Gunnedah's international songbird won't be home among the gum trees for Christmas, but she can still pen songs about her hometown all the way from the United States.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Musician Katrina Burgoyne has poured her heart into the co-write of I'm Coming Home, with country music star Amber Lawrence, and said the chorus was "an ode to Gunnedah".
"It fell out so effortlessly and writing this song teleported me back to my much-missed mother's house. I've never been so emotional writing a song and I never thought I would cry over lyrics that say, 'Lamb roast on a Sunday'," Burgoyne said.
Read more:
The TCMF regular hasn't seen her family for three years because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and is heartbroken that she won't be winging home for Christmas.
"We wanted to write something for the ones that have been unable to get home over the last few years," Burgoyne said.
Lawrence released the song in November, but Burgoyne wished it had been her.
"I've never written a song with another artist and wanted to fight over who would record it," Burgoyne said.
"I think in time, I will release it when I actually come home; it's a really special song."
I never thought I would cry over lyrics that say, 'Lamb roast on a Sunday'.
- Katrina Burgoyne
Home has been a theme for Burgoyne who is a Golden Guitar nominee for a vocal collaboration with "ex-pat friends" Kristy Cox, Travis List, Troy Kemp, The French Family and Jedd Hughes, for a cover of Peter Allen's classic song, I Still Call Australia Home.
"I've got my fingers crossed. I've never won a Golden Guitar award, so I'm a little mixed emotionally about it," Burgoyne said.
"I have dreamed of winning one since I was 14 years old. I imagined it clearer than my own wedding day. It would be bitter-sweet to win the award and not be there to walk on stage and celebrate the win with my Aussie music peers."
Burgoyne's own home changed a few months ago when she moved from Nashville where she had lived since she left Australia's shores in 2017 to chase her musical dreams.
After "lockdown, Black Lives Matter riots, a bomb last Christmas, and a shooting across the street" and "rocketing" real estate prices, the musician and her boyfriend, Stephen Kinney, decided to "get out of the city" and have settled in a "little two-bedroom place" in Hendersonville.
"The vibe of this city actually feels like Tamworth. It's a bit more 'country'. I can put my feet on the grass and it's a lot safer," Burgoyne said.
The musician spends plenty of time on the road, though, making the most of her freedom after the COVID-19 pandemic put her out of work for eight months in 2020.
While 2021 was a slow burn at first, she said had been "the best year yet" with heaps of shows over summer.
The musician also recently released an EP, The Next Big Thing, which was recorded in lockdown with her boyfriend who turned out to have quite a talent for producing music and videos.
The EP has almost hit half a million streams on Spotify and has been added to major playlists on Spotify and Apple Music.
"It's heavily influenced by my journey here, from my songs 25 Cents in the Ashtray and Songwriter, sharing my struggle on this side of the world. Tennessee went to number one on Country Music Television and hit number four on Aussie country radio," Burgoyne said.
She said the title track, The Next Big Thing, was inspired by the confidence of Americans about becoming "the next big thing" and her response in "saying it like I see it".
Burgoyne is calling on locals to support her by streaming her music and sharing it on social media.
"If you love it, please brainwash all your friends for your hometown girl," she said.
- You can keep up-to-date with Katrina's Burgoyne's music and news at katrinaburgoyne.com or on social media via her Facebook and Instagram accounts.
