42nd Toyota Star Maker: Top ten up and coming country artists vying for the 2022 Star Maker crown

The proud Gomeroi woman will go head-to-head with Australia's up and coming country artists in Tamworth next January, after being selected from almost 100 entrants.

"I'm overwhelmed and very emotional to be named a finalist," she told the Leader.

"I make good country music with a roots feel to it, I like to include my traditional language within my music where I can, which I think sets me aside and just makes it much more meaningful."

The 27-year-old will be performing one original and one cover at the 2022 Grand Final concert during the 50^th Tamworth Country Music Festival, and said she will give it her heart and soul.

"A blackfella hasn't won Star Maker for about 19 years and in the whole 40 plus years of Star Maker only one Indigenous person has ever won it, so I'm looking to be that next one," she said.

"For me, it's not just me who would win it, it's all my people, it's all the young blackfellas from Coledale or anywhere in Australia that are looking to get into country music.

"I want to create that safe space for them, I want to open more doors for them, more opportunities, doors that were closed to my mother and her mother - I'm banging on those doors now."

Charlie Fittler from Armidale has been busking in Tamworth since he was just 12 years old, and said being a Star Maker finalist is a "dream come true".

"I caught the bug then, and ever since then I've been watching the ten finalists come through every single year and it's good to be named one of the finalists and come up on the stage myself," he said.

"It's awesome - I'm ecstatic."

The 18-year-old will be performing two original songs at the Grand Final concert, which will be released on his EP after Country Music Festival.

"To win would be a massive launch pad for my career. You see so many people that go through Star Maker and where they are now is amazing," he said.

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Katie Jayne from Scone and former Quirindi local Billie-Jo Porter are also among the top ten, which includes eight artists from regional NSW, as well as one from regional Queensland and regional Victoria.

After the competition's cancellation in 2021 due to COVID-19, country music manager for Tamworth Regional Council Barry Harley said its return was a sign of the light at the end of the tunnel for the industry.

"It's great that a competition as grand and prestigious as Toyota Star Maker can lead the way and show that there is a future in music and there is a future outside of COVID," he said.

Also among the finalists is Brittany Elise from Boyne Island QLD, Clancy from Orange, Heath Lancaster from Kempsey, Jade Gibson from Wangaratta VIC, Jake Davey from Taree, and Max Jackson from Carrington.

Launching the careers of some of Australia's best country stars, like Keith Urban and Lee Kernaghan, the Toyota Star Maker is the nation's longest running and most respected country music competitions.

The top ten will now perform two of their songs on stage at the Star Maker Grand Final on the opening weekend of the Country Music Festival on Sunday, January 16, at Toyota Park.

The final will feature a gala performance by 2020 Star Maker winner, Sammy White, whose reign was extended by 12 months due to COVID-19.

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