X-Factor Australia singer Jayne Lilford will make a comeback to the stage as one of the headline acts at Kyabram’s Taste and Tunes festival in October.
Her return to singing comes 11 years after she made the final 12 of her category in the reality TV talent show and eight years after she last performed.
Ironically, that last performance was at Kyabram’s A Day Beneath the Gums, which was co-organised by her mother, Loretta.
Kyabram Tomorrow, organisers of the October 22 Allan St festival, were desperate to maintain the Kyabram “flavour’’ of the event.
A friendship between organiser Karyn Grealy and the now Melbourne based performer influenced her decision to return to the stage.
“I’d given up music. Knowing that, Karyn was very sheepish in her approach.
“But I told her, “for you, and the town, I will perform,” Jayne said.
She told the Free Press that she had always been very supported by Kyabram with her music.
Jayne became an overnight “national sensation’’ when The X-Factor told the story of her as the “singing traffic controller’’.
Her audition had judges Guy Sebastian, Nat Bassingthwaighte, Mel-B and Ronan Keating gushing with praise when she performed Rolling in the Deep by Adele at the 2011 audition.
“I made it into the top 12 of my category. I went to Sydney for boot camp for a couple of days.
“That light burns out very quickly, which is fine, because I was not a fan of the limelight,” she said.
Jayne attended St Augustine’s College and finished her schooling at Notre Dame in Shepparton for Year 11 and 12.
Her parents, John and Loretta Lilford still live in Kyabram.
Jayne said, following The X-Factor, she took a break before performing around Melbourne and releasing an EP.
“I then got stuck into youth work and I’ve been doing that for seven years in the northern region of Melbourne,” she said.
Jayne works with high risk youth in trauma situations, now working with renowned family services organisation Berry Street.
She will perform at the inaugural staging of the Tastes and Tunes event with the Baker Boys Band and another Kyabram entertainer Bodhi Hawken.
Bodhi recently finished his education at Kyabram P-12. He was the face of the state school spectacular a couple of years ago.
Jayne appeared in season three of The X-Factor competition, which was won by Reece Mastin.
Guy Sebastian’s words featured in a heavy promotional campaign for the show, “if you ever want to stop traffic just open your mouth,” he said, of Jayne.
Jayne returned home to Kyabram two months ago while recovering from a back injury.
She has had a couple of significant health setbacks since performing on The X-Factor, the latest involving a spinal operation after she suffered from crippling sciatica.
“I was hit for a six by anxiety for a long time there,” Jayne said.
“I kept saying no to everyone and I am really pushing myself to do this. This is a real comeback, I feel a bit like John Farnham.”
Jayne said she hadn’t planned on reprising her X-Factor audition and Adele wouldn’t be part of her performance.
Jayne said she would be singing “covers’’ and her original songs “could stay here in Melbourne’’.
“I am thinking of doing a bit from back in the day, Creedence (Clearwater Revival), Janis Joplin and Fleetwood Mac. I love the 1960s-70s,” she said.
Prior to her appearance at the Taste and Tunes event, Jayne will have the chance to “tune up’’ when she joined her parents in Uganda.
“Mum co-founded an organisation called Smiling HeARTs for special needs youth.
“She and Dad have been over there for a week or so and my sister Beth and I will head over next week.
“I will teach music to the kids for a couple of days,” she said.
Jayne said the response to her announcement had been once of excitement in the Kyabram community.
Allan St will be closed from 2pm until midnight for the event.
Campaspe shire has co-sponsored the event with Kyabram Club and the Kyabram Community Bank.
Kyabram Tomorrow’s Carmen Nicholson said the group had also received a grant from the Gardiner Foundation.
“Through the sponsorship from these organisations we will be able to have tables and chairs line the streets, supply public toilets and security,” Mrs Nicholson said.
“It will mean the vendors will not have to offset the cost and, hopefully, it will be all profit for them.”
Kyabram P-12 College and other community groups will play a role in the evening, organisers reaching out to school and service clubs to be involved.
“The Scouts, the lodge, schools and service clubs will all be involved in some capacity, as a fund raising activity,” Mrs Nicholson said.
She said the event would probably be “around half the size of (Shepparton’s) Fryers Street Food Festival.
“Our plan is to lock all of the food vendors in and then have a sit down with them.
“Then we will engage the Allan St businesses in a Tastes and Tunes promotional activity.
“We would love them all to be open on the night,” she said.
Kyabram hotelier Brenton Sheppard has taken a leading role in establishing a menu which will provide a significant range of options and will avoid any “double up’’ on culinary options.
"We really want people to tell us what sort of food they want. They can do that through our Kyabram Tomorrow Facebook page,“ Mrs Nicholson said.
She said the aim of the festival was to keep everyone involved in providing entertainment and food to “be within 20 km in Kyabram”.
"This is the first time we’ve done anything like this. We really want the town to own the event,’’ she said.