As International Women's Day approaches (8 March), what better way to celebrate than to put a spotlight on one of Australia's most sought-after and admired musicians in their genre.
Jayne Denham is a country singer-songwriter and has girl power running through her veins.A veteran in her own right, Jayne has been releasing music for over 15 years. Her artistry has gone from strength to strength, culminating in a thriving career in both Australia and the United States.
Jayne will be performing at Groundwater Country Music Festival (Gold Coast) this July, which will be her first time on the bill. “That festival has just blown up!" exclaims Jayne.
"It's still a fairly new festival, and it's just been incredible to watch as its grown over the years.
“I'm really excited to be bringing my band up and performing at the festival this year. It's going to be great – I can't wait!”
Groundwater Country Music Festival and Jayne Denham are a match made in heaven. Jayne's high-octane live shows and sizzling songwriting skills make her and her band quintessential performers for the Gold Coast music festival.
However, what trademarks Jayne's unique brand of 'girl power' is not just her ability to 'wow' her audiences. Jayne is an avid supporter of the truck driving industry, with emphasis on the female 'truckies' who are making their way in a largely male-dominated profession.
“My very first song I ever wrote was about truck drivers – I mean, I'm just a singer-songwriter, I'm not a truck driver at all, but I was just trying to think of great ideas for songs. . . and one of the things I'm kind of known for as a songwriter is that I love to write about other people.
“I love cheering people on. On all of my albums, I've had 'girls' songs where I'd go 'you go girls!' and that's where the whole truck thing came from.
“I wrote a song about a girl who lived in Tamworth who drove a truck. I was like, 'that's the coolest story!'. So I researched a bit about who she was, and I thought I'd embellish it and write a song.”
Jayne's most recent music video, 'Black Coffee and White Lines' (which scenestr premiered), was filmed in Alaska and featured some of the cast of the nail-biting reality TV show, 'Ice Road Truckers'.
It was during filming that Jayne was appointed an 'ambassador for the US Women's Trucking Association'. “My very first song ever in Australia was called 'Chick Ute' and I had no idea that it would blow up as much as it did.
“That was 14 years ago now, so way before social media and all of that sort of stuff. I kind of got known for being the girl cheering on the girls!
“Being that I had been going over to America, I got to meet so many women in trucking and they were really excited to be involved in the latest video clip, which we filmed in Alaska with the 'Ice Road Truckers'.
“So, as part of that, they said they'd love to make me ambassador for Women In Trucking in America.”
Jayne's music has become anthemic for the truck driving community, although her passion for raising awareness for the transport industry came about by accident, and was completely organic.
It is Jayne's talent for songwriting tied into her unwavering ability to support her community that keeps her humanitarian and feminist ventures at the forefront of the discourse.
“It's so funny, people often say to me 'was it some great marketing idea?' I go 'nope!'. I wouldn't have even dreamed of it. It was literally just being a songwriter. I just wrote a song and the rest is history. It's funny how what you're passionate about often transcends into other things. I've been very lucky.”
