She may be the classic example of a country girl turned country star, but Melody Pool is far from stock standard.
You'll generally find people in their early-20s getting hammered in a nightclub or slaving away at their retail job. Not Melody Pool, however, who spends her time living the dream by performing sell-out shows all across the world. “[Country music] was just always around me, I didn't really have a choice,” laughs Pool.
Pool has not only toured extensively alongside big names like The Milk Carton Kids and Gabrielle Aplin, but recorded her acclaimed debut album, 'The Hurting Scene', at the young age of 21 with the help of Jace Everett, the man responsible for the 'True Blood' theme song. “He came out and toured Australia, and my friend Kirsty Akers supported him and I was playing guitar and singing harmonies for her on that tour,” Pool recalls.
“He heard my songs and was like, 'If you ever come to Nashville I'd really like to produce your record'. I set up a crowdfunding campaign for it so I could get over there and do my first record. It was a pretty big step for me because I was 21 and went over there knowing one person. It was great though, the best thing I could have done.”
Her next big step is co-headlining her own tour with fellow country prodigy Marlon Williams. “His music is very timeless and beautiful, sounds like it should have been written in the '50s,” Pool says. “[The tour] is going to work really well for us because there's enough similarities between us but also enough difference, so it's going to mesh really well and be a nice dynamic.”
Melody Pool and co-headline partner Marlon WilliamsThere's no doubting the incredible amounts of effort and hard work Pool has put into her career, but she admits there are times when it all catches up to her. “It's kind of cool when you're on the go all the time, because you kinda feed off it, but when you stop for a couple of days that's when you're like, 'Holy crap', and it crashes down on you,” she says.
“I did have to have a little holiday last year just to break it up and recharge. I feel like I don't want to let anyone down, especially myself, so I just work as hard as I can and I love it.”
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Melody Pool Tour Dates
Fri Jul 18 - Fitzroy Town Hall (Melbourne)Thur Jul 24 - Grand Poobah (Hobart)
Sat Jul 26 - The Wheatsheaf (Adelaide)
Sat Aug 2 - Newtown Social Club (Sydney)
Thur Aug 7 - Black Bear Lodge (Brisbane)
Tues Aug 12 - The Front Gallery (Canberra)
Tues Aug 26 - Ellington Jazz Club (Perth)
