In April this year, Cairns-based singer-songwriter Leanne Tennant became the second-ever recipient of the coveted Carol Lloyd Award.
Eight months later, Leanne is still coming to terms with the reality of the win. “I'm still having pinch-me moments about it; I think it is still sinking in very much,” Leanne says.
“It was probably the most unusual, Earth-shattering type of feeling that I've ever had before, when they called out my name. I wasn't expecting it and it meant so much to me at the same time.
“The feeling that I had some support and that I was worth it was really amazing, and to know who Carol Lloyd was and what she represented – and with the state of the music industry at the moment with such a strong focus on women in the music industry – it was such an honour to receive something like that.”
The Carol Lloyd Award was named in honour of iconic Australian rocker Carol Lloyd who blazed a trail for women in music as the frontwoman for 1970s rock band Railroad Gin.
Carol died in 2017 after a long battle with pulmonary fibrosis, leaving behind a powerful legacy ready to be taken up by incoming generations of female musicians. In this way, Leanne says she feels a type of spiritual kinship with Carol. “I knew that she was a bit of a mother figure to emerging musicians,” Leanne says.
“I felt that I had quite a synergy with that because up in Cairns I run an emerging musicians programme that delivers workshops and performance opportunities to our emerging musicians of Cairns. That's really important to me in my life, so it was pretty cool to feel that connection in a way.”
As the winner of the Carol Lloyd Award, Leanne also received a $15,000 grant earmarked for funding a tour or recording an EP.
Leanne used the money to record her next album and says the money provides essential support for an artist of local stature like herself. “This award was such a big deal for me because the type of music that I play or write isn't your mainstream music,” she says.
“The type of music that I play isn't necessarily supported by Australian radio; there are very small boxes of genres that are supported and I'm not 25 years old anymore, so to have an opportunity when you're not in those tiny boxes is really rare. So it's massive for me to be able to be considered when my style is so out of those boxes.”
Carol Lloyd
With two albums under her belt already – her 2014 debut 'Pull Up Your Britches' and 2016 sophomore 'Red Wine, Late Nights' – Leanne says her next album is a chance to experiment with stylistic changes while the award alleviates the burden of financial restraints.
“It's taken the pressure off and I've really enjoyed this writing process more than any other album I've put out before, just by having that feeling of support, and the stuff that I'm working on is really coming from a place of authenticity and my heart,” she says.
“I'm not thinking too much about where it sits and I'm not writing for a specific way or style that fits into something. I'm just really enjoying the writing process and I think that's from having an award like this taking the pressure off things a little bit.”
