‘Rainy Day’ is the latest single from New Zealand/Australian singer-songwriter Vanessa Delaine. The track was penned by Vanessa on a scorching hot day when she was craving a bit of reprieve from the harsh Australian summer.
‘Rainy Day’ is the first single from the upcoming album “Wild & Free” produced by Michael Carpenter (Adam Brand, McAlister Kemp, Bob Corbett) of Sydney’s LoveHz Studios.
Born in New Zealand, to Australian parents, having lived most of her childhood in a small country town Darfield, on the outskirts of Christchurch. Then living in Hastings for three years before moving to Sydney when she was 16 years old. She says ‘Even though I have lived in Sydney for 10 years, Auckland for 10 years and Melbourne for 5 years, moving to Wodonga VIC 6 years ago was when I realised, I am Country at Heart’ and she has become a legal Aussie in recent times.
Growing up with a musician father Vanessa was always around music. ‘It was a natural thing for me to sing and play guitar and write songs’ she says. Vanessa had some lessons during school on guitar, piano, violin and vocals and she also enjoyed being part of the choir, every school musical throughout her schooling life, and could be found performing at local Country Music Clubs every week and regularly getting up to sing with her Dad. By the age of 16 Vanessa was singing in pubs and was part of a small regional NSW tour with her Dad.
She really enjoyed playing in the local music scene in Sydney her early 20’s until a car accident resulting in a back injury at 24 briefly stalled her music career but with music as her motivation Vanessa was in the recording studio nine months later recording her debut EP “One Girl Band”. The EP features two tracks written by Vanessa’s father, who died suddenly a week after they were recorded. One of the EP tracks, ‘While The Music Plays’ was written when Vanessa returned from the funeral in Christchurch New Zealand. This track was the first single from the EP & launched at 1996 Tamworth Country Music Festival.
The 1996 Tamworth Country Music Festival saw Vanessa come in the Top 5 for Female Vocal in Capital Country National Talent Quest where she the only entrant to perform an original song and finalist at The Tamworth Services Club. ‘While The Music Plays’ was a finalist in The International Black Opal Song-writing Competition. Her EP “One Girl Band” went on to win six song-writing awards from Music Festivals around Australasia including; NZ Gold Guitar Awards, Tamworth Songwriters Association Awards and Bundaberg Country Music Festival.
Feeling buoyed by the success of the Tamworth Country Music Festival, Vanessa went on to do a ‘Certificate Of Contemporary Music Performance’ which covered performing and writing songs in Country, Blues, Rock, Jazz, Folk, Reggae and Funk genres and performed regularly in the Auckland music scene for quite a few years following this.
Vanessa took a seven-year break, got married and had children. Vanessa credits her 40th birthday party for her return to music. Accompanied by her guitarist-neighbour she performed for her party guests and received countless compliments.
2015 saw Vanessa release “Runaway” her first album – which was originally an EP till the producer offered to include extra tracks at no cost. The additional tracks came from an old DAT tape from her recording days in Sydney and a master CD with unreleased tracks recorded in New Zealand. The album was successful on iTunes charts in the USA, France and the Netherlands. A number of album tracks were winners at the 2017 Akademia Music Awards, where excellence in music is recognised throughout the world. Awards included Best Country Song – ‘Runaway’, Best Country-Blues Song – ‘Long Gone’ and Best Blues Song – ‘Moon Blues’.
Vanessa has performed at the Tamworth Country Music Festival, Yackandandah Folk Festival, Scorcher Festivals in both Perth and Adelaide, toured in Canberra, South Australia and all over NSW and Victoria with more concerts planned following the release of her new single, ‘Rainy Day’.