Recording Artist Stephenie Grant In the News

Lismore's Stephenie Grant is one of five country stars to tour the North Coast.

The newest recruit in the Young Stars of Country is North Coast girl Stephenie Grant, and she will play her first Lismore gig with the group next week.
Also featuring Adam Harvey, Beccy Cole, Darren Coggan and Felicity, the Young Stars of Country has been touring the nation for the past three or four years.
When the group's headline act Adam Brand left to pursue his solo career, Grant, 18, stepped in as the newest and youngest member of the group.
"I'm learning so much from the other artists," said Grant, who was recently a winner in her heat of the Nine Network's talent quest, Starstruck.
This will be Grant's first major tour with the Young Stars, but despite being the first act to go on stage at each gig, she's not nervous -- except when it comes to the Lismore show.
"It's always more nerve-wracking performing in Lismore -- I'm out there to make it special," Grant told The Edge.
Grant said touring with the Young Stars of Country was much more satisfying than touring alone. "It's like a big family. Felicity and I are roommates, Beccy brings her baby and Adam and Darren are roommates. We're all good friends."
But touring and appearing on Starstruck are not the only things keeping Grant busy. She can also often be found working at Lismore's Sanity Music store. So how does she fit it all in?
"Sanity are very understanding and they do support me," she said.
"And it helps having a really good family. My parents and my brother all help and they have been my secretaries since Starstruck. The publicity has quadrupaled." Grant said the best thing about the Young Stars was being able to regularly tour.
As well as touring, Grant is currently writing new songs and will soon travel away for a weekend songwriting workshop.
But plans for a new album have been put on hold due to Starstruck.
"There are so many people watching so it's hard to see into the future," she said.
Following the Young Stars of Country, Grant will travel to Melbourne for the Starstruck grand final which will be televised on May 27. The Young Stars of Country will play at the Lismore and District Workers' Club on Saturday, May 13.

Lismore based country singer Stephenie Grant crooned her way past another career milestone on Saturday night with a win in her heat of the Network Nine talent quest, 'Starstruck'.
Back home yesterday, Stephenie said being on Starstruck was a great experience, and winning was particularly fantastic.
"It's great, I'm loving every minute of it. I couldn't ask for much more but I'd like more," she said.
Stephenie impressed the Starstruck judges with her rendition of 'Even When I'm Sleeping', by Leonardo's Bride.
"It wasn't intentional not to do a country song, but this song doesn't really have a genre, it just comes from the heart," she said.
While her Starstruck rivals sang to backing tracks, Stephenie's experience performing live with the likes of John Williamson, Lee Kernaghan and Colin Buchanan meant she was able to sing with a seven piece orchestra.
"I was actually dead calm before the performance. Even though there were cameras on me, I just thought to myself that it was like any other gig with people out there wanting to be entertained," she said.
The girl who started singing at the age of 11 with a karaoke machine said she loved the adrenalin of performing, the stage, the lights and the idea of people out there enjoying her music.
She now has a 'Young Stars of Country' NSW tour and several other gigs to get through before she returns to Melbourne for the taping of the Starstruck final, which goes to air on May 27.

Earlier this month Lismore performer Stephenie Grant taped the video clip of the title track from her latest CD, Déjà Blue. A North Coast promoter successfully lobbied local businesses on Stephenie’s behalf for funding for the project.
The clip, which was produced by Channel TEN Coffs Harbour, was shot in and around Coffs with the majority of the taping taking place in the Studios of Channel TEN. It was directed by Adam Dennison and he was ably assisted by Michael McDonald, and behind the camera and lighting was ex-pat Canadian Chris Dunkin, all from TEN Coffs Harbour.
Ross Jamieson from TEN Coffs Harbour said, "Channel TEN is proud to be associated with Stephenie as we are quite excited about her obvious talent and future within the music industry". Stephenie has supported the Channel TEN Special Childrens’ Christmas Party for the past few years and endeared herself to them and many other community groups on the North Coast with her charity appearences.
Miss Grant said, "I was really excited when they told me it was going ahead. It turned out to be a lot of fun and a great experience. I let them (Channel TEN) decide how the clip should come together and they have done a fantastic job."
Stephenie also had to select an actor to play the role of her love interest in the video. She spotted a young man who visited the shop where she works part time and thought he’d be perfect. In the end she couldn’t pluck up the courage to ask him and a friend had to jump in and do the asking for her. It turned out that the young man was Matt Fidler, who is the younger brother of our Olympic swimming gold medalist, Chris Fidler. He accepted of course. The video should air on CMT sometime in September.
The song’s American writers were elated with Stephenie’s recording and they informed Rimm of the World Music in Australia to forgo their licence fees for the video. They did invite Stephenie to the US last year when the album was released to do a promotional tour, which she had to decline. It stands to reason that they be once again elated that the song has translated to a medium that can reach a large American audience. Miss Grant said, "I would be happy that the video is being seen in Australia, but if it reaches other countries I’m sure not going to complain."
Stephenie was supposed to have a quiet year in 1999 so she could study for the HSC. However, a mid-year signing with Allied Artists, appearing with the Young Stars of Country in Sydney, touring with Lee Kernaghan in Queensland and a further tour of Victoria in September, getting a track on the NfS #52 Compilation CD which made the Country Music Radio playlist and now the video, it has turned out to be her biggest year yet. Stephenie has gained approval to attempt some of her trial exams in other parts of the country whilst touring. She has one free night on the tour.
Quite aside from what Allied Artists are planning for her next year, Stephenie is gearing up for a heavy local workload by forming her own backing band. Retaining her successful Duo partner Joe Aleman on lead/rhythm guitar, and adding big Shaun Rudd on bass guitar/vocals and the one man sideshow, Tony Hurley, on drums. Miss Grant said, "It has been really hard work but I am happy with the band’s progress. We are starting to sound great together and we have a while yet to get it perfect." They have not yet decided on a name for the group.

 

Last time I saw Stephenie Grant she was a talented kid with a big future. Following the release of her new album, Déjà Blue, it’s apparent that she’s ready to step into the big time of Australian Country Music right now. Produced with great skill and care by Bushwacker Roger Corbett and Pru Clearwater, Déjà Blue is a remarkable achievement for such a young artist. Just 17 -- in fact she was 16 when she recorded the album -- Stephenie sings with a sensitivity and perception way beyond her years. What’s more, her voice has matured from that little girl with promise to a strong, sweet and very appealing sound -- one which we’ll be hearing much more from if this album is any indication.
This album came rather out of left field -- it was expected to be another album of covers, sung beautifully but not making much of a mark on the industry. However, the reverse is true. The album has been received with surprise and delight by those in the industry who’ve heard it, and to my knowledge it’s impressed all who’ve heard it. The decision to aim high was one taken by Roger, Pru, Stephenie and her parents.
“We decided we had to take that next step, to make it more professional, more appealing, than my first album (My Old Friend), which I released when I was only 13”, Stephenie said.
“The connection with Roger came about after I performed at a show in Dubbo with him in 1995. I became friends with him and his family, and when we discussed the idea of a new album with him, he offered to produce it with his partner, Pru Clearwater.”
Roger and Pru were also involved in writing a number of the tracks on the album. Pru penned the first song, Wildhorse Mountain, and also co-wrote Out The Door with Roger who also co-wrote Lost In Space with fellow Bushwacker Tim Gaze, and penned Crazy ‘Cos I’m Crazy Over You.
Former Star Maker Lyn Bowtell and songwriting partner Margie Mason wrote two tracks, You Hypnotise My Heart and She’s The One, and another Star Maker, Darren Coggan, wrote Straight From The Heart especially for Stephenie.
“We’re good friends and he wrote the song for me about 18 months ago. I think he’d decided I would never record it,” Stephenie said. Darren also makes an appearance on the album, on the duet Lost In Space -- one of the best tracks on Déjà Blue. “It’s an interesting duet, because he comes in quite late and it’s a surprise. I asked him to do it, and I was really pleased that he was so keen to sing with me,” Stephenie said.
The title track, Déjà Blue, is an American composition and Stephenie’s version of it has caused more than a few ripples back in the US, where the co-writer, Glenn Warren was delighted with her interpretation of his song.
“I’ve never been completely blown away by a cut of a song of mine, I’m a tough critic by necessity, and I’ve never had everyone I’ve played it for blown away either. I like this reaction,” Glenn emailed recently to his Australian publisher, Geoff Hayes of Rim of the World Music. This song is the first single from the album, and Stephenie and her parents are now tentatively exploring the idea of a record deal to distribute Déjà Blue to a wider market.
“There’s no hurry, and we want be careful in what we do,” she said. “I’ve still got to finish school -- I’m in Year 11 -- and that’s my first priority at the moment. I’m also doing quite a bit of local work with a band called Jabiru and a duet with Joe Alleman on the NSW North Coast, so that’s keeping me pretty busy.”
However, Stephenie’s found time to begin writing her own material, completing a songwriting workshop with Allan Caswell in Grafton during this year. She was also selected to attend the prestigious Talent Development Project (which helped hone the careers of Darren Coggan and Felicity amongst others), and to perform as part of the Schools Spectacular at the Sydney Entertainment Centre. In addition, she performed this year at the Northern Rivers Country Music Roundup, along with Lee Kernaghan, Anne Kirkpatrick and Felicity.
The reaction to Déjà Blue has taken Stephenie’s breath away somewhat, but she’s very excited about the prospects that are opening up for her, and despite her young age, she has what it takes to make the most of them.

 

Thursday, June 27, 2002 11:32 AM