>Carmen (AU) Fraser-CF09<
Victorian singer/songwriter Carmen Fraser has the ability to hold an
audience captive with her distinctively unique voice and the way she conveys
emotion through her songs. The Mansfield girl has been a passionate singer since
she could talk, and discovered her love for songwriting at age nine when after
being stranded in a far paddock after the motorbike ran out of fuel, she crafted
her first well written song while walking back.
Growing up listening to her parents' record collection including Bruce
Springsteen, Carole King, Whitney Houston, Kenny Rogers and Garth Brooks amongst
many others, Carmen developed an unshakeable obsession with emotive music.
Despite graduating high school with the International Baccalaureate Diploma and
a TER of 97.45, the pull towards playing and writing songs was so strong that
there was never really a choice. Fraser is a dynamic alt. country performer with
the ability to transform life experiences into a lyrical poem, delivering a
flawless performance from the opening line. The influence those great singer
songwriters have had on her is evident in her well crafted lyrics and stirring
melodies.
"I tend to write songs whenever I feel an emotion strongly - whether it be love,
excitement, regret or hope... and I often think those songs just about write
themselves. I've always thought that music is so powerful in that it can uplift
people, be thought-provoking and inspiring, and it really excites me that I'm
lucky enough to continually listen to, create, explore and practise it" she
explains.
After school Carmen had a year working at Timbertop (Yr 9 campus of Geelong
Grammar) as the music and running assistant, working on songs, and has
definitely been 'paying her dues', having spent three winter seasons up at Mt
Buller with residencies at the Mt Buller Chalet and other venues, playing four
nights a week. Other residencies include 5-star hotels in Melbourne: The Grand,
and the Sofitel. In 2006 Carmen did some shows on behalf of the Jimmy Little
Foundation in the Northern Territory, and supported GANGgajang at The Tivoli in
Brisbane, the Basement in Sydney and Manchester Lane in Melbourne, and also
played the World Aids Day Concert in Federation Square in Melbourne.
In 2008 she attended the prestigious CMAA College of Country music, and
throughout the rest of the year, while studying Politics and Creative Writing at
Melbourne University, continued to hone and develop her skills, playing gigs on
the weekends and writing songs for the album. The self funded debut album
Silhouette was recorded in Melbourne by ARIA award-winning producer Paul
Wiltshire, and contains twelve original songs - the pick of six years worth of
writing.
The first two singles off the album, "32 Days" and "Wild Dog Creek", have been
very well received on radio, and the debut video clip, "32 Days", made it
comfortably into the Top 30 of the CMC Countdown. With recent supports of the
likes of Bobby Flynn and Grace Knight, and multiple festival appearances
imminent and the recent release of her Silhouette on October 10, audiences and
industry professionals alike agree that Fraser is an undeniable force to be
reckoned with, and from the response to the first two singles it is destined to
be a huge success.
"She is the young talent who has huge potential" - Richard Wilkins, Today Show
Nine TV Network
'She's a rising young talent... determined to make it to the top and according
to old hands in the industry she may well have just what is takes to get there..."
- Kerry O'Brien, The 7.30 Report, ABC TV Network.