You just have to work hard, says singer picked to perform at Project Sydney gala

RISING singer Thandi Phoenix doesn’t deny her Western Sydney background, insisting it’s what you do — not where you come from — that matters.

Thandi Phoenix is performing at the Project Sydney Gala on Thursday night. Picture: Darren Leigh Roberts

THANDI Phoenix is proud to call herself a “westie”.

The up-and-coming singer is a strong advocate of working hard to make dreams come true.

She’s done exactly that as one of Australia’s most promising young music acts.

“You’ve got to stay committed and dedicated to what you do and that really doesn’t matter where you’ve come from,” Phoenix told Confidential.

Singer Thandi Phoenix says music has always been a “big part of who I am”. Picture: Darren Leigh Roberts

“If you have a vision and a dream, then you just do it.

“It doesn’t matter where you come from in Sydney, it is up to you to make it happen. There is no easy route in any profession.

“You just have to work hard.”

Thandi Phoenix (second from left) shares a stage with (from left) Dami Im, Samantha Jade, Kate Ceberano, Katy Noonan, Emma Donovan and Kira Puru during the closing ceremony of the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast.

Promoting Australia in the US with Minister for Foreign Affairs Julie Bishop last year.

Phoenix, 24, will perform at The Daily Telegraph’s Project Sydney Gala at the Bankstown Sports Club tonight.

She grew up in Enfield and later moved to Lakemba. Having graduated from Newtown High School of the Performing Arts, she is now based in Canterbury.

Thandi Phoenix at the UMA James Bay showcase in Richard Wherret Studios, Sydney. Picture: Dara Munnis. @daramunnis

Working with Vivians Models in 2009.

At Hotel Palisade in Millers Point. Picture: Christian Gilles

It was after coming to the attention of music execs as a Triple J Unearthed artist that Phoenix was signed to Universal Music Australia.

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Her single, My Way, was produced by British band Rudimental.

“I have been surrounded by music my whole life — it is a big part of who I am,” she said.