Harmony James is not your average female country star. There is something about the urgent manner in which she sings, the unconventional - and seemingly fearless - way in which she carries herself and the dark lyrical content of her reflective, self-penned material, that sets her apart from many of her more mainstream-friendly contemporaries.
In October, the girl christened Susanna James, who 'cut her teeth' as a performer while working as a jillaroo on a remote cattle ranch in south west Queensland, signed a major deal with Warner Music - a clear indication of her outstanding potential - after having released an award-wining debut album, Tailwind, on the independent label, Shock Aus/Zoom, in 2009.
Harmony James: Tailwind
Ms. James' remarkably assured first effort received two nominations at the prestigious Golden Guitar Awards, for Best Female Artist and Best Album, while eight tracks off the record made the Top Ten on the National Country Music Charts.
Two years prior to that, the former choir girl and preacher's daughter won first prize (for the fantastic title track) in the country division of Nashville's International Songwriting Competition, an impressive achivement indeed for someone raised almost entirely on church music.
"Tailwind came years after a true experience of mine where I was living on an isolated cattle station and was in a relationship that was deteriorating," explains Harmony. "Things had gotten to a point where I was desperately unhappy and I really needed to get out of the situation.
"Because of where I was, and the fact that I had no transport of my own, I seriously considered taking my partner's car in the middle of the night to drive out to the nearest road house, where I figured I’d leave it and call him to advise.
"Things worked out so that we both moved away from that place together and the break-up came later, but I often wondered how things may have turned out if I had stolen his car that night and run away.
"That song really opened doors for me, so I am now glad that I had to experience that phase of my life."
Suite 101: How did it feel when it won the International Songwriting Competition in 2007?
"That was amazing. At the time I was completely unknown, living in a little desert town literally in the middle of nowhere. To win the country category against pro songwriters from all over the world really got people interested and wondering, 'Who is that girl and where the hell did she come from?'.
Harmony James: Handfuls of Sky
"I tend not to rate myself, but rather see how things go with the listening public," replies the Victoria-born-and-raised star, when asked if she believes the new record deal signifies that fame, fortune and a chance to achieve success beyond her wildest dreams are just around the corner.
"That said, I have become more confident as a result of the success of Tailwind and the opportunities that came with that and have toured and played live shows much more since then. My hope is that through being with the major label, we can use their ‘machine’ to achieve a little more than I could without them. But I also know that it really has to come back to the songs at the end of the day."
"I see it personally as a transition album," she continues, "because between writing the Tailwind album and Handfuls of Sky, I have experienced so much. I had to change my life to make this work and adjust to the choices I had made and learn a lot of lessons. I feel like I grew up a lot in the last two years."
Suite 101: How would you describe the new record musically and how is the sound and overall feel different from your impressive debut?
"I think it still has my typical dark streak lyrically, but we also made sure that a bit of light came into it as well, so it didn’t end up being a concept album. There is some fun, optimism and hope on the record too.
"Musically there are a few songs that are produced with big guitar work, almost rock I guess, rather than it being all straight country, but then there are still tracks than cannot be considered anything but country."
Suite 101: How many songs on the album did you write or co-write and which are your favourite tracks on it?
"They are all mine and there are no co-writes at all on there. I am starting to get a few more opportunities to co-write, but so far I have worked best on my own. I am close to the final track, The Girl You See, because I love that I get to be that honest and it still made the cut - and it was produced in a way that there are no distractions."
Harmony James: The Sky's the Limit
From award-wining nobody to respected, hard-working labelmate of Kylie Minogue and Michael Bublé, Harmony James has come a long way since her humble beginnings as one of 12 children growing up home-schooled and more-or-less isolated from the outside world.
Suite 101: What are your proudest moments in your career to date and what ambitions do you have left to fulfill?
"I don’t often feel proud, so much as grateful. I think that’s because I attribute any success so far to having the good fortune of coming up with the right song at the right time or having met the right person who was able to hear it or tell someone about it and all those many things that have to align at once.
"I am grateful for the fact that I have had enough wins to keep being able to get heard and to be on a good trajectory for a career in music. I am looking to try more co-writing to see if that is something I can add to my repertoire.
"I’d like to see my songs being cut by other artists and will also be doing my own tours eventually. I really just want to continue to get better at doing what I do and do it more and more. I tend to find that patience and commitment count for something in the long run."
Adrian Peel - Adrian is an English freelance writer and journalist currently living in Mexico. Over the past eight years, he has had articles, features ...
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