The legendary Toni Childs will be performing in Shepparton at Riverlinks Westside on Friday, February 24 as part of her Retrospective tour.
Ms Childs was overjoyed to have recently been granted Australian citizenship.
She said she had been expecting a formal letter had her application been accepted, so was sure when she received an email about it that it meant she had been rejected.
“I let it sit in my inbox for days, because I was so nervous, and when I saw I got in I burst into tears of joy, a reaction I had not expected of myself,” Ms Childs said.
“I have not liked what’s been going on in the US. If something bad happens, I’d much rather be here in Australia.
“I don’t have to worry about going out for groceries and getting shot, that kind of paranoia doesn’t exist here in Australia.”
Ms Childs said she recalled when there was flooding in her local Byron Bay area, and how the “beautiful” community came together to help each other out.
She said she had a soft spot for the Australian sense of humour, particularly among rural communities.
“I grew up in a small desert town myself, so I love connecting with regional towns and audiences,” she said.
“I get to talk to my audience, and it feels like we’re friends.”
Ever since writing her song I've Got to Go Now, which she was asked to create as an anthem against domestic violence, she has been passionate about ending violence against women.
“I just want them to feel beautiful, because they are beautiful,” she said.
“We as women need to stop the violence we inflict on ourselves through negative self-talk.”
Ms Childs recalled a show from her recent tour where she invited a group of women on stage, to dance and sing and “not be afraid to be seen”.
“It was so beautiful and powerful, and that’s the kind of thing I want people to experience through my music,” she said.
Ms Childs said her voice had changed as she got older, but she had learned to love it, and she felt as confident as a singer as ever.
She said she was fighting singing her classic hits, and only wanted to sing her new music, until this tour.
“People were genuinely angry at me for only singing my new music, it was astonishing,” Ms Childs said.
She said she starts the shows by performing her old hits before transitioning into her newer music.
“It’s like having dessert first. But the new music to me is actually better, so the show gets better as it goes along,” Ms Childs said.
She said she felt like she discovered a new genre of music, “inspirational not religious”.
“It’s powerful messages but the sound is different, more upbeat, groovy, but also with an interesting and unique production sound, which is important to me as an artist,” Ms Childs said.
“We’re all struggling, all of us, but it feels like now I’m singing into spaces where people really need it, and are wanting to connect, and harmonise with me.
“It really feels like I’m peaking, which is a wonderful feeling, and I’m totally satisfied as a musical explorer.”
Ms Childs said she was now a totally independent artist and business woman.
“I’m proud to own my music and my brand, I think a lot of artists struggle with that,” she said.
“I’m currently walking through and breaking those walls down, and it feels really good.”
Ms Childs said the Shepparton audience should expect to get “loved up”.
Tickets are available on the Riverlinks website.