Tamworth Country Music Festival 2022: Powerhouse vocalist Hayley Jensen on getting back to her country roots

Following the success of her 4th studio album Breakin' Hearts, the versatile singer songwriter has snagged her first ever Golden Guitar nomination for Female Artist of the Year.

With a background in pop and jazz, Jensen shot to fame as a top four finalist on Australian Idol, and later The Voice in 2014, where she was described as 'the whole package' by coach Kylie Minogue.

But it wasn't until she got back to her country roots that she felt at home in the industry.

"It feels like I've been swimming against the tide for years and years and it finally feels like it's coming more naturally to me, which is so beautiful," she told the Leader.

"As soon as I decided to go back to my roots of country music, everything just made sense. There was no struggle to make it work, the music just worked and it just felt right."

Coming from a pop background, Jensen said it took a while for the industry to accept her as part of the country world.

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"I'm a country girl at heart, I grew up on a property outside of Canberra," she said.

"Being nominated for Female Artist of the Year is an amazing category to be in. It's very exciting to be acknowledged by the industry - it's an incredible feeling."

The hit single Breakin' Hearts off the new album was written while Jensen was playing at the Calgary Stampede in Canada in 2019.

It tells the story of heartbreak, something the now happily married artist knows too well.

"I went through a pretty awful relationship and marriage and divorce in my younger years, so I was able to get a lot of inspiration from those times," she said.

"It really set the tone for the rest of the album and what I wanted it to be, which was that kind of fusion of southern bluesy, country and I wanted to infuse some jazz into it."

You can catch Jensen with fellow female powerhouse performer Christie Lamb at Wests Tamworth on Thursday from 4:30pm.

There'll be individual sets, duets and a sprinkling of Shania Twain, Dixie Chicks and Dolly Parton in between.

Jensen also takes to the stage at Toyota Park on Saturday night.

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