Singer-songwriter Leanne Tennant is seeing her years of hard work pay-off as she prepares for her showcase performance at Australian Music Week (AMW) in Cronulla this November.
The Brisbane-born independent artist has been selected to perform as part of the live segment of the AMW conference. “I've done a few shows in Sydney before and I've always had a lot of fun,” Leanne says.
“The people there that are supportive of music are really, really supportive of music so I always love coming back to Sydney. I'm really excited to have been added to the AMW showcase and it's a great opportunity to meet other musicians as well who are on the path and industry people.”
Leanne's selection for AMW comes after her recent win at the Queensland Music Awards (QMA), which saw her named as the 'Blues/Roots' winner for the single 'Gentle Annie' from her second album, 'Red Wine, Late Nights'. “It just came for me at the right time,” she says of the QMA win.
“It's helped the momentum keep rolling, but I wasn't expecting it. The people that are also nominated along with you are just really great, top musicians and songwriters, so I wasn't expecting to take that one out and I was honestly surprised when they called my name.
"I'm absolutely honoured to have something like that sitting on my shelf at home. It's been a good thing.”
As part of the QMAs, Leanne was also selected for the One Eye On The Stranger programme that included a mentorship with Kram from Spiderbait culminating in her own performance at Festival Of Voices in Tasmania in July. “Growing up in Brisbane, Spiderbait and Regurgitator were my favourite bands,” Leanne says.
“They were the soundtrack to my teenage world and I remember going to The Zoo to watch Spiderbait as one of my first concerts. To be selected by Kram to fly down to Tasmania and work with him for a few days and play at The Festival Of Voices, I'm over the moon.”
Winning state-wide music awards and being selected for showcases like AMW aren't just empty accolades for Leanne.
As an entirely independent musician, Leanne says she relies heavily on such programmes and they mean a lot to her in terms of advancing her career. “Being completely independent is really hard and often I go through stages of thinking 'do I really want to continue this?' because it is really hard and it takes up a lot of your time,” she says.
“I love it, so it's not really a question of me not doing it anymore because music is like my left arm. Music has been in my heart since I was five years old, so it's not going anywhere. But it is tough and you do have doubts as to whether you should invest so much time in to it.
"When you get things like this – some form of recognition for the work you've been putting in – it gives you a boost to know you're going down the right path in life.”
Leanne Tennant Performance Dates
Wed 6 Sept - BIGSOUND (Brisbane)Sat 14 Oct - Red Deer Festival (Brisbane)
1-3 Nov - Australian Music Week (Sydney)
