Music Interview: Stephanie Brownlee
May 27, 2010 by Lisa Dib
Filed under Interviews, Music
Many people are fazed by the term ‘country’. It has always evoked long-suffering, oft withered faces like Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson; to some, country is sad old man music, littered with oversized cowboy hats, denim shirts and deeeeee-pressing stories of love long gone and your baby done wrong, pardner. But Stephanie Brownlee is out to change your perception.
Born and raised in Tamworth, New South Wales and currently residing on the Sunshine Coast in lovely Noosa, Stephanie Brownlee is of a new breed of country music star. Don’t bother turning to CMC; you’ll only find Trace Adkins and Billy Ray. Brownlee is out to bring country-pop to the Channel Vs and VH1s of this great big world.
“I was always around country music; Mum used to always play Trisha Yearwood and Shania Twain and Faith Hill albums all the time” Brownlee explains. “And my Dad played country music as well. My dad is a really good guitarist and has played by ear all his life, and my great grandma was a singer, so it goes back on their side [laughs]”
Though Brownlee is gloriously unashamed of her musical direction, does she find there is still a ‘dodgy’ stigma attached to the genre?
“I guess so, but now, with people like Taylor Swift and Keith Urban being played on mainstream radio, it’s a lot easier. People have this perception that all country music is Slim Dusty. There’s a new movement of modern country coming through. I think it’s the name; I guess if people gave it a chance, they might love it” she explains.
Even now, she keeps her guitar close by, as if inspiration were forever floating to the top. “I don’t really try and say, ‘Okay, better write a song today’” she says. “It’s more like: I have to be in the mood to write a song. I’ll strum along and play any chords on my guitar, be relaxed, and then I’ll start humming along and try to fit lyrics to it”
With her first single Keep It Real hitting mainstream radio all over Australia, follow-up single Good Friend/ Girlfriend set to do the same and the debut album to come this July, Brownlee is clearly hitting the ground running.
“I went over to Nashville (Tennessee, USA) and recorded my album over there and did the vocals in Sydney, so it’s the best of both worlds. The next track we’re releasing (Good Friend/ Girlfriend) is really exciting, it was co-written by Miley Cyrus! They’re amazing over there, such professionals. I just said, ‘do your thing!’ [laughs] and we got great feedback from it”
Many would consider Nashville to be one of the music apexes of the world; certainly it is country music Mecca to some. How did the grand city treat Miss Brownlee?
Stephanie Brownlee
“I met so many cool people over there. It was just the whole experience; it’s so different over there and everyone is so nice. It’s music all the time; in comparison to Tamworth, you have the festival, but over there it is all day, every day!”
Brownlee promises this upcoming record will most assuredly be “very ‘up’ and really fun” and has no qualms with the material she is putting out.
“I’m a country-rock artist, and I just put it out there and play what I love, and just hope everybody else loves it too, I don’t do anything just because ‘they might play my stuff more if I dress this way or do this’, I just do what I wanna do and be myself and if people pick it up, that’s great!”
Though the MySpace is sadly bare of tour dates for the young songwriter, Brownlee promises we will see on her road very soon.
“Once my album comes out on May first, we’re [Brownlee and band] doing a tour around Australia, main cities and country towns. I don’t like being home for too long, I itch to get on the road!
Keep It Real and Good Friend/ Girlfiend are out now on iTunes.
