Jasmine Rae is a three-time ARIA nominated and multi-award winning vocalist, songwriter, actor and entertainer. Described by the Sydney Morning Herald as a ‘pocket-sized powerhouse’, she’s the only female solo artist to win the CMC Australian Artist of the Year Award and has ten #1 Australian country singles under her belt.

Let’s talk about the Mount Hunter Country Music Stampede – a festival only its second year. Held at the K Ranch Arena, just 50 minutes from Sydney airport, will feature a line up of evens such as traditional cowboy skills, equestrian events, jumping castles, food vendors, as well as showcasing new and established country music artists. You’re representing for the females on Friday’s girl power night alongside Christie Lamb and Teleisha Eade, who won the Maton Rising Star last year. What can we expect from your performance?

Friday night is the first night and people usually party the hardest on the first night, because they’ve just gotten there. I usually party the hardest on the first night of a festival, so it’s going to be fun. It’s got to be an energetic show for sure. Playing one new song makes the whole set feel fresh and shiny. It does add some extra excitement.

You perform as if it’s somebody’s first show they’ve ever seen or the last show that they’ll ever see. You give it for those strangers because you don’t know what their circumstance is and how it could connect you, change their life or your life. I love all that stuff. It hasn’t always been my philosophy and so I’ve been able to feel the difference on stage being it’s not about whether you feel like I look the best I’ve ever looked in these pants. It’s about that person in the audience who it might be the very first show they’ll ever see and therefore they’ll remember it forever or so.

The last time we spoke was in 2016, shortly after you released Eggs in a Basket as a single. You later followed up with the Karl Broadie tribute If He Calls in 2016 and  2017’s Everybody Wants to Take My Money and Fly Away.  However, some might say you’ve been a little quite lately, whereas from your perspective you’ve probably been go-go-go – so what have you been up to?

It’s funny because it depends how you look at things. If you bunch it all together, it looks like I’ve been really busy. If you spread it all out, it looks like I’ve been pretty consistent. If you look at it actually date wise, I’m really crazy busy at times and then not busy at all, then crazy busy and not busy at all. It’s a roller-coaster constantly. I’ve somehow gotten used to that life.

I spent a year studying at NIDA (National Institute of Dramatic Art). I was like I’m gonna go sing and screen act, and see what else is out there. I’ve been figuring out what I want to say. Being 21 when I put out Look It Up, that’s not where I am now. So it’s trying to bridge the gap between what I want to put out and what music I want to make now but also tying it in with my live show the way that I do. It took a little trial and error. I feel like I’ve written a few albums and just haven’t done anything with them. I’ve been writing and not being too sold on it up until now, which I’m totally happy with. I’m fine to take some time and reflect and be like what am I and what am I doing. I’m changing, what I like is changing, what I want is changing and how I feel about myself is changing.

You joined Granger Smith and his alter-ego Earl Dibbles Jr on his recent Australian tour, where you debuted a new song called Right Now. Is it safe to assume that new music is on its way then?

It means I’m going to do some recording soon. I haven’t looked in an exact date. I was trialing that song, it’s in the short list of songs that I may be recording and then we’ll release something after that. Things are coming. It’s exciting. Getting to play that song with the audience that have been supporting my other stuff, it feels good.

Right Now is about being like “just do it!” You can hesitate for too long on things and then suddenly you’re like, “why didn’t I just do it three years ago?” but still it took it up to this moment to realise I need to stop hesitating.

You’re toured and performed with International acts before, how did Granger compare? Was he nice and did you get to hang out with him and his band?

I loved getting to know them and they’ve kept in contact with us since. He loved Australia. I wasn’t aware of the following he had was so passionate. The energy was really high for him. I’d never been to Rooty Hill where it was standing room only – it was like, I could have crowd surfed. I just didn’t … I should have … I look back and I’m like, “Damn Jasmine! You should have crowd surfed!”

The energy on the stage was mad! I was jumping. It was fun. I found Granger and his whole team really refreshing. They tour all the time but yet they still seemed really energised and excited. They were all super fit and talking about fitness. He does a podcast and written a book recently. He does things differently to the regular and I really liked that. I felt like I had an injection of the new way of going about things and he seems like someone who’s not afraid to try things and that is what I’m moving into as well.

Jasmine Rae will be performing at The Mount Hunter Country Music Stampede which is held 12^th – 14^th October at K Ranch – Mount Hunter. For further information check https://www.countrymusicstampede.com/

For more on Jasmine: go to: www.jasminerae.com
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