first met while studying a music degree at CQU Cairns campus in 2017.

Together they have forged their way into the Cairns music industry having recently opened for Aussie indie-pop sensation Stella Donnelly, however it has not been without its challenges.

“Everyone has their own groups and people know each other so obviously connections and networks are the majority of the way you’re going to get a gig,” singer Jade Schuck said.

“If you don’t know those people, you just have to be patient and work hard. It might be easier in the bigger cities, but it’s still hard.”

Singer Clara Satzke said there was good competition in the region but that the new generation of Cairns musicians were generally supportive.

“They’re all different but also really supportive of each other. Every time we release a song, we get so many messages from fellow Cairns musicians supporting us and coming to our gigs and sharing stuff on social media.

“We also do it for them, so I feel like the culture is really good. The music scene here is changing and growing,” Miss Satzke said.

The pair are self-recording their debut album to be released sometime later this year. They are also hoping to play the Cairns Festival.

“We played it last year with all the bands, but we’re so excited about what’s happening here with Poetic Chaos.

“We’re so passionate about the songs and performing together and how lucky we are to perform and write together, so playing the Cairns Festival would be really cool,” Miss Satzke said.

15-year-old Tayen Henderson, better known as Tenni has already released her first single and said she hoped to tour with a band one day.

Tenni

Another up and coming artist who dreams of performing on the big stage is 15-year-old high school student Tayen Henderson who goes by the stage name Tenni.

Miss Henderson, who performed at The Court House Gallery Music in Session in February, said she was able to get the gig after connecting with established Cairns artist Leanne Tennant.

“There was a two-day music workshop at Tanks Art Centre where I met a lot of people that run behind the scenes in the music industry down here. I know they’re working to put more opportunities for artists.

“It’s great having that as a resource for me,” Miss Henderson said.

Miss Henderson said she hoped to become a professional singer and the Cairns music scene had already provided her with exposure and gig opportunities around the region.

“I hope to pursue and keep making music somewhere and maybe get a band,” she said.

Miss Henderson said she had enrolled in a music program run by CQU to learn music theory.

“It’s a side I’ve never really learnt before. Before I was just doing guitar chords and singing, bit if I want to study music at uni, this is a great way to start,” she said.

Miss Henderson said she hoped to either continue studying with CQUni while continuing to perform in the region.

“I’ve also been looking at JMC in Melbourne and because I have family there, it was always an option for me to study,” she said.

Miss Henderson has already released an original song available now on Spotify.

Rising singer Topaz Hall will move to Brisbane to pursue her studies in music but said the Cairns music scene gave her the kickstart she needed.

Topaz Rose

Topaz Hall — who goes by the stage name Topaz Rose — is another young artist with dreams of making it big in the music industry.

Although the 18-year-old singer planned to move to Brisbane to pursue her career in music, she credited the Cairns industry for giving her the kickstart she needed.

“I’ve been in the industry for about four years now. I’ve been learning how to sing and play guitar for eight years and have just started to get myself out there and doing gigs in recent years,” Miss Hall said.

Miss Hall said she had participated in numerous workshops with Tanks Youth Arts Centre which gave her insight into the industry and access to mentors and a recording studio.

“The Tanks have been very helpful in supporting youth music by offering workshops regularly and performing opportunities which has been really helpful,” she said.

Miss Hall said busking had also given her opportunities to meet other musicians around Cairns.

“I love watching gigs, meeting new people and growing connections. I find that very helpful because it makes it easier to reach out to each other,” she said.

Miss Hall said she hoped to pursue music as a full-time career, either as a performer or music producer.

Alison Skardon and Shirley-Ann Rowley better known as The Jazzuleles are encouraging locals to come out and support homegrown musicians.

The Jazzuleles

An enterprising singer-songwriter duo who are avid “anti stress advocates”, The Jazzuleles (aka The Js) comprises of Alison Skardon and Shirley-Ann Rowley who bring a “positive and calming” sound with vocal harmonies and uplifting melodies on the ukulele.

In 2020, the Far North duo released their first single and despite the pandemic, kept the music alive through global jam sessions via Zoom where they connected with other ukulele performers in Canada, New Zealand and the US.

A regular act at Ten06 Cafe in Yorkey’s Knob and Vitalia’s, the duo hosts monthly workshops called the fun-cover ensemble where a group gets together like an orchestra.

Participants learn to play a simple musical piece over coffee and cake.

According to Ms Rowley it was important to find a niche especially in a competitive environment like Cairns.

“There’s a lot of opportunities especially if you are under 30, if you are bigger, or do rock, blues,” Ms Rowley said.

“We find the little ukulele humbles the person.

“It is very calming and you can have a conversation.”

While it was easy for venues to host them, it was tricky to keep everyone happy, Ms Skardon said, as being audible a ukulele set yet adhering to a cafe’s decibel limits was sometimes akin to walking a tightrope.

“Venues have been shut down because someone complained about the noise,” Ms Rowley added.

“We have to all try and support them.”

Their dream gig would be in Hawaii or at a lovely brunch with cocktails sitting at the beach.

“We always like to see a bit of water,” Ms Rowley said.

Cairns sensation Leanne Tennant will release her latest single 'Act Your Age' at Tanks Art Centre on Friday April 21 which focuses on ageism against women in the music industry.

Leanne Tennant - LT Music

Touching on ageism in the music industry, established artist Leanne Tennant, also known as LT Music, has pushed the problem into the spotlight with her new single ‘Act Your Age’.

The artist, who wrote the song with Aussie music sensations Joel Quatermain (Eskimo Joe) and Edwin White (Vance Joy), said she took the song idea into the writing session where it evolved into something more.

“I took this idea in about ageism and how women can experience ageism in the music industry then as we started writing it morphed into a bunch of other things. Frustrations about societal expectations for women to look or act a certain way,” Ms Tennant said.

Originally from Brisbane, the Rollercoaster singer said the Cairns music scene was “a nice little community” with a lot of talent and great songwriters but it also fell into the ageism trap.

“It would be great to see the industry grow to be more age inclusive. When you get past a certain age, it’s very limited and most venue applications ask your age,” she said.

Ms Tennant, who has kept her age a closely guarded secret, said a musicians age has nothing to do with their talent.

“I don’t think your age has anything to do with anything at the end of the day and it can be a bit frustrating,” she said.

“You don’t get your Tina Arena’s and Patti Smith’s without women being supported the entire way through their careers. There needs to be platforms for artists who don’t fit the one demographic.”

However, Ms Tennant said the Cairns music atmosphere was supportive for the most part with many acts supporting each other.

“In the case of original music, the music venues we have like Tanks Arts Centre and Elixir Bar are outstanding,” she said.

“As far as the actual music community, it’s really strong up here. Everyone is very supportive of each other’s music. We’re very lucky up here. We’ve got a lot of talented writers in the region.”

Ms Tennant will perform at Tanks Art Centre on Friday 22 April before making her way to the UK for a special BBC Radio performance.

FNQ based band Lady Valiant have big plans for 2023 including recording a new album to be released as singles followed by an album release and possibly a tour.

Lady Valliant

Blues and rock band Lady Valiant have been in the Cairns music scene for seven years.

The band, originally formed in the Unites States features American native Glenna Lynn on vocals, Aussie guitarist Marty Brown, Drummer James ‘Fry’ Allen and bassist Matt Gerdes.

Mr Brown said she had been living in the US for more than a year when the band first formed, had given them time to write music to bring back to Australia.

“From that point, we became very busy with gigs around the Far North region. Getting so much time together on stage was definitely a positive as well,” Mr Brown said.

He said there were a lot of opportunities in the Cairns music scene, particularly workshops aimed at younger musicians around the region.

“It can be hard terrain to navigate and can seem daunting to a lot of younger people. A lot of us have been told ‘you need to get a real job’ or you can’t make a living from the arts,” he said.

While the Cairns music scene may seem like saturated with indie-pop artists, Mr Brown said there were so many talented artists within the genre in Cairns.

“I think it comes down to the fact that the indie-pop genre appeals to a much broader demographic. It’s easy listening and hugely popular among the younger crowd,” he said.

“There’s some great indi-pop artists in Cairns. I’m a fan of a lot of them, but my roots have always been firmly in the hard-rock area.”

He said the best way to support local music, including Lady Valiant, was to go to festivals and “be a smiling face in the crowd”.

“Lady Valiant will be playing a lot of awesome festivals this year. We have an event almost every month which is great. We can’t wait,” he said.

Cairns local artist Kaweyova has recently performed at the Tanks and is also releasing a new song. PICTURE: STEWART McLEAN

Kaweyova

Hailing from the Trobriand Islands of Papua New Guinea, Samantha Clark who goes by the musical moniker Kaweyova, has been a Cairns based R & B soul musician for close to 12 years.

“I started with solo gigs for a couple of years but these days perform anywhere from part of a duo to a seven piece band,” she said.

Influenced by Sam Cooke, Alicia Keys, Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston, her tryst with music has its roots in the traditional island music she grew up with.

“Music was a part of everyday life so was singing in church and gospel, was where my love for soul took off,” she said.

According to Ms Clark, Cairns was the ideal mix of good vibes and great stage opportunities with a healthy dose of privacy

“It’s not about the fame, I love the vibe in Cairns which is why I stay here,” she said.

Her YouTube videos from Cairns performances landed her a six month contract with the Waldorf Astoria hotel in Dubai.

“I am blessed to do what I have always dreamt about as a child.”

Originally published as Abi Muir, Anais Campbell, Leanne Tennant, Lady Valiant: Cairns up and coming musicians