An indie pop artist from Sunshine Coast, JaZZella has being writing music and performing live since she was 14 amassing a resume that includes supporting Delta Goodrem and Kate Ceberano.
Inspired by artists such as Amy Winehouse, BENEE and Mac Miller, JaZZella has recently released her debut single 'Shoot'."'Shoot' captures my heart, personality and message in one, tidy little song with a ribbon on it," JaZZella says.
"I hope this song will inspire, empower and encourage anyone who may be experiencing low self-esteem, self-doubt or self-confidence to believe in your dreams."
JaZZella spent 2019 travelling the world; along the way she wrote songs that will feature on her debut album that she is currently in the process of recording and plans to release later in 2021.
With a run of live shows that includes an appearance as part of Horizon Festival's Live & Local in the Garden series (that pairs tasty local brews and delicious local eats with live music from some of the finest Sunshine Coast musicians), JaZZella shares a few of her unforgettable travel experiences.
1: Travelling the east coast of Australia on a two-month music tour
As soon as I turned 18, I was ready to hit the road and start exploring the beautiful east coast of Australia while chasing my dreams. I packed up all of my belongings into a little Mazda and decided to begin the journey in Cairns.I contacted all the best music venues in every town from Cairns to Sydney and self-organised a huge live music tour. Each venue provided us with food, accommodation and a sweet gig for the evening that my badass boyfriend and I would perform at together.
We met so many beautiful people and had the chance to explore a huge chunk of Australia along the way.
2: Heading to the USA to compete in an international singing competition in Hollywood
As a young musician, getting off the plane at LAX with my guitar in hand was the most thrilling experience.I had been selected to represent Australia in the World Championships of Performing Arts against 50 other countries, and was there to show Hollywood what I am made of! I performed my original songs and won gold awards for all five acoustic performances.
This big win resulted in the opportunity to visit many recording studios and the chance to connect with many fellow creatives and music producers throughout Los Angeles.
I also found time to visit Santa Monica, San Francisco and San Diego in my spare time. I sang for anybody who would listen to me on this journey, including the big tour bus of people travelling through Hollywood.
3: Visiting Warner Studios in London
November 2019, I was walking to breakfast in South Kensington, London, when I happened upon Warner Music Studios. I couldn't be more excited to stumble upon this big music label and felt that the universe was setting me up to walk in and catch my big break.I gathered my thoughts, straightened my jacket and confidently strutted into the main foyer with a huge smile on my face. When I reached the receptionist, I greeted her with the perfect amount of Aussie enthusiasm: "HI! I'm JaZZ. I'm a singer-songwriter from Australia and it has been a life-long dream of mine to visit Warner Music Studios. I'm thrilled to be here today – is there a chance somebody might be free to show me around?!"
The receptionist smiled and calmly replied: "No." My confidence slightly faltered, however I thought I could take a different approach. "No worries. Is there a chance I may be able to spend a moment in this wonderful foyer and take a selfie or two?"
Once again, she smiled cooly and replied: "No. I'll have to call security if you don't leave now." As I stepped out onto the beautiful, rainy cobblestone street of London I did a little celebratory ballerina twirl as I was stoked I'd had the opportunity to walk in and say hello.
Unfortunately, I misjudged how slippery the streets were and I took a huge fall and landed hard on my back in a puddle – staring up at the leafy London trees. I took a moment to just lay there on the ground and giggle to myself. It's all part of chasing the dream.
4: Two romantic weeks in Italy
Two Autumn weeks is all it took to make me fall in love with this country forever! From getting lost on rainy nights in the dark streets of Venice to staying up all evening to walk around the warmly lit cobblestone streets of Florence.My lover and I spent a simple night in Florence eating gelato as we admired the beautiful architecture, fashion, art and statues on every street. We happened upon a little street carnival and rode one of those adorable little horse carousels.
We walked across Ponte Vecchio on our journey home that night and found the most incredible band performing on home-made instruments. We danced in the street with many locals and travellers - we couldn't all speak the same language but we were all enjoying the same magical experience together.
We rode horses up Mt Vesuvius in the ancient city of Pompeii and admired the sunset over the land while drinking local wine and cheese. We ate the best pizza in the world at the oldest pizzeria da Michele in Napoli, which has been open since 1872.
I am hooked on sweet, sweet Italy and have promised myself I will return to live a 'simple' life there one day.
5: Climbing an active volcano in Rabaul, Papua New Guinea with my band
This was one of the biggest mental and physical challenges that I've ever completed. There was no earth under our feet for this climb – just crumbly black ash.With every shaky step the temperature became hotter and hotter. I may have cried at one stage while climbing. One of the local tour guides was thirsty, so I gave him the rest of my water at the beginning of our climb; he walked this journey in bare feet.
Once we had reached the top, we ran back down the side of the volcano and dove into the hot ocean water at the base of the volcano for a sunset swim. This was a truly incredible experience that I will never forget.
JaZZella plays Eat Street Northshore (Brisbane) 31 July, NightQuarter (Sunshine Coast) 21 August, Horizon Festival at Wonderland Spiegeltent Garden (Sunshine Coast) 28 August and Island Vibes Festival (North Stradbroke Island) 28-30 October.
