It's a big year year for Felicity Dowd. Not only is the Bega 16-year-old preparing for her Year 12 exams, but she has just picked up two awards at the Tamworth Country Music Festival.
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Felicity said she had been asked to perform as a part of the Tamworth Songwriters Association annual awards ceremony.
"Due to COVID this year the festival was cancelled, so instead the awards were pre-recorded and streamed," Felicity explained.
"Prior to attending the awards, I knew I was a finalist in two sections, including having two songs in the youth category (under 18) and one song in the novice section (open).
"During the recording of the awards I was ecstatic to find out that I had won both sections; my song 'Blue Skies' won the novice section and 'When the Party was Over' won the youth category," a delighted Felicity said.
Felicity discovered she was a winner during the recording session at ENREC Studios in Tamworth.
"I was pretty excited; I had been a finalist in the youth category for the last three years but given the calibre of the songwriters who enter this competition every year, it was a huge achievement for me to win and something that I never expected," she said.
So where does she get her inspiration from for composition?
"I just like listening to a lot of different types of writers, different genres. I try to be open and listen to a variety of artists. It comes back to traditional storytelling, the folk and country roots," Felicity said.
It all started when when Felicity was about six. She said none of her family play instruments but then she attended a school showcase night.
"I heard someone play the piano and wanted to play too."
Although she learnt piano, she sticks with guitar and vocals for her act which is built around the country/folk genre although she admits she sometimes "stretches into blues and jazz".
She said she had been influenced by what her dad listened to - "a lot of Dixie Chicks and Lee Kernaghan" and folk music.
Both the Cobargo Folk Festival and the NSW Folk Federation had been very supportive, she said.
Now there are plans to do more with her winning composition in the novice section 'Blue Skies' in the next couple of months although Felicity doesn't want to say too much about it at this stage.
In the meantime though she enjoys playing are local venues where "everyone is so supportive of original music".
