Dear lovely ones.
14 years ago last week my first single, Got The Monkey Off My Back, was released and I excitedly found myself planning a last minute trip to Tamworth for the Country Music Festival in 2007. The song made it on Nick Urby's playlist for the month of January 2007 and I was invited to play at the Mildura Country Music Festival that year as well.
In the years that have passed since, I've had some lovely moments on and off the stage. I was a finalist in the Victorian Country Music Awards in 2012 and I've been a finalist a few other times with various song writing awards as well. I've done radio, I've played many gigs, recorded a new album, and wrote/produced/directed my one woman show at Adelaide Fringe in 2017. Through music I've met so great people I wouldn't have if I'd not started to write and perform it.
My one regret is that I've never been able to fully tour. There's always been a roadblock for me with this. When I lived in Melbourne I was on my own and had to keep working to retain a roof over my head. In Adelaide, well it feels like it's too far from everywhere and I now have a man and a furbaby who need me here (plus I still need work to pay for a tour and it's hard to find casual work or a job that will let you go tour for 6 weeks).
I am not sure what the next few years are going to bring me. I am tired, and shorter lol, from trying to wear all the hats you have to when you're an independent artist. It's not easy to find the money and then if you do, it's hard to find the time because of daytime work needed to support the musical habit we original artists find ourselves in. I'm a small fish in a big pond of music and my second album has not sold as well as I would have liked it to. I'm so grateful to those who have purchased any of my music. You're all so special to me and I'm blessed that my music resonated enough that you had to buy it.
In case I can't ever make it back to performing and recording, I would like to thank each and every one of you for supporting me in whatever way you have. Those smiling faces at gigs, the airplay I've had across the nation and the world, and the people who I've worked with and shared a stage with. I truly don't know what 2021 will bring. I hope it's a better year for everyone and, personally, I hope I can find my musical mojo and combine it with my life here in SA and create some more memories with my own brand of musical mayhem.
Bless you all and thanks for being a Lily-Darling all these years.
love
Susan Lily xxx
