Kylie Auldist - doing what she loves

I couldn't do a 'women who do what they love' story without interviewing the inspirational Kylie Auldist.

I am proud to say this talented singer is

from the same one-horse town as me!

Must be something in the water around here... :-)

I asked Kylie a few questions about living the dream.

For the uninitiated here is her bio :

"Kylie Auldist has been singing since she could talk.

The earliest recording taped while she was six years old with her Dad Ian on guitar!

From there she progressed to singing in pubs with bands from every genre.

In Melbourne she has performed with Funk, Soul and Hip Hop oufits including Polyester, Mega Bias and of course The Bamboos.

Kylie has appeared on recordings and as a backing vocalist for Australian music legends such as Renee Geyer and Jimmy Barnes, playing many high profile gigs both in Australia and overseas.

To quote Melbourne's PBS Radio website: “Kylie is something of a treasured hometown secret! - She’s never been on Idol or Neighbours but she CAN sing!!...”

Kylie Auldist delivers emotionally charged powerful vocals with a versatility of style.

In 2007 The Bamboos took Kylie to Europe and the UK where she met and signed with UK record company Tru Thoughts.

Her first solo album 'Just Say' was co-written and produced by The Bamboos and Lanu main-man Lance Ferguson. 'Just Say' was released in May 2008 to

critical acclaim, receiving accolades from the likes of Mark Lamarr (BBC),Bobbito Garcia & Andy Smith."

Bio not my words - taken from here

You have just returned from an amazing tour of UK and Europe - how was your music received?

Do you feel like you have cracked the big time?!

Yes it was quite an amazing trip-very fast paced-on the autobahn and in the air most of the time.

Most gigs were very well attended the only exception being Frankfurt Germany where only about 40 people turned up.

But they were all polite-they applauded and bought CDs!

As for cracking the big time I hardly think it’s time to get a limo and a lear jet but we have been invited back to a lot of the venues for a June tour next year 2010 so I guess that’s a measure of success.

And we did a couple of radio interviews and live to airs in London and Manchester with listeners into the millions so that was a great opportunity.

What was the highlight of your tour?

There were so many but I really enjoyed having 3 days off in Barcelona to explore and sample all the food and sangria! The Sagrada de Familia-Gaudi’s cathedral was breathtaking and the beach was beautiful-especially compared to Brighton UK where the beach is made of rocks!

At the time there was a festival on in Barcelona so I got to see heaps of free live music on big stages around the city.

What can we expect from Kylie Auldist in the future - what exciting opportunities do you have in the pipeline?

Well my second album MADE OF STONE has just been released and I’m launching it at the East Brunswick Club on October 31.

Also a new Bamboos album is out in March 2010.

I collaborated on that and sing about 6 tracks on the new album which is called 4 like the Led zeppelin album!

I also sing with Cookin' on 3 burners and they are the band I toured overseas with. They’re new album is SOUL MESSIN has been getting rave reviews! I’m also playing the York Jazz Festival near Perth on October 24 and 25^th and then the Falls Festival January 28^th

. We may tour the US next year but no concrete plans as yet.

You recently appeared on Rockwiz how was that?

Rockwiz was fantastic! Julia and Brian are hilarious and getting to sing with Tony Hadley from Spandau Ballet was just bizarre!

He has an awesome voice and was really nice. He didn’t come to rehearsal though so when we were singing our duet my cousin said I looked like I was staring lovingly into his eyes (you can view her loving gaze here) but I was actually watching his mouth to see what words he was going to sing!!

Aside from your obvious god-given talent, what is it about your 'art' that inspires you to keep on keeping on?

When the music starts it takes you to another place.

It’s quite enthralling really and gives me a buzz that keeps me addicted!

It’s just fun I guess and it’s all I know how to do so if someone’s going to give me money for it why not?!

What do you enjoy most about performing?

The music for sure ,but you do get energy from a big crowd who’s loving you!

Tell me about your new album

There’s a lot of different styles of music on the new album and it’s quite different to the last one.

More mature I’d say.

There’s a song for my boys and one for my Aunty Rosy, Mum’s sister who passed away from breast cancer last year.

How have you managed to become a soul superstar whilst being a Mama of two boys?

I have a fantastic husband and family who help me with my kids.

Everyone seems to be very understanding and supportive about my singing and they know it’s something I have to do or I won’t be me.

Do you try out songs on your boys?

Not really! Jim is completely uninterested and Reggie either has his ipod in his ears or is playing the drums so loud he can’t hear anything else!

But Reggie is going to sing backing vocals at the launch which is nerve wracking for all of us!

Do they realise their Mama is a soul superstar?

Reggie does seem to be quite proud and even gives me a mention of his myspace page sometimes!

I played the COOKIN ON 3 BURNERS album to Jimi and he said “play that song with no mama singing!!” it’s an instrumental called Tokyo Saucer and he loves it - doesn’t want to hear me!

Had motherhood strenghtened you as a performer / singer? How?

That’s a hard one.

Sometimes I think I should just stop it and stay home but I think the boys need to know that you can do everything if you try.

And having a fastidiously clean home is overrated!

So if I’m going to do it I’m going to do it good.

What is your advice for a mama who is set juggling motherhood with pursuing a passion ?

I guess we’re role models for our kids and if they see us give up and not follow our passions then where does it leave them? I think they need to be proud of us and as long as there’s a stable home environment , everyone wins!

If you are in Melby or heading that way you can go to the launch of Kylie's second album "Made of Stone" at East Brunswick Club - you buy tix online here